Faculty and Staff
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.
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.
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.
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 a mediator, trainer, and facilitator with a specialty in the
arts. As a mediator Ms. Peterson mediates cases referred by the Volunteer
Lawyers of the Arts of Massachusetts, the Boston Municipal Court Department,
the District Court Department, and MassHousing’s Tenant Assistance Program.
Last year she mediated over 65 cases including: business and consumer disputes,
landlord-tenant and neighbor-neighbor issues, evictions, and divorce. As a
trainer Ms. Peterson has designed and twice delivered an effective
communication workshop called “Turning Conflict into Collaboration” at the Yale
School of Drama. She has also designed and taught a module on negotiation and
mediation for Boston University’s Arts Administration Program. Prior to
mediation Ms. Peterson spent twenty years working behind the scenes for
cultural nonprofits such as the American Repertory Theatre, WGBH, and Mass
MoCA. She has also taught in the theatre departments at Brandeis University and
UConn, Storrs. Ms. Peterson is actively involved in both the arts and mediation
communities in Massachusetts and is a member of the New England Chapter of the
Association for Conflict Resolution. She is a graduate of the Yale School of
Drama, and Harvard University’s Extension School.
D'lynne
Plummer
D’lynne Plummer became the Director of the APT program in 2010. Previous
to her role with the Arts & Business Council, D'lynne was a marketing
consultant and freelance arts writer for Art
New England, among others. As a consultant, 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.
