John A. Carpente, MA, CMT, NRMT is the Founding Executive Director of The Rebecca Center for Music Therapy. Prior to The Rebecca Center, John founded and directed Music for Living and has created several music therapy programs throughout Long Island and New York City. He is the Continuing Education Coordinator for professional music therapists at the Center, and created the first Guitar Institute for Music Therapists (GIMT), and in 2004 he was awarded the "Outstanding Contributions to the Discipline of Music Therapy" by the Boyer College of Music at Temple University.

Pete Solomita has been management experience in many different facets of the not for profit sector for over 15 years. Pete, a musician who believes in the power of music to heal, foster independence and bring joy, has managed volunteer music programs for the blind and visually impaired and adults with AIDS. In his career Pete has been involved in program management, events production, fundraising, funding of other not for profits, sales, marketing and promotions. Recently Pete has changed careers to become a chef and now manages Venture Catering, a wholly owned subsidiary of Project Reach Youth (P.R.Y.), a company that employs teens that have completed PRY¹s culinary arts program Project Venture.

David M. Rully

Genevieve R. Carpente

Sean H. Close, Esq.

Mary Connolly wears many hats - musician, publicist and budding professional chef. She has spent 10+ as a journeyman musician, performing music of every imaginable genre. A church cantor as a teenager, Connolly sang everything from folk mass to High Mass in Latin. Subsequently, she spent ten years paying her dues in wedding and show bands, cabaret shows, in classic rock cover bands, and on a cruise ship as a singing cocktail waitress. Longing to synthesize the various styles that inspired her, Connolly formed her own group, The Mary Connolly Band and began playing original music. She quickly developed a loyal following and her shows and recordings garnered positive reviews and airplay throughout the Northeast. Mary has also spent the past decade working in financial media & public relations. Feeling it was time for a change, she recently took a leap of faith and is currently enrolled at The French Culinary Institute to become a professional chef and plans to graduate in early 2005.

Liam Gibson has worked as a development officer for the San Francisco Performing Arts Library and Museum, A Traveling Jewish Theatre and the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival. He is currently the Manager for Foundations and Corporations at the Institute on Aging, an innovative community-based nonprofit providing health and social services for over 20,000 seniors in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Eve Orenstein received a Bachelors of Music degree from Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University and a Masters degree in Music from Manhattan School of Music. She is a professional opera singer, performing with companies in the New York area and New England. In addition to her performing career, Eve has worked in nonprofit development and marketing at educational and arts organizations including Turtle Bay Music School and Sponsors for Educational Opportunity. Eve's expertise is in special events, individual giving, and marketing.