Victoria Thomas Pohl
Elizabeth Montgomery Thomas
Stephan Stoeckl
Chris Davis
Adrienne Walls
Cheri Morrison
Daniel Wellman
Gregory Suss
Kiana Reid
Laurie Lo Presti
Robert Biron
Gene S. Schneyer, Esq.
Peter A. Benoliel
Victoria Thomas Pohl
Vicki Pohl, Bruce Montgomery’s niece, is one of Philadelphia’s premier event planners. In early 2018 she retired as Director of Key Accounts for Garces Events, based at Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts. She is now a free-lance Business Development & Marketing Consultant to 12th Street Catering, as well as Director of Special Events at Philadelphia’s trendy new entertainment facility, the 2300 Arena. She has also assumed the reins as Chairman of the Board for the Bruce Montgomery Foundation. A Communications graduate of Villanova University, Vicki has extensive knowledge of the Bruce Montgomery canon. She was previously Director of Catering for Wolfgang Puck at the Kimmel Center and at the Philadelphia Museum of Art for Restaurant Associates (a Division of Compass Group). In 2008 she was the recipient of Restaurant Associates/Compass Group North America’s Director of Catering Award. She is a member of Les Dames d’Escoffier International and for years was a member of Meeting Professionals International (MPI); the Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Vicki has served on the board of Inis Nua Theatre Company and was also a member of the Advisory Board of the Garces Foundation. She has served on Auction Committees for several non-profits, including United Cerebral Palsy; Planned Parenthood; and North Penn Education Foundation.
Elizabeth Montgomery Thomas
Liz Thomas, sister of Bruce Montgomery, has been the driving force in establishing the Bruce Montgomery Foundation for the Arts. Raised in the stimulating embrace of a musical family that included an opera tenor father (who often sang duets with her soprano mother), two musically talented brothers and a strong music program at Germantown Friends School, choosing music as her college major was a natural progression. She sang in the Wellesley Tupelos a cappella group and was Music Director of “Junior Show,” for which she also composed much of the music. After college she joined the Gilbert & Sullivan Players of Philadelphia, where she played many leading soprano roles and served as Assistant Artistic Director under Monty for over twenty years. In 1981 Liz and her husband Nick founded Chalif Mustard Inc., an award-winning condiment company that received national acclaim and international distribution over a ten-year period before the company was sold in 1992. At that time she couldn’t have foreseen that the business skills she learned as an entrepreneur were preparing her to devote the rest of her life to running a foundation for the arts.
Stephan Stoeckl
A native of Austria who has spent the majority of his career within the world of performing arts, Stephan has a background in marketing and business strategy as well as government affairs. A board member and past president of The Savoy Company, he has also served as president of TUS, the Association for Tolerance and Solidarity, an organization of expositions of young artists, concerts and an international students conference. Prior to joining PBCC, he served as a Director of Marketing Services for global market research leader TNS – first in the company’s US base in Horsham, PA, then in Canada. Stephan, a magna cum laude graduate of Villanova, also studied economics at the University of Economics in Vienna and law at the University of Vienna. He is also a graduate of the Lycée français de Vienne. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale and the Philadelphia Girl Choir.
Chris Davis
Christopher F. Davis brings almost 30 years of experience to the Board as a performing artist and arts administrator. After a successful career on Broadway, Chris spent almost 9 years working for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, one of the nation’s leading industry-based HIV/AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations. He curated and produced top fundraising events utilizing performers from Broadway and the most prestigious dance companies in America. He has also been on the grants committee for the New York Foundation for the Arts. NYFA is a nonprofit service organization that empowers working artists and emerging arts organizations across all disciplines at critical stages in their creative lives and professional/organizational development. From 2011-2014, Chris served on the Stonewall Community Foundation Board of Directors – the first African American in this position. He has also served on the Advisory Board for BOFFO, a nonprofit organization that presents innovative and experimental art, architecture and design. Now living in Wilmington, Chris has brought in master teachers for Cab Calloway School of the Arts and Christina Cultural Arts Center. He currently works in membership relations at AAA and is pursuing his certificate in Nonprofit Management at Wilmington University. He was recently selected as an onsite evaluator for Delaware Division of the Arts. He served on the 40th Anniversary Committee for Delaware Contemporary as Luxury Item Auction Chair.
