About

Olga Levina is a co-founder of JCTC and as Executive Producer she oversees JCTC’s mission, visual and performing arts programming.  Under her leadership, JCTC’s team produced and presented theatre, music, dance, film, visual arts and other performances, including thematic series –Universal, Justice, Happiness, Identity, Vanity, Borderless, Disruptions and Fear and created such programs as JCTC-KIDS; JCTC-Conversations; Arts-4-All, JCTC-Films, Artists in Residency, DirectorsLab, Jersey City New Play Festival and The BOX. Levina has worked as a dancer-choreographer, actress and director. She graduated from Minsk School of the Performing Arts, studied acting with V. Bondarenko (Gorky’s Russian Theatre in Minsk),Yuri Lutinsky, acting and directing with Jorge Cacheiro (MFA in Theatre, MSU). Levina received Belarusian Philharmonic Award for the most creative choreography for Woman’s Nature in 1988. She also attended Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, Sally Jonson Studio, Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance(NYC) and holds BFA in Acting from Montclair University. 

Ms. Baptiste is a proud graduate of Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts M.F.A in Theatre with professional training at Shakespeare’s Globe in London. Ms. Baptiste also taught theatre and performance at MAST High School, RSAC and JCTC Youth Theatre, Stories of Greenville.

Her professional credits include Hands Up with Red Door Project, Notes From the Field with HBO among others. Ms. Baptiste producing credits include Angela’s Sacred Heart, a short film which highlights the consequences of sexual assault on women. She is looking forward to continuing the work of laying down the foundation of telling the true stories of humanity that carry the social justice messages through the arts.

Shayne has 25 years of experience in marketing and public relations for New Jersey, not-for-profit arts organizations serving both Paper Mill Playhouse and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC). Miller, who has degrees in Theater and Communications from Kean University also served as a communications and marketing consultant for the 5th Avenue Theatre in Seattle, Washington and the popular music app Harmony Helper.
Shayne currently serves as Director of Marketing and Communications for Algonquin Arts Theatre and a consultant for Jersey City Theater Center.
Previously, he served as Director of Press and Public Relations for 15 years and Interim Director of Marketing and Sales during three transitions at Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, NJ. At Paper Mill, Shayne managed all aspects of public relations, publicity, and promotions for New Jersey’s largest professional producing theatre. In addition, Miller founded and managed the theater’s popular Broadway Show Choir. The show choir’s tour landed in more than 40 venues in six seasons and was voted Best Choral Group by DJA’s annual People’s Choice Awards four years in a row. Prior to his work at Paper
Mill Playhouse, Shayne served as the first Publicist for the New Jersey
Performing Arts Center (NJPAC).
Miller served two terms as President of the Millburn-Short Hills Chamber of Commerce and Vice President of Millburn’s Special Improvement District (SID). He served as vice-chair of Jersey Arts Marketers (North) and chaired the PR committee of the state’s Discover Jersey Arts initiative. He also served on the board of directors for Summit’s HTTV television station.
Miller served as Executive Director for Ember Choral Arts (formerly known as Schola Cantorum on Hudson), a semi-professional choir that performs in both New Jersey and New York City. Miller’s own company, Seize The Day Communications has provided free services to multiple New Jersey charities in marketing, communications, website creation and management.

John Paul Garcia is currently the Office Manager/Bookkeeper/Private Events Coordinator at White Eagle Hall, the premier live music destination in North Jersey. When he’s not multitasking at the place he truly calls his second home, he is busy multitasking with quite a few other things. He also manages a mixed-use building in Clifton, NJ as well as helming his own bookkeeping company, Eleven Eleven Enterprises LLC (https://elevenelevenentllc.wixsite.com/website). With over 25 years hands on experience in bookkeeping and office management, John Paul defines the term “administrative and financial guru.” (linkedin.com/in/john-paul-garcia-3610679/)

John Paul did study screenwriting at Tisch School of the Arts, graduating with a BFA (with honors). However, his true passion is music. John Paul has been a semi-professional guitarist in his past, playing in many different genres of music, among them rock, a tri-state cover band, a Spanish Rock band and a Cuban Salsa band, among other musical interests. He did record an independent recording with a few friends, intertwining the Caribbean sounds of bachata with many different contemporary styles of music (https://www.reverbnation.com/gruporelax). Currently, John Paul is playing at open mics when possible in the hopes of getting into another musical situation (www.youtube.com/jaypgee1973)

Finally, none of this would make sense unless he was truly first and foremost dedicated to his daughter. Raising her as a single dad is the singularly most rewarding yet hardest thing he’s ever done. But he wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.

