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Our Team

Meet the dedicated team that carries out the mission of the Great American Songbook Foundation including Founder Michael Feinstein, staff members and the Foundation's Board of Directors.

 

Michael Feinstein, Founder

 

 

Michael Feinstein is a multi-platinum-selling, two-time Emmy and five-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated entertainer known as “The Ambassador of the Great American Songbook.” He founded the Great American Songbook Foundation in 2007 to celebrate timeless popular music and preserve its legacy for future generations.

 

Feinstein also serves as Artistic Director for the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana, where the Songbook Foundation is headquartered, and Principal Pops Conductor for the Pasadena Symphony. His signature nightclubs include Feinstein’s at the Nikko in San Francisco, Feinstein’s at Vitello’s in Los Angeles, and Feinstein’s at the Hotel Carmichael in Carmel.

 

He is the author of The Gershwins & Me, a Los Angeles Times bestseller recounting his early years as personal assistant to Ira Gershwin. His most recent, album, Gershwin Country, reimagines the classic songs of George and Ira Gershwin in duets with some of the biggest names in country music.

 

Key Staff

The Great American Songbook Foundation has eight dedicated full-time staff members (*) who work to advance the organization’s mission. Additionally, the Songbook Foundation is affiliated with the Center for the Performing Arts, which provides additional staffing support in key areas.

 

*Designates dedicated Songbook staff

 

For general inquiries, please reach out to:
info@TheSongbook.org

 

 

Executive Leadership

 

Jeffrey C. McDermott 
President & CEO

  

Jeff Steeg
Chief Operating Officer

 

Christopher Lewis* (he/him)
Executive Director

 

Programs & Communications

 

Renée La Schiazza* (she/her)
Director of Programs

  

 

 

Scott Hall (he/him)
Director of Communications

 

Library & Archives

 

Emily Rapoza* (she/her)
Director of Library & Archives

 

Elisabeth Hedges* (she/her)
Processing Archivist

 

Anna LoPrete* (she/her)
Music Librarian

 

 

Development

 

Kendra Latta, CFRE (she/her)
Vice President of Development

  

Kathy Pataluch, MPA (she/her)
Director of Individual Development

 

Lindsay Fish (she/her)
Director of Partnership Development

  

Jo Garcia* (she/her)
Assistant Director of Individual Development

 

 

Board of Directors

The Great American Songbook Foundation's Board of Directors is a group of committed stakeholders that includes industry experts, professional performers and conductors, philanthropists, and enthusiasts of the music of the Great American Songbook.

 

Karen Kelsey, Indiana
Chair

 

Don Gottwald, Indiana
Vice Chair

 

Troy Payner, M.D., Indiana
Secretary

 

Rollin M. Dick, Indiana
Treasurer

 

Michael Feinstein, Indiana
Founder, Member Emeritus

Adam Arceneaux, Indiana

Brook Babcock, Tennessee

Libby Brown, Indiana

Stan Burton, Indiana

Terrence Flannery, Indiana

Peggy Ford, Indiana

Stan Hurt, Indiana

Brian Kelly, Indiana

Paul Lowden, Nevada

Andy Marx, California

Izabela Ozdemir, Indiana

Tory Purvis, Indiana

Tony Robertson, Indiana

Marty Rosenberg, Indiana

Charles Simons, D.D.S, M.S.D., Indiana

David Stirsman, Indiana

Michael Wells, Indiana