Palm Beach Dramaworks Welcomes New Board Officers, Honorary Directors

Palm Beach Dramaworks has announced the new officers of its Board of Directors and the newly named honorary directors.

Stephen Brown has been elected Chair; Donald A. Brown, Louise G. Snyder, and Tom Streit are the Vice Chairs; Lew Kramer has been re-elected Treasurer; and Carlton Moody is once again Secretary. In addition, Congresswoman Lois Frankel, Ruth Baum, Daryn M. Kirchfeld, and Jan Winkler were named honorary directors.

New Officers:

Stephen Brown (Chair), a native of Providence, RI, worked for 43 years at John Hancock, ultimately becoming CEO. In January, 2000, he led the company's successful effort to convert from a mutual company to a public company. Prior to that time, he led a process of culture change, which became the subject of a Harvard Business School case study. During Steve's tenure, Hancock became a leader in developing family-friendly policies, and in encouraging women to maximize their career potential. Following his retirement in 2001, the Hancock board of directors renamed the company's Clarendon Building the Stephen L. Brown Building, in honor of his achievements within the company, the industry, and the community.

Steve serves or has served on numerous outside boards, both public and non-profit. Among others, he was Chairman of Ionics, Inc., Chairman of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and a member of the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. He is currently on the board of directors of the Raymond F. Kravis Center and serves on its finance committee, investment committee (chairman), and strategic planning committee; and the Palm Beach Civic Association (director and former chairman).

Donald A. Brown (Vice Chair) has been a real estate attorney and real estate entrepreneur in Washington, DC, for over 50 years. He was a founder of the law firm oF Brown, Gildenhorn & Jacobs and also a founder of the JBG Real Estate Companies. From 1983 to 1995, Don taught a real estate course at the Harvard Business School. He has also taught real estate at the Columbia Graduate School of Business, the Yale Graduate School of Management, the George Washington School of Business, and the UDC School of Business.

His civic interests range widely from education, art, and theatre to golf, tennis, skiing, and sailing. He received an appointment by President Ronald Reagan to be a commissioner of the International Cultural and Trade Center. In 1989, MR. Brown was chosen to be a Washingtonian of the Year. Recently, the Supreme Court of Florida certified him as a mediator of disputes in Florida courts. MR. Brown is a permanent resident of Palm Beach Gardens, summers in Martha's Vineyard, and maintains a home in Washington, DC.

Louise G. Snyder (Vice Chair) is a long-time volunteer and board member of organizations in both Palm Beach and Buffalo, NY. A graduate of SUNY Buffalo, Ms. Snyder currently serves on the boards of Palm Beach United Way, and Planned Parenthood of South Florida and the Treasure Coast. In Buffalo she served on several boards, including Hospice Buffalo, Studio Arena Theater, Western New York Public Broadcasting (WNED), Weinberg Campus Aging in Place, Elmwood Franklin School, the Foundation Board of Roswell Park Cancer Institute, and East Aurora Public Schools. She resides in Palm Beach and New York with her husband, Barry.

Tom Streit (Vice Chair) is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Real Estate Law and a partner at Akerman LLP in West Palm Beach. He has more than 30 years of experience in commercial real estate lending and represents a number of the nation's largest banks, homebuilders, developers, and investors. He has provided legal services to PBD for several years, earning the Legal Aid Society of Palm Beach County's Advocacy for the Arts Pro Bono Award in 2012. He also serves on the executive committee and board of the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County. Tom and his wife, Chris, live in Jupiter. Other interests include golf, tennis, and travel.

Lew Kramer (Treasurer) completed a nearly 40-year career as a partner at Ernst & Young (EY), working with the firm's largest global clients before retiring in June 2009. Lew served on EY's United States executive board for the three years prior to his retirement and previously served as EY's national director of audit services. He has been a director of L-3 Communications Corporation since July, 2009, and serves as chairman of its audit committee and as a member of Its compensation and executive committees.

