Donnalyn Kahn
President
Donnalyn is a partner in the firm Kahn & Smagula LLP, concentrating in school law, cemeteries and zoning. She served in the Law Department for the City of Newton for 20 years, and was the first woman to hold the position of City Solicitor, managing 10 attorneys. Donnalyn also had a background in advertising in Chicago and New York City. She loves languages and speaks French and German.
Donnalyn appreciates the changing art of photography. Her 1877 house in Newton has galleries of photographs taken by members of the Kahn family. Her 2 daughters both attended classes at the New Art Center and she is excited to become involved in the Center’s mission.
Robin Hicks
Vice President
Dr. Robin Hicks (she/her) practices medicine at Framingham Pediatrics. As a college student at Duke University she studied biology and art. She attended art school for one year during this time. While mostly working for the past 20+ years, she returned to painting and drawing a few years ago. She has been a dedicated student at the New Art Center for over 3 years, taking a variety of classes. In her spare time Robin paints, draws, and studies Portuguese. She is also an avid reader.
Maria Bunker
Treasurer
Maria Bunker is a CPA at Livingston & Haynes in Wellesley MA. She has been a partner at the firm for many years and started her career there after graduating from Emmanuel College in Boston. Maria also has a Masters in Accounting from Bentley College.
“After my husband and I adopted our sons, Xander and Geovonni, we became very interested in making sure that they are immersed in cultural activities and the arts. Therefore, we want to do our part to support organizations like New Art that involve children in the arts. I’m excited about New Art’s future and am happy to help the Center achieve its goals as a member of the Board.”
Kristen Franks Perullo
Secretary
Since 2017, Kristen has co-produced the Boston Calling Music Festival at the Harvard University Athletic Complex, acting as their Director of Public Affairs. Through her leadership, Boston Calling has partnered with many community non-profits, businesses and local schools. Kristen spent the first 15 years of her career working in various roles in municipal, state and Federal government.
A seasoned fundraiser, she currently acts as the pro-bono Executive Director for the Corrib Charity Fund spearheading an Annual Golf Tournament and Holiday Drive efforts. Growing up with a sister with Down syndrome, she long supported and volunteered for Best Buddies of Massachusetts & the MA Down Syndrome Congress.
Kristen currently resides in Newtonville, with her two children, Olivia (13) and Jack (10). A native Bostonian, she graduated from Boston College and Boston Latin School.
Dewey Nichols
Development Committee Chair
Dewey Nichols (he/him) is an accomplished architect with over 30 years of experience working on Commercial, Residential and Retail Architecture and Interior Design Projects. A graduate of Carnegie-Mellon University and a licensed architect since 1990, Dewey began his private architectural practice in 2002, opening Nichols Design Group in Boston. Dewey’s passion for exploring his client’s needs, aspirations and values, creates unique architectural brands for each corporation or individual. Expertise in understanding the impact of architectural psychology, zoning and code, site design, form, function and materials, all contribute to proven success in his projects. Dewey’s responsive and sensible approach to the design and construction process, develops creative solutions that assure excellent design results, fitting his client’s values and needs as well as critical budgets and schedules.
Livia Q. Aber
Nancy Bauer
Nancy Bauer is a professor of Philosophy at Tufts University specializing in feminist philosophy, phenomenology, and film studies. From 2012 to 2022, she served as a dean in the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts. When, in 2015, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, made the decision to transfer ownership of its historic art school, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA), to an academic partner, Bauer was called upon to develop Tufts’ vision for the project and ultimately became the inaugural dean of “SMFA at Tufts.” She is thrilled to report that, thanks to the amazing faculty and staff at SMFA, the school is now thriving.
In 2022, after ten years in academic administration, Bauer stepped down from her deanship to return to full-time writing and teaching. She is currently working on a book—part philosophy and part “dean confidential”—in which she reflects on the challenges currently facing academia and argues that managing them will require thinking the way that artists think.
Bauer has lived in Newton Highlands since 1991. She and her partner have four children, all of whom make art on a regular basis.
Jessica Black
A strategic and creative thinker with proven business and leadership skills, Jess Rivkin Black (she/her) has over 20 years expertise in event strategy, marketing, product, and content development.
In her role as the director of programming for the Conferences for Women (CFW), the largest network of women’s conferences in the United States, Jess works as an advocate for women and equity. Over the last decade, she has worked with thousands of speakers and experts to empower, inspire and foster the advancement of women in all aspects of work and in life. She also is a producer of the Women Amplified Podcast, featuring conversations with top Conference speakers and real women sharing real-world advice about issues that matter to working women today.
Jess has also founded two small businesses, Whimsical Wishes and Sweet Sisters, which allowed her to blend her entrepreneurial spirit and love for the arts.
She has held various positIons within the community – serving as PTO President, Chair of the Peirce Playground Project, and volunteering at Cradles to Crayons. She received a bachelor’s degree in Studio Art from Clark University, lives in Newton, and is the mother of three.
Nicola Day
Nicola Day (she/her) opened Hipstitch, a sewing and fiber studio located in West Newton, ten years ago when her daughter wanted to learn to sew and there was nowhere in Newton for her to get instruction. Hipstitch now has additional locations in Brookline and Wellesley.
Landing on Nantucket from the UK 30 years ago, Nicola met her husband and settled in Newton to raise her family. She has designed pocket bags which have sold nationwide and is also the owner of a property management company on Nantucket.
“I’m the oldest of 14 children and have always sewed and loved creativity since I was a young girl. I fully support New Art’s mission and feel I can help bring my knowledge of running a profitable creative business to the New Art Center.”
