Our People

Our staff and board of directors can't wait to meet you!
Here is a picture of each of us so that you can be sure to pick us out in the crowd and come say "hello" at the next performance.
See you at the opera!

STAFF

  • A woman smiling with arms crossed in a warmly lit, ornate room with dark wood paneling and decorative moldings.

    Julia Cooke

    President and General Director

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  • Close-up portrait of a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a blue sleeveless top, smiling at the camera against a plain background.

    Catrin Davies

    Vice President of Advancement

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  • A woman with platinum blonde hair wearing a black and purple patterned dress and dangling earrings, smiling in front of a dark gray wall.

    Megan Ihnen

    Director of External Communications

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  • Smiling woman with wavy brown hair wearing a cream dress, jewelry, and a background of greenery.

    Grace Brega

    Assistant to the General Director and Production Manager

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  • Woman with curly black hair wearing a blue and white patterned dress, standing beside a plain beige wall, smiling at the camera.

    Mary Elizabeth Williams

    Imasogie Executive Apprentice

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  • A young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes wearing a red graduation gown and yellow honor cord, standing in front of a metallic background.

    Tara Dougherty

    Patron Services Manager and Board Liaison

    Your Visit
  • A man with glasses, wearing a dark blazer and a light collared shirt, smiling at the camera against a dark background.

    Aaron Ziegel, Ph.D.

    Scholar-in-Residence

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Board of directors

  • Smiling middle-aged man in a suit jacket, checkered shirt, and an office background.

    Francis Mondimore, Chair

    Community Roles: Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

  • Close-up of an elderly man smiling, dressed in a suit and tie, indoors with natural light.

    David Paige, Vice-Chair

    Community roles: JHU Bloomber School of Public Health. Shaped the WIC nutrition program, focuses on clinical nutrition, health outcomes for low birthweight & premature infants, racial disparities in health.

  • A middle-aged man with a bald head, glasses, and a beard, wearing a dark shirt, in an indoor setting.

    Lee Boot, Secretary

    Community Roles: Director of the Imaging Research Center, and Affiliate Associate Professor of Visual Arts and Computer Science & Engineering at UMBC. His practice involves bringing values, modes and methods from the arts into multidisciplinary teams addressing serious societal challenges such as substance misuse, low education achievement, healthcare and the epidemiology of pandemics.

  • A woman with short blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing makeup and a patterned scarf, smiling and taking a selfie indoors.

    Suzanne Woods, Treasurer

    Community roles: Nationally-recognized soprano who has performed major roles across the country, in concert halls such as Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall, and on major recording labels.

  • Stacey Bollinger

    Community Roles: Award-winning Group Account Director of PR & Social Media at Planit; Vice President of the American Advertising Federation - Baltimore Board of Directors; member of PRSA and PRSA Maryland, National Scholars Honors Society, and Pi Nu Epsilon. Former member of the Junior League of Lancaster.

  • Professional man in glasses wearing a dark suit, white shirt, and patterned tie, smiling against a gray background.

    Michael Brown

    Community Roles: Attorney with Miles & Stockbridge, P.C.

  • A close-up portrait of a middle-aged man with light skin, blue eyes, a beard with some gray, and brown hair combed back, wearing a light blue collared shirt.

    Bart Debicki

    Community Roles: Associate Professor in the Department of Management and International Business in the College of Business and Economics at Towson University

  • Smiling older woman with short gray hair wearing a dark top and pearl necklace, standing outdoors with greenery in the background.

    Rosemary Eck

    Community Roles: [retired] major gifts manager at Maryland Public Television [MPT], Director of Development at St. Mary’s Seminary, inaugural philanthropy director at Charlestown Retirement Community, fund raising consultant for the Baltimore Regional Burn Center at Hopkins Bayview Hospital

  • Close-up of a woman with curly brown hair smiling outdoors, wearing a purple top and earrings.

    Elizabeth Futral

    Community Roles: Distinguished Chair of Vocal Studies at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University

  • Portrait of a smiling man wearing a gray hat and gray blazer with a striped shirt, against a gray background.

    John Harris

    West Baltimore Reimagining and Redevelopment Project, Black Arts District, HARBEL Community Organization.

  • Leela Koilpillai

    Community roles: Classically trained soprano and conductor with performances at the Washington Opera and other local venues. Brings experience in vocal performance, choral leadership, artistic programming, and community engagement.

  • A woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a pink collared shirt, smiling at the camera. Behind her is a wall with black and white striped artwork.

    Erin Rada

    Community Roles: Assistant Professor of Plastic Surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center and St. Joseph Medical Center

  • Portrait of a smiling Black man with a shaved head, wearing a black blazer and black turtleneck, against a dark background.

    Kevin Short

    Community Roles: Professor of Voice at the University of Maryland, Adjunct Voice teacher at the Curtis Institute of Music, Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.

Brendan Cooke - Founder, Director of artistic partnerships

Advisory Council Members

  • Suzanne Balaes-Blair (Archdiocese of Baltimore)

  • Michael Blair (Cummings & Co. Realtors)

  • David Dimmock (Northrup Grumman, Retired)

  • Dennis Ferguson (Social Security Administration)

  • Erika Juengst (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health)

  • Lewis Noonberg (DLA Piper, Retired Partner)

  • Monica Reinagel (Nutritionist, Host of Nutrition Diva Podcast)

  • Maureen Ober Renner (College of Notre Dame, Loyola University)

  • Steven White (Metropolitan Opera)

Directors Emeriti

  • J Austin Bitner

  • Suzanne Balaes-Blair

  • Michael Blair

  • Lauren Brown

  • Jennifer Burdick, in memoriam

  • David Dimmock

  • Dennis Ferguson

  • Louis Gephardt

  • Jimmy Galdieri, in memoriam

  • Mimi Hatch

  • Megan Ihnen

  • Erika Juengst

  • Heather Kniotek DeSimone

  • Heather Lockard Wheeler

  • Dawn Luedtke

  • Elisabet Pujadas

  • Elizabeth Robinson

  • Ben Schuman

  • John Shields

  • Susan Yager

  • Joseph Zuccaro