Our Board

Ted Altschuler has worked for 30+ years with nonprofit organizations and higher learning institutions to connect the public to culture. His programs have increased public understanding of science and health, championed the creation of new theatre, music, and multidisciplinary work, promoted conversations in the literary arts, and amplified the voices of marginalized artists. His work as a director of theatre and opera includes more than 45 productions at Rode Hoode (Amsterdam), Phoenix Repertory Theatre, New York City Opera, Lincoln Center’s Kaplan Penthouse, The Juilliard School, and others. Ted has taught acting internationally at conservatories and young artist programs. He served as Associate Director of Mint Theatre Company. He holds a PhD in cognitive neuroscience and conducted research on autism spectrum disorders at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Most recently, he provided artistic and administrative leadership of the Baruch Performing Arts Center in New York, presenting over 300 programs and serving more than 48,000 patrons annually.

Joshua Johnson (Ex 0fficio) is an editorial and content strategy professional living in New York City. His writing and design work has been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists, the American Scholastic Press Association, and the Associated Collegiate Press.

With a BA in Journalism and a Master of Professional Studies in Print and Digital Media Publishing, Joshua most recently worked for Creatd, Inc, a Manhattan-based Nasdaq technology company. At Creatd, Joshua served as head of content for Vocal, a multimedia digital publishing platform dedicated to supporting independent storytellers and the broader creator economy through industry-leading content creation tools, resources, and community engagement. In addition, Joshua serves as a committee chairman for the George Washington University Journal of Ethics in Publishing, where he oversees operations and strategic best practices for the quarterly execution of GW’s newest academic journal.

Jennifer Mota is a senior vice president at MFA Financial, Inc., where she is the head of human resources and the head of diversity, equity, and inclusion. For 15+ years, Jennifer has been a strategic HR business partner and culture leader, balancing the current needs of organizations while staying focused on the future. Passionate about gender equality, Jennifer is a New York co-chair for 50/50 Women on Boards, the leading global education and advocacy campaign for driving gender balance on corporate boards, and is an official member of the Forbes HR Council.

Jennifer obtained her undergraduate degrees in marketing and organizational behavior from NYU’s Stern School of Business. She earned her master’s degree from Columbia University in organizational psychology, and earned a certification in diversity and inclusion from Cornell University.

Being born and raised in Washington Heights, Jennifer is elated to be a member of the Uptown Stories board of directors. Mota is also a mom to two young boys, a dog named Waffles, and a lucky wife to her best friend of 23+ years.

Rekha Ramani is a media and technology lawyer based in New York City. She’s currently a vice president at NBCUniversal and works on digital advertising, strategic partnerships, and data privacy issues. Prior to that Rekha was vice president, deputy general counsel at Hachette Book Group. She spent 11 years there learning the ins and outs of book publishing, including negotiating content licenses, pre-publication review, litigation management, and corporate acquisitions. She holds degrees from Tufts University and Brooklyn Law School.

Rekha also serves on the board of the Josephine Herrick Project, a non-profit that offers free photography programs to a broad range of under-resourced communities, including immigrants, youth, veterans, and people with disabilities.

Rekha lives on the UWS with her husband, son, and daughter. She was first introduced to Uptown Stories through her son’s school, and is thrilled to be part of the board. In her free time, Rekha enjoys cooking, podcasts, watching her kids play baseball and softball, knitting, and travel.