OPERA America Selects Participants for 2014 Leadership Intensive Program

OPERA America, the national nonprofit service organization for opera, is pleased to announce that 14 participants from the United States, Canada and Europe have been selected for its 2014 Leadership Intensive program. These future industry leaders were chosen through a competitive selection process that focused on proven leadership and potential for significant contributions to the opera field throughout their careers.This program is made possible by the generous support of American Express.

The Leadership Intensive exemplifies OPERA America's firm commitment to identify and nurture leaders who will advance the creation, presentation and enjoyment of opera for years to come. This program seeks to identify the most promising emerging leaders in a range of opera administration fields and provide them with the skills and contacts needed to advance their careers.

The 2014 Leadership Intensive participants are: Ana Ablamonova, founder, Operomanija (Vilnius, Lithuania); Todd Calvin, vice president, business and legal affairs, Nickelodeon/Viacom Media Networks (Los Angeles, CA); Brittany Duncan, HGOco programs director, Houston Grand Opera; Barbara Lynn Jameson, youth programs manager, Seattle Opera; David Krohn, corporate development officer, Houston Grand Opera; Ashley Magnus, manager of corporate gifts, Utah Symphony | Utah Opera (Salt Lake City, UT); Benjamin Makino, music director, Opera Memphis; Joseph Peacock, director of corporate giving, Vancouver Opera; Gerald Phillippe, membership coordinator, Opera Europa (Brussels, Belgium); Thomas Rhodes, development associate, Fort Worth Opera; Joanna Verano, development manager, Pacific Opera Victoria (Victoria, BC); Bradley Vernatter, director of production, Boston Lyric Opera; Sean Waugh, assistant to the director of artistic administration, San Francisco Opera; and Christopher Wybenga, institutional and legacy giving associate, San Francisco Opera.

OPERA America's sister organizations, Opera.ca and Opera Europa, each selected two of the participants, giving the program an international dimension.

"American Express is pleased to support OPERA America's 2014 Leadership Intensive as part of our commitment to nurture the next generation of nonprofit leaders," said Timothy J. McClimon, president, American Express Foundation. "We recognize that these 14 leaders are critical to creating a vibrant national opera community for audiences and artists now and in the future."

As part of the Leadership Intensive, participants will attend seminars and workshops during Opera Conference 2014 in San Francisco in June. Building on that work, these leaders will reconvene in August for a week-long learning program at OPERA America's National Opera Center in New York City.

In both sessions, participants will gain skills that will enhance their current work, build strategic capacity in a variety of administrative areas and develop career advancement techniques to enhance their personal leadership strengths.

Upon completion of the program, these developing leaders will apply their new skills and knowledge to their current positions, sharing the learning with their home organizations, communities and the opera field.

"There is a steep learning curve when new staff take their first positions guiding departments or opera companies because there is no formal training process for these high-stakes situations," stated Marc. A. Scorca, president/CEO of OPERA America. "The interest that has been generated by this program in just its first few years is evidence that our industry's aspiring leaders are hungry for this combination of valuable knowledge, skills and contacts."

Thanks to a generous gift from American Express, through its philanthropic giving initiative aimed at developing emerging nonprofit leaders, Leadership Intensive participants pay no registration fees and receive a generous subsidy for travel and accommodations.

For more information about OPERA America and its services, visit operaamerica.org.

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