Ted Altschuler ha trabajado durante más de 30 años con organizaciones sin fines de lucro e instituciones de educación superior para conectar al público con la cultura. Sus programas han aumentado la comprensión pública de la ciencia y la salud, han promovido la creación de nuevas obras teatrales, musicales y multidisciplinarias, han promovido el debate sobre las artes literarias y han amplificado las voces de los artistas marginados.

‍

Su trabajo como director de teatro y ópera incluye más de 45 producciones en Rode Hoode (Ámsterdam), Phoenix Repertory Theatre, New York City Opera, Kaplan Penthouse del Lincoln Center, The Juilliard School y otros.

‍

Ted ha enseñado actuación a nivel internacional en conservatorios y programas para jóvenes artistas. Se desempeñó como director asociado de Mint Theatre Company.

‍

Tiene un doctorado en neurociencia cognitiva y realizó investigaciones sobre los trastornos del espectro autista en la Facultad de Medicina Albert Einstein.

‍

Más recientemente, dirigió artísticamente y administrativamente el Baruch Performing Arts Center de Nueva York, donde presentó más de 300 programas y atendió a más de 48.000 clientes al año.

Gloria's passion and experience revolve around using communications as a force for social good. For 25 years, she led communications and media relations for Cigna and the Cigna Foundation, helping Cigna develop a social responsibility strategy and working in tandem with community partners around the world to help improve health and well-being.  

‍

Gloria has taught for 10 years as an adjunct professor at Rowan University in a course she developed in healthcare communications, and she began a scholarship in her name to instill a sense of community service among communications students. She began writing children's books 12 years ago and visiting schools to help promote health, self-esteem, kindness and love of reading.

‍

Glora is excited to begin working with Uptown Stories to help further the mission of empowering young people to tell their stories.

Christian is a Director in the Trust Solutions practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, serving large banking and financial services clients. For 10 years, Christian has been a trusted advisor to clients through periods of change, as well as a leader on large, multi-national teams. He recently returned to the New York area after a three-year tour in Zurich, Switzerland.

‍

Christian obtained his undergraduate degrees in Accounting and Finance from the University of Maryland, College Park. He is a registered CPA in the state of New York. Christian was born and raised in New Jersey, where he currently lives. He is a proud husband, and father to a baby girl. Christian is excited to be a member of the Uptown Stories board, where he leverages his professional skills and love of reading and writing to help grow the organization.

Over the course of his professional life, when Stan wasn’t working as a teacher, he was working with other teachers or supervising them, principally at the Bank Street School for Children; or he was writing for teachers and children. Some of the places that have published his writing are the NYTimes Learning Network, The Library of Congress, WNET, Scholastic, Macmillan, the Parents League and the New Deal Network. His first published book was Black Stars, which was a collection of short biographies of African- Americans, written for middle grade readers.

‍

He is a principal trustee in the Reich Fund, which supports organizations that help children. Stan works and lives with his family, two cats and a New Zealand Red bunny on the Upper West Side.

Retired as the Executive Director of Reeves-Reed Arboretum in Summit, NJ, Frank Juliano brought innovation and community building to all aspects of his nonprofit work, including branding and strengthening core educational and horticultural programs; operations, cultivation, and fundraising; and the development of comprehensive and inclusive visual and performing arts initiatives. His work fostering community outreach includes programs targeting underserved populations—students, seniors, and people living with Alzheimer’s disease—as well as a job-readiness training program offering second-chance opportunities for individuals experiencing homelessness.

Frank is the recipient of the Fred Honold Award for Community Leadership. He is a consultant for many nonprofits, including ArtsConnection, Palisades Parks Conservancy, Fort Tryon Park Trust, Hebrew Tabernacle, and The Friends of the Paterno Trivium, and he serves on the SUNY New Paltz Alumni Council. He remains closely associated with Reeves-Reed Arboretum, serving as curator for art exhibitions in its gallery and for installations on its historic grounds.

Lei Bely-Cheng believes that every great story begins with finding your voice.

An immigrant, former attorney, Yale MBA, and wealth advisor at Morgan Stanley, Lei has built her career helping founders, families, and visionaries navigate moments of change and possibility. Having lived and worked across four countries, she is deeply passionate about education, entrepreneurship, and expanding opportunities for the next generation.

As a mother of two curious young storytellers, Lei is especially inspired by Uptown Stories’ mission to help children discover the power of their own words. She is honored to support an organization that gives young people the confidence to imagine boldly, write fearlessly, and be heard.

A native of New Jersey who now lives in Oakland, California, Jeff spent over 50 years litigating cases on behalf of workers, retired workers, and disabled people. He has served for many years and continues to serve on the Boards of Trustees of a large governmental pension plan and a sizeable health plan for retired employees and as an independent fiduciary of a group of small health plans. He is an avid reader and is married to a poet, memoirist, and writing teacher.

Hanna Griff-Sleven is a part-time Professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she specializes in teaching Jewish Folklore. Her dedication to education is further demonstrated by her tenure at the New School in New York City, where she taught Oral History and Folklore from 2006 to 2025 in the Department of Culture and Media Studies and Jewish Studies.

For over 16 years Hanna served as the Director of Public Programs and Intern Coordinator at the Museum at Eldridge Street. She was responsible for conceiving, developing, and administering the Museum’s programs. Among her notable achievements are the creation of the Lost & Found Music Series and the Museum’s signature event, the Egg Rolls, Egg Creams and Empanadas Festival a beautiful event that celebrates the many cultures of the Lower East Side.  After earning her Ph.D. in Folklore and American Studies at Indiana University, Hanna taught at Grinnell College. And then took a job teaching American Folklore and English at Sanyo Gakuen University in Okayama, Japan.

Hanna has conducted and directed oral history projects focusing on the Jews of Iowa, the South, and the Jews of the Lower East Side. In addition to her academic and programmatic work, she teaches memoir writing classes, sharing her expertise and encouraging others to explore their personal histories.

Deb Murphy has moved eighteen times during her life.  She's managed to work for the book publisher, HarperCollins, for nearly 28 years.  Her interests and travels have moved her towards reading great books, daily doses of art and nature, and meeting new people.  She lives in Washington Heights with her wife, Nanci, and two mischievous cats.

Jen Swetzoff is the co-founder and editor of Anyway, an independent print magazine for tweens and teens, and the director of marketing for consumer markets at PwC. With 20+ years of editorial and creative experience, she brings both strategic leadership and an entrepreneurial lens to everything she does. Outside of work, she's loves to read, practice yoga, and spend as much time outside as possible. After spending more than 18 years in New York City, she now lives in Westport, CT, with her husband, their two kids, and their dog Louie.