League of American Orchestras Adds to Board of Directors

Lester Abberger, Pratichi Shah, and Nathaniel J. Sutton have been appointed to the Board of Directors of the League of American Orchestras. The League is a membership organization comprised of more than 2,000 orchestras and individuals from across North America.

The three new board members were elected by League members during the organization's annual meeting in June. Each will serve three-year terms.

• Lester Abberger, Tallahassee, FL, is a managing partner of B.L. Abberger & Co., an investment banking and public affairs firm, and is a limited partner of Hometown Neighborhoods/ Civic Software, a real estate investment, development, and consulting concern. Long active in cultural affairs, he was a trustee of the National Trust for the Humanities, chairman of the Federation of State Humanities Councils, chairman and emeritus director of the Florida Humanities Council, chairman of the Leroy Collins-Leon County Public Library System, chairman of the Museums of Florida History, and a trustee of the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation. He served on the board of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra and is a director of the Tallahassee Bach Parley. Abberger is a graduate of Davidson College, where he served on the Board of Visitors, and is a Knight Fellow at the University of Miami School of Architecture. He is a Diplomate of the American College of Healthcare Executives and is an Accredited Member of The Congress for the New Urbanism.

• Pratichi Shah, Chevy Chase, MD, is an HR strategist and innovator with over twenty years' experience in all aspects of talent management, human resources, and organizational development in the nonprofit and for-profit arenas. She is the founder and CEO of Flourish Talent Management Solutions (FTMS), a firm that works exclusively with the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors in talent strategy development, strategy and culture alignment, training and organizational development, and coaching for executives and emerging leaders. She serves on the board of ProInspire. Shah holds a BA in Psychology/Management from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL and MBA (concentration in HR) from American University in Washington DC.

• Nathaniel J. Sutton, New York, NY, is a vice chairman of Heidrick and Struggles. Over the last sixteen years he has worked closely with high profile corporate and nonprofit organizations to build successful, strategic leadership and senior management teams. Before joining Heidrick & Struggles, he was vice president and director of corporate communications for Citigroup. He is a board member of the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA), and a former board member of the American Folk Art Museum, former board chair of the Opus 118 Harlem School of Music and former trustee of the Metropolitan Opera Guild. He served as Chairman and CEO of the Private Industry Council of New York City Sutton holds a BA degree from City College of New York and a diploma from Centre d'Etudes Industrielles (Geneva, Switzerland), and an alumnus of the Harvard Business School, having graduated from their Advanced Management Program (AMP).

Four people were appointed to serve on the League Board as ex-officio members:

• Simon Woods, Seattle Symphony, Seattle, WA
• Mary Briggs, Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, Hilton Head, SC
• Ann Huntoon, Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra, Stevens Point, WI
• Debbie McKinney, Oklahoma City Orchestra League, Volunteer Council President-Elect

Officers of the League Board, each serving one-year terms, are:

• Chair: Patricia A. Richards
• Chair-Elect: Douglas Hagerman
• Vice-Chair: Steven C. Parrish
• Treasurer: Burton Alter
• Secretary: Barry Sanders

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