Adrienne Walls
Adrienne is a Non-Profit Management Consultant with over 20 years of experience in Higher Education and Non-Profit Administration and Management. She earned her B.A. degree from Carlow College and Special Education Certification from Duquesne University. She holds a M.S. in Education from St. Joseph’s University and certificates of completion from the Real Estate Institute at Temple University. Adrienne served as Assistant Dean of Student Life at St. Joseph’s University where she provided services to the undergraduate student body in the areas of Residence Life, Multi-Cultural Affairs, Counseling and Career Services, Campus Ministry, International Student Affairs, and Athletics and Recreation. Her non-profit management experience includes 13 years at Resources for Human Development as an Associate Director on the Corporate Management Team. There she worked with non-profit groups in the development of Head Start educational programs and Nurse Practitioner-directed community-based Health Centers. These programs included the development of residential housing for formerly homeless families, the mentally ill, seniors, and adolescents. Adrienne currently consults with non-profit agencies to design, implement and manage innovative programs. She coordinates real estate development activities, including acquisition and renovation, and plans special events and fundraising activities. Her client list includes Speer Trust, Delaware Valley Community Health, the Heart of Camden, and the Nonprofit Finance Fund among others.
Cheri Morrison
Cheri Morrison is a self-proclaimed entrepreneur. Her passions revolve around hospitality, food, design and the arts. She is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America with a degree in Culinary Arts, and has managed numerous successful start-up businesses, including Newport Food Services, Snicker’s Restaurant & Bar, The Hotel Avalon’s Townsends Restaurant, and her own restaurant, Culinary Crossing. Established in 1989 with the renovation of the historic Gwynedd Valley Train Station, Culinary Crossing quickly became acclaimed for its fresh, high quality foods for dining in, grab and go, heat and eat and catered events. Her talents were discovered by the Genuardi family, who urged Cheri to become a manufacturer of fresh, high quality soups and prepared foods for the entire Genuardi’s supermarket chain. Cheri designed the first stand up, flexible, hot-fill retail pouches in the United States. Soon Culinary Crossing’s exceptional products were being distributed to additional grocery chains and restaurants in the Northeast, selling thousands of gallons of soup weekly. After twenty-three years Cheri sold her company to start her own consulting company. Serving the food and hospitality industry, her experience and management skills have benefited caterers and event planners throughout the tri-state area. Her passion for food has also led her to numerous philanthropic activities. She has held cooking classes and demonstrations to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House, and has donated fresh meals for the House and CHOP. Throughout her career she has participated in event planning and fund-raising. As a Board member, Cheri’s entrepreneurial spirit, energy and creativity provide a valuable asset to the Foundation as she takes over BMFA’s increasingly important Social Media activities.
Daniel Wellman
Daniel Wellman brings over 20 years of professional experience to the Board and he currently serves as the Director of Production for Philadelphia Ballet. Prior to joining Philadelphia Ballet, he was Director of Production for Tulsa Ballet for 6 years and is also a classical trained ballet dancer and has performed in all of the prominent classical story ballets. He is a recent graduate of Drexel University with a Master of Science in Arts Administration and earned a Bachelor of Science in Arts Administration from Butler University. For the past 9 years, Daniel has been an active member of the service organization Dance/USA and participated as a mentee of the Institute for Leadership Training in 2016 under the mentorship of Barry Hughson, Executive Director of National Ballet of Canada. Daniel has a passion for the arts and is looking forward to serving on the BMFA Board.
Gregory Suss
Greg Suss is COO of Tamara Jacobs Communications, Inc., a full-service communications strategy firm based in Princeton, NJ. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania he worked in administration with several Broadway theater companies while earning his M.A. in Arts Administration from NYU and a PhD from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. He was a management consultant to corporate and not-for-profit clients in fund-raising, strategic planning and public relations before becoming IT International Relationship Director for Proskauer Rose LLP, NY, NY for ten years. Greg founded the Penn Glee Club Graduate Club (“GCGC”) and has served on its Board of Directors for many years. As an undergraduate he sang in the Glee Club, Penn Singers, Penn Players and the Gilbert & Sullivan Players of Philadelphia (all under Monty’s direction). He is a member of New York’s Blue Hill Troupe, where he has been a performer, director and producer. An active Penn alum, Greg serves as Vice President of the Alumni Class Leadership Council, Vice President of the Sphinx Senior Society Board of Governors and Reunion Chair for the Class of 1975. He is also a guest stage director/musical director at the Concordia Conservatory of Music & Art. Greg is a frequent guest panelist/lecturer on the subject of effective corporate personal branding skills.