Alison Meyer Hong
Michael Kaufman
Michael Kaufman is a Senior Project Manager with over thirty years of professional practice in design, project management, owner representation and real estate development. His experience includes housing, institutional and commercial projects in new construction, renovation and re-use. Clients rely on Mr. Kaufman for his team leadership and management skills, cross-disciplinary knowledge and ability to bring out the best in his professional colleagues. As an architect and owner’s representative, his responsibilities have included institutional, commercial, educational, medical, and residential projects.
Prior to joining DHK, Mr. Kaufman founded and ran a project management practice for over twenty years, and worked for several real estate development companies and architecture firms in the Boston area.
Yvette Leeson
Yvette Leeson, a self-proclaimed foodie and seasoned communications professional, has held many positions over the last 20 years within the human services, finance, magazine publishing, digital marketing, and biotechnology industries. Currently she is a Regulatory Operations Manager at Vericel Corporation and manages both clinical and commercial dossiers for advanced cell therapies for sports medicine and severe burn care.
Yvette was raised in Newton but was born in NYC and enjoyed many years in her thirties working in the city for Goldman Sachs, Bon Appétit magazine, Condé Nast Publications and eMusic.com. Before hitting the Big Apple she worked in Boston as a Creative Director for State Street Corporation. She enjoys traveling with family and friends and experiencing new and unique ethnic culinary delights.
An avid photographer since age seven when her dad taught her how to use a Pentax camera, Yvette still loves photography, especially capturing portraits of friends and family. Yvette loved her glass fusing and Shibori classes at the New Art Center and was thrilled to further connect with the arts community as a member of the Board of Governors. She currently lives in Belmont with her baseball-loving teenager who tests her stamina every day asking for a puppy.
Kym Long
Kym grew up in Florida where she was always drawn to the creative in spite of little exposure as a child. Her passion for art has been an important part of who she is and how she views the world. Kym is a graduate with a BA in Fine Arts from Florida State University, majoring in Interior Design. Her work in Frankfurt, Germany included designing exhibition fairs for companies such as Nestle, Villeroy and Boch and EuroDisney. After moving to Boston she worked for the architectural firms ADD Inc and Kenneth Hurd & Associates specializing in hotel design. Kym’s projects included the Waldorf Astoria, Barclay InterContinental and the Fontainebleau. A Newton resident for over 25 years, after quitting her paying job, she has concentrated on raising her three sons while actively being involved in student and community organizations throughout the city. For many years she has enjoyed taking classes at the New Art Center. Her passions are painting, history, travel and outdoor adventures.
Roberta Martone
Roberta has 25-plus years of experience in corporate/agency marketing communications, advertising, and public relations. In 1999, she formed i.communicate and has been a freelance writer/editor/consultant to clients in the higher education, beauty, healthcare, high tech, consumer, nonprofit, and the home/build sector since then. As a freelance writer, she has been published in Forbes, The Boston Globe, Boston Spirit, Shattered magazine, Parents & Kids magazine, Boston Parents Paper, COMMUNITY (Newton, Brookline, and MetroWest) magazines, Wicked Local, and the TAB newspapers.
Roberta fosters her passion for art and art history by attending painting, drawing, and mixed media classes at the New Art Center as well as memberships at the MFA and Isabelle Stewart Gardner museums. She has been a member of the Newton Free Library Spring Fling committee since 2010, where she helps plan its annual event. Roberta is a member of various marketing organizations, has a B.A. degree in journalism/English, and an M.Ed. degree in guidance and psychological services. She recently received her home staging certification and is pursuing additional studies in design. Roberta moved to Newton in 1983, where she lives with her husband and daughter.
Kate Ploussios
Kate loves to combine her passion for art and design with her organizational skills.
While raising her two (now teenage) sons, she returned to her abstract painting and photography. As Creative Consultant for Hipstich, she develops new art, sewing and design programs, has taught students of all ages, and co-designed two new studios for Hipstitch. She recently launched her own interior decorator business, KP Design, which specializes in creating spaces for better living.
Kate taught classes at the Dayton Institute of Art after graduating with a BA in Photography and a minor in Art History from University of Dayton. After moving back to the Boston area, she worked in Human Resources for 15 years before tackling raising her children. Kate resides in Newton with her husband, two sons, dog, and two rabbits.
Joelle Tomb
Joelle Tomb (she/her) was born in Lebanon in a family of artists. She grew up in her father’s art school, welcoming students, setting up and washing brushes. She did not have a formal arts education but art runs in her blood. When she moved to Boston, she quickly discovered the vibrant art community. She became involved with various arts organizations; as an honorary board member at ARCK and as a docent at the Institute of Contemporary Art. She has organized a number of public art projects; including “I am, We Are”; “Walls that speak” and the “Webster Court ‘Project’”. She helped in launching the Artist in Residence Program at Central Café. More recently, she joined the community of artists at the New Art Center. Joelle has been an advocate for the arts all her life.
Mira Genser Woods
With almost 30 years of marketing experience, Mira (she/her) runs operations at MG Communications, which is a full service boutique agency focused on strategic marketing communications, corporate positioning, public relations, event management, and content development.
As the founder of MG Communications, Mira has done award-winning work for Fortune 50 to early stage venture capital-backed companies.
Away from the office Mira enjoys skiing, golfing, adventure travel, and collecting modern contemporary art. She serves as an active member on various non-profit boards, and is a founding member of SheGives, a Boston-based philanthropic foundation. Mira has also served on many other boards and regional organizations such as Hebrew SeniorLife, Best Buddies, and her alma mater University of Vermont.
Mira is married with 2 children and she remains active in both of her daughters’ school activities and fundraising efforts. Both her parents were involved in the art world and she grew up going to modern contemporary art auctions in New York for Christie’s and Sotheby’s. She now enjoys discovering new artists and visiting galleries wherever she travels.