In addition to serving as treasurer of PBD's board, Lew is the chair of the strategic planning committee. His other volunteer activities currently include serving as member of the board of United Neighborhood Houses of New York, an umbrella organization for 38 community centers that help 500,000 New Yorkers in need. He remains active mentoring students at his alma mater, Bernard Baruch College. He also attended the Advanced Management Program of the Harvard Business School. He is past President of Fairview Country Club (Greenwich, CT).

Carlton Moody (Secretary), a lifelong educator, began his career as a teacher in Evanston, IL and rose to leadership positions of several large school systems, including Deputy Superintendent of Stamford (CT) Public Schools; Superintendent of Schools, Cleveland Heights/University Heights (OH); and Executive Director in the Shaker Heights City Schools (OH). His affiliations have included the governing board of the Minority Student Achievement Network (organization of school districts across the US working to solve the issue of minority student achievement); member, the Education Research and Development Institute (advisory group of some 80 superintendents that assess and review educational products and services); member, AASA (American Association of School Administrators); member, NSBA (National School Boards Association); member, ASCD (Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development).

Honorary Directors:

Representative Lois Frankel is an experienced public servant with a strong record of bringing jobs and opportunity to South Florida. After serving 14 years in the Florida State Legislature, including as the first woman Democratic Minority Leader, Lois became Mayor of West Palm Beach in 2003, where she served for eight years. Lois was first elected November 6, 2012 to represent Florida's 22nd Congressional District, which stretches from Riviera Beach in Palm Beach County to Ft. Lauderdale and Plantation in Broward County. She is the first woman to represent Florida's 22nd Congressional District. Lois serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure and Foreign Affairs Committees.

As the congresswoman for Florida's 22nd District, Lois has continued her record as a champion for seniors, families, veterans and small businesses. Additionally, she remains staunchly committed to women's equality and access to healthcare. In her first year of office, Lois helped to pass the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization, worked to bring justice to victims of military sexual assault, and brought community leaders together to help address the serious issue of human trafficking in the South Florida community. Lois is a strong supporter of the Democratic Women's Economic Agenda, which includes guaranteeing equal pay for women, raising the minimum wage, and giving families access to affordable child care and retirement security. She is the Vice Chair of the Congressional Women's Caucus and is a proud member of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus.

Ruth Baum,a member of the board of the Norton Museum since 2007, served as co-chair and founding member of the Contemporary and Modern Art Council (CMAC), the Works of Art Committee, Artspeaks, and the Bijoux Committee. She and her husband Ted were five-year sponsors of the first Contemporary Art curator at the Norton. Ruth served a five-year term as president of the Council for Beautiful Israel, working closely with Aura Herzog to organize a program that would educate Israelis about the importance of conservation and environmental management. In addition, Ruth has been a member of the Guggenheim Museum International Directors Council and the Advisory Board of Bard Graduate School, and served as president of the Community Chest of Englewood N.J. Ruth serves on the executive board of the Palm Beach Zoo and is a board member of the Armory Art Center.

Daryn Macaulay Kirchfeld joined the PBD Board in 2011, just prior to the renovation of the Don & Ann Brown Theatre, and was recently Board Chair. Her commercial real estate and lending background were beneficial skills in her role as chair of the committee responsible for overseeing the theatre renovation. Daryn is also a managing director for The Northern Trust Company, a leading asset management, asset servicing, and banking firm serving affluent individuals, families, and institutions around the globe. She earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in finance from the University of Miami. Daryn's many years of volunteer and fundraising work have included service with the American Cancer Society, the Junior League, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Impact 100 the Palm Beaches, and the Jupiter Medical Center's Business Advisory Council.

Jan Winkler is the founder & CEO of Winkler Properties, a real estate investment company. His board service includes the Hartford Symphony, Florida Philharmonic, Connecticut Opera, and Federation Homes, among others.

Palm Beach Dramaworks is a non-profit, professional theatre and is a member of the Theatre Communications Group, the South Florida Theatre League, Florida Professional Theatres Association, and the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County.

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