Become a Speaker

The Arts & Business Council is always looking for outstanding speakers to add to our Speakers Bureau and our program faculty. Please fill out the form below and someone from the A&BC will reach out to you shortly.

Fellows

Volunteer

(bumps you to Volunteer page)

Faculty

APT Faculty & Staff

Ricardo Barreto
Ricardo Barreto is the Director of the UrbanArts Institute at Massachusetts College of Art which is dedicated to the facilitation of public art projects in the region. Prior to that he worked for the Massachusetts Cultural Council where he was initially the Program Coordinator for Individual Artists and then Program Officer for Organizations. With degrees in art history (BA and MA) from Oberlin College, Mr. Barreto has a long track record of managing art projects, and as a curator of many shows in the United States, Mexico and Europe. He has written numerous exhibition catalogues and has published essays on a variety of arts related topics. Mr. Barreto is also a current board member of the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, the Arts Services Coalition and the Friends of Fort Point Channel.

Jessica Burko
Jessica Burko is a professional artist, independent curator, and the Executive Director of Boston Handmade. Beyond exhibiting, selling, and promoting her own artwork she has worked as a professional Arts Marketer since 1997 and since 2002 has operated Burko Design offering marketing and PR services to artists and arts organizations to assist them in achieving their professional goals. Burko is located in Boston, MA, has a BFA in Photography from the Rhode Island School of Design, and an MFA in Imaging Arts & Sciences from the Rochester Institute of Technology. To learn more visit: http://www.jessicaburko.com/BDIntro.html

Peter Caruso II
Peter J. Caruso II, Esq., is a partner in the Andover law firm of Caruso & Caruso, LLP. He is a 1993 cum laude graduate of Colby College in Waterville, Maine, and a 1996 cum laude graduate of Suffolk University Law School. Mr. Caruso advises clients in all phases of art law, intellectual property, copyright and trademark, estate planning, real estate, corporate law and civil litigation. He is past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Essex Art Center, in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Attorney Caruso also assisted in the drafting of revised legislation for the Massachusetts Art Consignment statute, c. 104A. A frequent lecturer for the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, Mr. Caruso lectures on all topics of art law, licensing, copyright and trademark for institutions such as Boston University Law School’s art law society, University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth’s Gallery 244, and the Women’s Union in Boston, Massachusetts. In addition, he has published several articles and newsletters on the topic of art law and the Visual Artists Rights Act. Currently, Mr. Caruso represents artists, galleries, and collectors and is in the process of completing a practical guide for navigating the legal aspects of the art world. He lives in Marblehead, Massachusetts with his wife Mandy and daughter Saylor.

Christine M. Casalini
Ms. Casalini is a contract grant writer and development consultant based in Boston, MA. Through a highly collaborative work process, she helps individual artists, arts organizations, and other non-profit organizations identify donors and secure grants and donations to support their missions. Christine has worked with The Axiom Center for New and Experimental Media in Boston as well as other non-profit arts organizations, visual artists, filmmakers, photographers, musicians, and small businesses.

Through this work, she has secured grants from federal, corporate and private sources. She is currently working with the Cambridge Public Library to fund a citywide story telling festival, with Cross Country Films on a documentary film and with human services organizations. Christine consistently wins grants from both federal and local government agencies and private and corporate foundations. Christine leverages her extensive journalism experience to plan and execute innovative marketing and publicity campaigns, including those utilizing social networks and emergent media outlets.

James Grace
James Grace is the Executive Director of the Arts & Business Council. Prior to its merger with the Arts & Business Council, James was the Executive Director of the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts of Massachusetts, Inc. (VLA) since 1998. The VLA provides free and reduced fee legal services and educational programs to Massachusetts artists and cultural organizations. Jim has experience working with artists and arts organizations in the areas of publishing law, copyright, nonprofit incorporation, budget matters, conflict resolution, artist live/work and nonprofit board issues. Jim was an adjunct professor for Boston University's Masters in Arts Administration Program where he co-taught a course on Legal Issues in Arts Administration. In addition, Jim is a working author and book editor. He is the best selling co-author of The Worst Case Scenario Handbook: Golf. To date he has been involved in the publication of over eight books. Jim's previous work experience includes in-house counsel for a large low-income housing non-profit organization where he practiced in the areas of landlord/tenant, real estate and alternative dispute resolution. Jim graduated with honors from Suffolk University Law School and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Martha Hopewell
Martha Hopewell is the founder and principal of Seven Centers Leadership Consulting. A leadership coach with strengths in the areas of personal organization, emotional intelligence and  relationship competency, Martha is dedicated to energizing leaders, teams, and organizations with the confidence and capability to be bold and purposeful in realizing their mission, as we strive together to realize a more equitable, humane, and healthy world.

