Nicholas Arons is a partner at Katsky Korins LLP, where his practice is devoted to representing start up companies in the tech, spirits, sports, green energy, restaurant, and music space; non profit organizations; charitable foundations; artists; and musicians. He has served as outside general counsel for mid-size businesses and non-profit organizations including family foundations, and at the beginning of his legal career, as law clerk to the Hon. Rosemary S. Pooler, on the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals. He was a Fulbright Scholar in Brazil (2000), and his research on oral poetry was published as a book by the University of Arizona Press. He is the founding director of Islands First, an organization that helps small islands combat climate change, and he is fluent in Portuguese and Spanish. At NYU School of Law, he was a Hays Civil Liberties Fellow and Institute for International Law and Justice Fellow, working on civil liberties litigation in New York and international refugee law matters in Geneva. At Yale University he majored in Latin American Studies.

‍

 Named one of Musical America’s Top 30 Influencers in the nation, Kennedy Center’s Human Spirit Award recipient and Detroit Crain’s 40 Under 40, Afa Sadykhly Dworkin is a musical thought leader and cross-sector strategist driving national programming that promotes diversity in classical music. She serves as President and Artistic Director of the Sphinx Organization, the nation’s leading organization transforming lives through the power of diversity in the arts. In this role, she oversees all fundraising, strategic and artistic initiatives through which Sphinx expands access to classical music education and supports a national roster of distinguished musicians of color, while annually reaching 10,000 through its programming and more than 2 million through live and broadcast audiences. During her tenure, Ms. Dworkin is responsible for architecting and developing Sphinx’s programming since its inception expanded the organization’s international partner network to 100+ foundations and leading enterprises, resulting in the organization’s most successful fundraising campaign in its twenty-five history. Under her leadership, her team’s national artistic network has also grown to nearly 100+ symphony orchestras, enabling Sphinx to continue scaling its programming to new audiences worldwide. The strength of Ms. Dworkin’s leadership across sectors and national divides is informed by her musical training, 25+ years of experience in the field, as well as her international corporate experience as a trilingual interpreter and Executive Assistant to the President of ARCO, The International Oil and Gas Company in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Catharine Soros is a passionate dance advocate.  She was the president of Center Dance Arts, was a founder for L.A. Dance Project and is the board chair of Ate9 Dance Company. She has commissioned numerous dance works, and was a lead commissioner of the VisionIntoArt multidisciplinary film project now on PBS, The Colorado. She was a former ballet dancer, and has two marvelous children.

Edward Yim is the Chief Content Officer and Senior Vice President of WQXR.  He is responsible for developing and implementing a strategic vision that helps WQXR reach a broader, more inclusive audience, drives digital innovation, bolsters the station’s role in New York City’s arts and culture ecosystem, and increases WQXR’s relevance and service to the city’s communities. Collaborating with teams across NYPR, Yim oversees all of WQXR’s programming and operations, from live broadcasts, podcasts and digital content to strategic partnerships, events and community engagement. He is also responsible for managing the station’s operating budget, and fundraising across NYPR’s diversified revenue base of members, donors, and sponsors.