Martin Toner, Roberta Terkowitz, and Michael Singleton Join Second Stage's Board of Trustees

Currently heading into its 47th Season and its first under the leadership of new Artistic Director Evan Cabnet and Executive Director Adam Siegel, Second Stage Theater has just announced three newly appointed Board Trustees.

Martin Toner, a partner at Bain and Company; Roberta Terkowitz, a lifelong supporter of the arts and community volunteer; and Michael Singleton, a partner at Russell Reynolds Associates were appointed at the last board meeting.

Additionally, several current Board Trustees will assume new positions for fiscal year 2026: Lauren Bright and Margaret Dees have joined the Executive Committee, Pesha Rudnick will serve as Chair of the HR Committee, and Natasa Valocchi has been named has Vice Chair of the Committee on Trustees.

“We’re thrilled that Martin, Roberta and Michael have agreed to join our Board,” shared Board of Trustees Co-Chairs Kevin Brockman and Terry Lindsay. “As we forge the future for Second Stage, their unique perspectives and specific experiences will prove invaluable to our efforts."

"As we embark on our first season together, we’re extremely excited to welcome three extraordinary trustees to our esteemed board,” said Artistic Director Evan Cabnet and Executive Director Adam Siegel. “To have such a wonderful combination of institutional knowledge and new energy at Second Stage is the perfect way to begin this new chapter."

ABOUT THE SEASON

Second Stage Theater’s 2025-26 season will kick off this fall with the Broadway debut of acclaimed playwright Jordan Harrison, when his 2014 play, MARJORIE PRIME, returns to New York in a Broadway production at the Hayes Theater (240 West 44th Street), directed by Obie Award-winner Anne Kauffman. The fall will also feature the world premiere play, MEET THE CARTOZIANS, by Talene Monahon, directed by Tony Award-winner David Cromer on the Irene Diamond Stage at the Pershing Square Signature Center (480 West 42nd Street).

Spring 2026 will feature three productions, including the Broadway debut of playwright Gina Gionfriddo when her acclaimed 2008 comedy, BECKY SHAW, opens at the Hayes Theater in a new production directed by Trip Cullman.

The spring season will also feature two off-Broadway productions, both being staged on the Irene Diamond Stage at the Pershing Square Signature Center: MEAT SUIT, or the shitshow of motherhood, written and directed by Aya Ogawa, as well as Adam Bock’s 2005 breakout play, THE RECEPTIONIST.

Casting and full creative teams for all productions will be announced at a later date.

BOARD OF TRUSTEE APPOINTMENTS

Lauren Bright leads The Gates Foundation’s legal team and is responsible for all legal matters and activities pertaining to the foundation and its affiliate organizations. Prior to joining the foundation, Lauren worked at the law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, where she served nonprofit clients on a variety of legal issues, including governance, tax exemption mergers, and legislative and regulatory issues. Lauren received a J.D. from Villanova University’s Charles Widger School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Gettysburg College, where she currently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Margaret Dees is an investor, arts enthusiast and former investment banker, and consultant. Margaret serves as chair of the Johns Hopkins University A&S Humanities Council and was recently elected to serve as a Trustee for the Johns Hopkins University Board of Trustees. Margaret lives in New York City and Greenwich CT with her two daughters and husband, Michael.

Pesha Rudnick is the founding artistic director of Local Theater Company in Boulder Colorado, where she pursues the company’s mission to discover and develop new American plays. While Artistic Director at Local Theater Company, Pesha directed sixteen world-premieres and curated Local Lab New Play Festival for twelve years. In 2022, Pesha transitioned to the board of directors at Local and joined the theatre & dance faculty at University of California, Santa Barbara. Pesha holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley, and a master’s degree from New York University.

Roberta (Bobbi) retired from a career mostly spent creating, supporting, marketing, and selling information technology to support the missions of various departments of the federal government. There were a few detours that broadened her horizons and developed additional skills: early in her career she worked for the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge and edited Professor Sir Jack Goody's books; and later in her career she was chosen in the first cohort of IBM’s Corporate Service Corps and was sent to Tanzania as a volunteer worker with the African Wildlife Federation. She was also the first CEO of the US subsidiary of a Portuguese software company. Bobbi and her husband travel extensively and dedicate their time to the causes about which they are passionate. She has been a member of the Washington, DC Studio Theatre Board of Trustees for more than 20 years, led the search team for a new Executive Director, and served as Chair for three years in the mid-2010s. During her tenure on the board, the Theatre grew from two performing spaces to four; from an annual operating budget of $3M to $6M; and weathered the transition from its Founder to a new Artistic Director and, later, new Executive Director. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of New York’s American Folk Art Museum, where she has been a trustee for seven years.

Martin Toner is a partner in the New York office of Bain & Company, where he leads Global Strategy R&D. Martin joined Bain in 1998 and for over two decades led critical strategy and M&A projects for major firms across every industry Bain serves, with a special focus on consumer-driven businesses including food, beverages, retail, and media. Martin's creativity and ingenuity in his strategy consulting work has allowed him to help his clients generate extraordinary results and made him a recognized thought leader inside and outside the firm. In 2019, Martin left Bain to pursue his lifelong passion for writing. He returned to Bain in 2024 and assumed leadership of Bain’s Global Strategy R&D where he is responsible for developing his own IP while managing Bain’s Strategy IP portfolio overall. Martin is based in Cold Spring, NY. He is an avid reader, writer, and cook and a mediocre but enthusiastic guitarist. Martin was introduced to Second Stage by Margaret Dees.

Michael Singleton is a partner in the New York office of Russell Reynolds Associates, a leading executive search and leadership advisory firm. He specializes in cultural, philanthropic, and educational institutions. Michael leads the firm’s New York Nonprofit Practice, co-leads the firm’s Global Arts & Culture practice, and is a core member of the Board & CEO Advisory Partners at Russell Reynolds Associates. Based in New York City, Michael excels at working with organizations looking to make an impact in their communities. With more than a decade of executive search experience working with nonprofits, foundations, and cultural institutions, Michael is a trusted leadership advisor to nonprofit CEOs and boards in the United States and globally. Prior to joining Russell Reynolds, Michael lived in the United Kingdom, working as Project Manager for The Rhodes Project. In this role, he led a research initiative exploring the experiences and trajectories of women Rhodes Scholars. Earlier, Michael worked in community and volunteer relations for the Human Rights Campaign in Washington, DC. Michael holds a BA in English with distinction from Yale University.

Natasa Valocchi has a lifelong history of passion for the arts and fashion. With stops in Chicago, LA, Austin and London. Upon landing in NYC four years ago, her desire to make a difference led to her becoming a Trustee at Second Stage Theater. Seeing a significant gap in the industry, Natasa has engaged in the Off-Broadway theatre community with active sponsorship of emerging actors and directors through an incubation model for the creatives. She has also invested in various other productions. She served as a Founding Board member for the Texas Performing Arts and on the Board of Ballet Austin. She has been a key contributor and investor in My Wardrobe HQ, the first platform in the UK for luxury rental and resale. Natasa built the foundation with her experience as a Senior Event Manager with George P. Johnson, an experience driven events agency. Natasa’s fashion sense began with her attendance at FIDM, Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.