Nora Ann Wallace elected as BAM board chair

FROM BROOKLYNEAGLE.COM

Natalia Chefer and Timothy Sebunya named vice chairs

The Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Board of Trustees on Monday announced the election of Nora Ann Wallace as its new board chair and Natalia (Natasha) Chefer and Timothy Sebunya as vice chairs.

Wallace has served on BAM’s board since 1997, and as vice chair since 2018. She took on the role of interim co-chair following the passing of BAM’s previous board chair, Adam E. Max, in July.

Wallace is senior counsel to the international law firm of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, where she was a partner for 30 years and was the first woman on the firm’s executive committee. Wallace has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Vassar College and a JD from Harvard Law School. She is a director of the Friends of Musée des Arts Décoratifs. In 2014, she was named Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France’s minister of culture.DAILY TOP BROOKLYN NEWSNews for those who live, work and play in Brooklyn and beyond

“I am honored to be elected chair of BAM’s board, and l look forward to steering the organization’s continued growth and success,” said Wallace. “As we face new realities that have completely re-shaped the arts and culture landscape, I’m excited to work even more closely with Tim and Natasha, who bring long-term commitments to BAM and expertise that is necessary to ensure its financial and organizational strength. I also look forward to maintaining BAM’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and deepening the relationship between the board and staff.”

“I have been partnering with Nora Ann as interim co-chair, and I couldn’t give a more heartfelt endorsement of the board’s decision to make her our new chair,” said William I. Campbell, a board vice chair and interim co-chair. “She is not only a bright, thoughtful and experienced leader, she is deeply committed to BAM’s visionary programming. Nora Ann, Tim, and Natasha round out a stellar leadership team that’s ready to hit the ground running.”

Chefer has served on the board since 2018, after serving many years as chair of BAM’s Young Producers Council. She is a managing director at D. E. Shaw Co., L.P. and co-head of its Discretionary Macro trading unit. A member of the Foreign Exchange Committee of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Chefer holds an MS in public financial policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Sebunya has served on the board since 2008. He is the CEO and chief investment officer for Mutima Capital Management LLC. Mutima invests in high growth markets across Africa on behalf of endowment, pension and family office clients. He lived and studied in East Africa for many years. He has a bachelor’s degree from The Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.

BAM continues to present a wide range of virtual programming and is preparing to reopen all of its stages and screens in 2021.