The Madison Symphony Orchestra is pleased to announce the addition of ten new board members in 2021, including eight new members as directors and two new members as advisors. We are thrilled to welcome these accomplished locals to serve as leaders of our organization. These individuals will help us work towards accomplishing and fulfilling our mission through our programming and more. Learn more about each of our new board members below.
Directors
Ruben L. Anthony, Jr., was appointed President & CEO of the Urban League of Greater Madison in March 2015. Dr. Anthony started RowJAC Consulting, a Management and Planning Firm that Specializes in Civil Rights in government contracting, in 2013. Through RowJAC, he has served as the interim Director of Milwaukee County’s Community Business Development Program and as an adviser to the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, and to the Dulles Airport in Washington D.C. Prior to launching RowJAC, Dr. Anthony was the Senior Vice-President of Bloom Companies from 2010 to 2013. The majority of his career has been as a manager with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, where he became the Deputy Secretary and served as the Chief Operations Officer.
Ruben is the architect of the “Wisconsin Model” for increasing disadvantaged business enterprise participation. As a result, in 2010 and 2011 Dr. Anthony was asked to go on a national tour to share the model with other states. The federal highway administration has deemed this among the top two models in the nation for increasing small and disadvantaged business participation. Dr. Anthony and his wife Wanda have lived in Dane County Since 1988 and they have three children. Ruben is also an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and a Deacon at Mt. Zion Baptist Church.
Jessica Cavazos is the President and CEO of the Latino Chamber of Commerce. She was formerly the President of the Eleva Group, whose mission is to create social programs, help nonprofits with governance issues, and assist entities in implementing initiatives that are both economically and socially beneficial. In addition to her work with the Eleva Group, Cavazos has extensive experience in government relations, policy, community engagement and business development. She also worked as a Congressional Liaison for eight years in the office of Congresswoman Gwen Moore.
Cavazos has served as Secretary and board member of the National Association of Hispanic Federal Executives–Midwest Region and coordinator for the Central Region’s Federal Diversity Committee. She was the former State Director of Woman’s Activities for the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) in Wisconsin, and was a founding member of several women’s groups, including Latinas Council and Latinas En Acción, and was the Community Midwest finalist for Verizon’s Nueva Latina Estrella Award. In 2012, she was named UMOS Hispanic Woman of the Year for her volunteerism and community advocacy.
Dr. James Dahlberg, Professor Emeritus of Biomolecular Chemistry at UW–Madison, graduated from Haverford College with his B.A. in 1962 before continuing his studies at the University of Chicago, where he earned his PhD in 1966. He holds numerous awards in Molecular Biology and Chemistry, and has served in roles including the Science Advisor to the Governor of Wisconsin, Hon. James E. Doyle, from 2007 to 2010.
Dr. Dahlberg also serves as a Trustee on the Morgridge Institute’s Board of Trustees. His research interests focus on RNA biology and use several model systems, including bacteria, mammalian tissue culture cells, and frogs, to learn about the synthesis, transport, and function of a variety of RNA molecules.
Kimila Daniels is the Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for Quartz Health Solutions, Inc. Her background includes leadership positions in a range of industries including property and casualty insurance, entertainment, and higher education. Her contributions to the community include active involvement with the YWCA of Madison, Boys & Girls Club of Dane County, United Way of Dane County, and the Madison Area Diversity Roundtable.
Kimila received a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Greenville College and a Masters of Management and Organizational Development from Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois. She holds certification as Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the Society for Human Resource Management. Kimila is a certified change management practitioner through Prosci® and a certified life coach.
Marc Fink has been the principal oboist of the Madison Symphony Orchestra for over 30 years in addition to his role as Professor of Oboe at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During his career, Marc toured the North Slope of Alaska with the Arctic Chamber Orchestra, played the South Bohemian Music festival in the Czech Republic, the Colon Theatre in Buenos Aires, and was featured at the Kremlin Kazan International Festival in Russia. He has recorded with the Pro Arte Quartet, the UW Russian Folk Orchestra and the Wingra Quintet.
His success as a professor is demonstrated by the fact that many of his former students are musical professionals, in both orchestral and teaching positions. Marc has served as former president of the International Double Reed Society, an organization of more than 4,000 double reed enthusiasts all over the world. Marc and his wife Marcia have three college-aged daughters, Leah, Anna, and Eleanor, as well as 2 non-college-aged pugs, Yoda and Jimi. In his spare time, Marc enjoys tennis, golf, rooting for the Chicago Cubs and international cuisine.