Kiana Reid
Kiana Reid is a recent Philadelphia resident who grew up in a small city in Western Massachusetts. She is a recent graduate of the Fellows Program in Community Development at Western Illinois University where she received her Master’s in Community and Economic Development. Throughout Kiana’s professional career, she has been dedicated and excited by opportunities surrounding community development, youth initiatives, restoring communities, and working toward economic and social justice.
Laurie Lo Presti
Laurie Lo Presti is a director, vocalist, actor, producer, educator, and writer/editor. She is a member of several prestigious unions: a 28-year member of the Screen Actors Guild – And American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, as well as a member of Actors Equity Association. Laurie holds two master’s degrees, the first in Education from Holy Family University; where she worked as a theater director for ten years. In addition to her Education degree, she also holds a Master’s degree in Drama from Villanova University. Since 2012, she has been a silent judge and reader for the GPFO’s, Shoot in Philadelphia, (SIP) program, which she also sponsors an award for a female screenwriter. An educator, corporate trainer, and tutor for over 30 years, Laurie also works as a Grant Writer for the DoughMain Financial Literacy Foundation that serves students, educators, and entrepreneurs with the goal of promoting lifelong financial literacy, responsibility, and ethical financial behavior among youth, in the United States.
Robert Biron
Robert Biron is the Senior Associate Director of Legal Affairs for the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania where he supports the Center’s clinical, scientific research, and immunotherapy research collaborations. He attended the University of Pennsylvania for his undergraduate (BA, American History/minor in Theatre) and master’s studies (MGA, Fels Institute of Government) and received his law degree from Villanova University. While a student at Penn, Rob sang in the Penn Glee Club and the Penn Singers under the direction of Bruce Montgomery and was a founding member of the Pennchants a cappella group. As a Penn alum, Rob has served as President of the Penn Glee Club Graduate Club and as an inaugural member of Penn’s Student Performing Arts Advisory Board. He previously sang with and served on the Board of Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia, and has performed Gilbert & Sullivan operettas with the Savoy Company and the G&S Players. Rob currently sings with the Orpheus Club of Philadelphia where he serves on its Executive Committee, and with the Philadelphia Chorale as the chorus for Andrea Bocelli during his US east coast tours.
Gene S. Schneyer, Esq.
Gene Schneyer joined the Board in January 2014 and was elected Chairman in May 2014. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (BA, ØBK); received the John R.H. Thouron Fellowship for Study in Great Britain (Graduate Studies in English Literature at Oxford University) and earned his J.D. from Harvard Law School. As an undergraduate he performed under Monty’s direction in the Penn Glee Club in the mid-1970s and in the Gilbert & Sullivan Players of Philadelphia in the early 1980s. He has continued his relationship with Monty and the Montgomery family ever since, through active involvement with and support of the Penn Glee Club Graduate Club and, more recently, the Foundation. Mr. Schneyer was a corporate lawyer for more than thirty years. Prior to his retirement he served as General Counsel to several corporations based in the Delaware Valley, including Advanta Corp. and Resources for Human Development, Inc. Mr. Schneyer performs in several early music a cappella vocal ensembles, and sings G&S with The Savoy Company of Philadelphia.
Peter A. Benoliel
Peter Benoliel, Chairman Emeritus of Quaker Chemical Corporation, was President & CEO of the Conshohocken-based company from 1966-1992 and Chairman of the Board from 1979-1997. Known for his passion for the arts, Peter’s philanthropy and management expertise have served many organizations with distinction including the Philadelphia Orchestra Association (Chairman); National Humanities Center (Chairman); Settlement Music School (Chairman Emeritus); Free Library of Philadelphia (Vice President, Past Chairman); Philadelphia Museum of Art (Emeritus Director/Trustee); Philadelphia Chamber Music Society; Marlboro School of Music; Amateur Chamber Music Players Foundation and the Grand Teton Music Festival. Corporate Boards have included Alan Wood Steel; Publicker Industries; Corestates; UGI Corporation and the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia (Chairman). Peter performed in the Gilbert & Sullivan Players of Philadelphia during its early years, and remained a longtime friend of Monty. A graduate of Princeton University, Peter is a frequent Lecturer/Seminar Leader at multiple universities. He is also an accomplished violinist.