Through her Intrepid Leader (TM) program, Martha supports clients who are committed to increasing their leadership effectiveness in arenas ranging from executive development and nonprofit management to personal empowerment and family relationships. In addition to her professional coaching certification, Martha is trained in organizational and relationship coaching, and is a certified practitioner of the EQ in Action Profile. Martha is also the executive director of Save One Life, a international sponsorship program that assists people with hemophilia in the developing world.

Robyn Linden
Robyn Linden is currently a Management Associate at Broadway In Boston, the Vice President and Marketing Chair of the Small Theatre Alliance of Boston, and an active member of the Boston theatre community. Robyn has acted as marketing consultant for 11:11 Theatre Company, New Exhibition Room, Vaquero Playground, Exquisite Corps Theatre, and Fort Point Theatre Channel. She holds a B.A. in Theatre Studies from Emerson College. Robyn has recently been crowned the "Social Media Czar" of the Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston. Follow her on Twitter @BirdinBoston. www.robynlinden.com

Deborah Obalil
Deborah Obalil, Principal at Obalil & Associates, has fifteen years experience as an arts manager and organizational development specialist. Her consulting practice focuses on providing non-profit arts organizations, small creative businesses and independent artists with assistance in strategic planning, marketing planning and research and resource development planning. Clients range the spectrum of size and artistic discipline, in various geographic locations across the United States. Deborah’s career within arts organizations placed her most recently as the Executive Director of the Alliance of Artists Communities, an organization dedicated to the advancement of America’s creative vitality through supporting the field of artists’ communities. During her six-year tenure as Executive Director, the Alliance’s membership grew by more than 20%, the annual budget tripled, and new relationships developed with the Ford Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation and the Joyce Foundation directed more than $2 million of re-granting funds through the Alliance. Previous to the Alliance, Deborah was the Director of the Arts Marketing Center & Research at the Arts & Business Council of Chicago. As Director of the Center, Deborah maintained and developed its programs and services in Chicago. This included presenting the Advanced Training Program, an intensive marketing training designed specifically for arts and cultural organizations; consulting with individual arts organizations on issues of audience development and earned income; and directing all research projects undertaken by the Center. Deborah received her BA in History and Dance from Illinois Wesleyan University and completed the Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders-Arts at the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University.

Vicky Peterson
Vicky Peterson is Principal of Collaborative Action (www.collabaction.com) and a trainer, facilitator, and mediator with a specialty in the arts. She has designed and delivered Negotiation and Challenging Conversations workshops for Boston University’s Arts Administration program, Rhode Island School of Design, Yale School of Drama, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts of Massachusetts, the Arts and Business Council of Greater Boston, and others. As a mediator she has mediated over 150 cases, including small claims, evictions, housing, and business disputes.

Prior to coming to the field of dispute resolution, Vicky had over twenty-five years of experience working in production and business management for organizations such as the American Repertory Theatre, Mystic Scenic Studios, and WGBH. She has also taught in the theatre department at Brandeis University and is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, and Harvard University Extension School.

D'lynne Plummer
D’lynne Plummer became the Director of Professional Development for the Arts & Business Council in 2010. Previous to this role, D'lynne has worked as a marketing consultant, copywriter, and freelance arts writer for publications such as Art New England, among others. She has crafted press releases, newsletters, podcasts, advertisements, annual reports, proposals, and grants for a variety of client types, and her articles have been placed in national publications. In her spare time, D’lynne writes creative non-fiction for publication and performance. D'lynne has taught writing courses for APT since 2007 and has presented her workshops at the National Arts Marketing Conference and for local arts agencies.

Michael Tucci
Michael A. Tucci, CPA, MST, has been a partner in the firm of Ercolini & Company, LLP since 1989. He joined Ercolini & Company LLP in 1983 after working at a national accounting firm as well as in private industry. Mike is instrumental in providing sound business and tax planning advice to clients in a variety of industries.

Mike possesses the financial skills to help entrepreneurs achieve their financial objectives in start-up situations. He has over 20 years’ experience in helping developers, owners and other real estate professionals maximize their wealth through effective income tax planning techniques. Mike personally oversees the audits of various commercial, industrial and subsidized rental housing developments throughout the country. His real estate experience extends to such specialized areas as condominiums, cooperatives and co-housing developments. In addition, Mike is recognized locally for providing tax and business planning advice to the Boston-area artist community and is available to speak to interested groups. He is a member of the American Institute of CPAs and the Massachusetts Society of CPAs, as well as a volunteer with several local nonprofit institutions that provide elderly housing and cultural enrichment services to the greater-Boston area. Mike has undergraduate degrees in accounting and management, as well as a Masters degree in taxation from Bentley College.