Oscar Mireles is a published poet and editor, who has been honing his craft for the past 35 years. His work has been published in over 50 different publications. Mireles has received grants for his writing activities from the Wisconsin Arts Board, Dane County Cultural Affairs Commission, Wisconsin Humanities Committee, Wisconsin 150th Sesquicentennial Commission, Madison Civic Center Foundation and Wisconsin Center for the Book. He was selected as the 6th Poet Laureate of the City of Madison for 2016-17.
Oscar Mireles has been the Executive Director of Omega School for the past 22 years, which provides adult basic education services (GED Preparation) in Dane County. Mireles helped establish an endowment for the school and raised funds for purchasing a building and permanent home for Omega School. He was employed for 10 years in various positions at Centro de la Comunidad Unida/United Community Center in Milwaukee, before being promoted to Associate Executive Director.
Michael P. Richman focuses on representing Chapter 11 debtors and creditors’ committees and advises on virtually every aspect of financial distress and bankruptcy. Throughout his extensive career, Michael has appeared as counsel in state courts, federal courts and, in particular, bankruptcy courts in nearly 20 states and territories. He regularly advises and represents clients in virtually every aspect of financial distress and bankruptcy, including out-of-court restructurings, prosecution and defense of creditors’ rights litigation (including preference and fraudulent conveyance cases), individual and group secured and unsecured creditors, landlords, purchasers of assets under Bankruptcy Code section 363 and other parties in interest.
An active member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, Michael has served as director (1996-2008), chairman of the board (2006-07) and president (2004-05) of that organization; and has been a member of its management and executive committees. Michael is also the founder and a performing member of ABI’s house band, the Indubitable Equivalents, which regularly performs at bankruptcy conferences around the country. A frequent speaker and lecturer on bankruptcy law and related topics, Michael is a contributing editor to the American Bankruptcy Institute Journal and, while in law school, served as the managing editor of the Columbia Journal of Transnational Law. Michael is also an adjunct professor of bankruptcy law at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Stephen White, Managing Director at BMO, oversees a team of skilled professionals dedicated to providing a variety of individuals and organizations with a full range of financial services in his role. Prior to joining BMO, Steve served as an Executive Director and Wealth Advisor for a global asset management firm and previously was a partner specializing in estate and business planning with a large national law firm based in Milwaukee. He is the co-author of two books on estate planning and has earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation.
Steve received his undergraduate and law degrees with honors from the University of Wisconsin. He was a coxswain on the national champion UW rowing team and is a member of the National “W” club for Wisconsin Lettermen. Outside the office, Steve takes joy in devoting time to children’s ministries and is a founding Director of the men’s ministry group, 222 Corps Ministries. He is an avid fitness enthusiast, struggling golfer and diehard Badger fan. Steve and his wife, Jodi, have two daughters who, like their Dad, are UW graduates.
Advisors
Camille Carter, President and CEO of the Madison Black Chamber of Commerce, is an organizational strategist who helps businesses and community organizations to overcome their most pressing obstacles and build a clear roadmap to stable financial health and economic prosperity. She has over 25 years of experience in business and financial management, and is passionate about economic empowerment. As an active member of Madison’s local business community, she encourages networking and nurturing professional relationships to serve clients and colleagues. Carter’s deep experience and broad network help to leverage a wide variety of resources to solve complex problems. Carter is a macro to micro problem solver and skilled negotiator who uses values-based selling, a strong work ethic, and authentic compassion to create win/win results. Clients enjoy working with her because she puts their needs first, and helps them to reach their financial objectives and grow profitable, competitive businesses.
Abigail Ochberg is a Lecturer of Mathematics at the Madison Area Technical College, and has previously served as the Mathcounts competition coach with Kromrey Middle School, where the team won regional competitions and competed across the country.
ABOUT THE MADISON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
The Madison Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 96th season in 2021–2022. The MSO has grown to be one of America’s leading regional orchestras, providing Madison and south-central Wisconsin with cultural and educational opportunities to interact with great masterworks and top-tier guest artists from around the world. Learn more at madisonsymphony.org
CONTACT:
Peter Rodgers, Director of Marketing
Phone: (608) 260-8680 x226
Mobile: (415) 713-0235
Email: prodgers@madisonsymphony.org
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