Mark is a NY/NJ based director. Prior to JCTC, he spent the last four years as the associate artistic director of Mile Square Theater in Hoboken. NY world premieres: The Net Will Appear by Erin Mallon starring Richard Masur (59E59), The Hounds of War by Bill Holland (Abingdon Theatre), The Little Princess by Jennifer Bowen (June Havoc Theatre), The Judgment of Fools by Bernardo Cubria (INTAR Theatre). Comfort Women: A New Musical by Dimo Kim (Peter Jay Sharp Theater – Associate Director), His production of Honour by Dipti Mehta currently tours North America. Mark directed the first academic productions of Annie Baker’s The Aliens and Rajiv Jospeh’s Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. He is the resident director of InViolet Theatre and co-founder of Wee Man Productions. Mark is currently on faculty at The Peddie School. He graduated Rutgers University’s Mason Gross School of the Arts with his MFA in Directing, earning the Dean John I Bettenbender Award for Artistic Excellence.

Fernando Ayres is a multi-talent young man who majored in Art Illustration and Minored in Acting. He won three awards for his art work, resulting in having two art pieces in museums and one in the White House. He gained interest in acting around his first year of college, and decided to make that his career. A self-motivated individual who never knows when to give up, in his college years he typed over 21 different scripts, acted in commercials, did extra work for pilots and shows such as Power and Other Plan’s and worked independent films such as The One. Ayers recent theater acting includes: Done to Death, Status Quo Vadis, and L’Image. His other talents include Art, Graphic Designing, Comics, Game Designing, filming music videos, Martial Arts, Puppetry and Parkour. He’s also a Heavy Gamer.

Mr. Abdurakhmanov was a Professor of Acting and Directing at the Tashkent Arts and Culture Institute since 1980, and Chairman of the Uzbek Center of International Association of Theatres for Children and Youth since 1997. He holds the highest State Awards for Art in both Uzbekistan and Russia. Other prizes include: Honored Worker of Arts of Uzbekistan, Knight of Pushkin Medal – The State Award of Russia.
As a professor of theatre arts, Mr. Abdurakhmanov’s work stems from the Theatre School of Stanislavsky, incorporates core aspects of Vakhtangov, Grotowski, Boleslavsky, and other theatrical lineages to create an original acting methodology. He has taught acting and directing, directed and given master classes in prominent theatre schools in Uzbekistan, Russia, Germany, and Israel. His students work professionally in esteemed theaters in Uzbekistan, Russia and abroad.

Maxim Andriyovych is a professional graphic designer from Ukraine with a primary passion for creating unique and creative Brand Identities. His design philosophy focuses on harmonious integration of concept and execution, where thoughtful design unlocks a brand’s full potential. Maxim has dedicated himself to refining his skills and optimizing his creative process for over a decade, working with clients and agencies worldwide.

Currently, as the Design Director at JCTC, Maxim leads the visual identity and creative direction for all print and digital elements of the theater. His vision allows audiences to explore the arts through diverse worlds of creativity.

He also continues to create new and exciting work through his design studio.

To explore his portfolio or discuss potential collaboration, visit his website:

https://maximandriyovych.myportfolio.com/work.

Paul Dennison is a management consultant at Dennison Associates, who provides consulting services in the areas of corporate and philanthropic partnership development, organizational management, strategic framework, creative placemaking, grant management and data analysis. He has over 25 years consulting experience that includes information technology.

Paul strives to create conditions to appreciate and effectively assess the needs of organizations and programs. Stakeholders, including individuals’ purpose and goals are included into their strategies that help develop tools for distinctive action that have decisive impact.

He supports arts and culture community revitalization and through creative placemaking initiatives he works to raise awareness and increase dialogue among area stakeholders to expand and develop areas of support to make arts, culture and design an integral element of community development, economic opportunity and urban planning strategies.

Along with volunteer work as a Museum of Jersey City History (MJCH) board member, Paul serves as Board President with Jersey City Theater Center (JCTC), a nonprofit arts and culture organization that focuses on social, social justice, political and equity issues thru theater, visual arts, music, dance and community collaborative engagement.

In order to create “place”, it needs culture, vibrance, and identity. A city is weaved together through public art, live music, green space, and small business. Gregory has been involved in all these channels for over a decade contributing to what has made Jersey City a place people want to live, work, and play in—a place people call home.

His first venture, Green Villain, was a former brick and mortar gallery turned art brokerage founded in 2010. He managed the 20,000SF property and curated graffiti exhibitions and late-night music events while renting out studio spaces to makers and artisans.

In 2013 he created Jersey City’s first mural program which currently has over 50 sites under management and has brought over 250 artists into the region. Green Villain is also behind an event partnership with Brookfield Properties that has been featured in the Wall Street Journal for the experiential graffiti exhibition which took place in 2015 in a vacant Pep Boys Auto Center—the Demolition Exhibition.

His creative mindset is a perfect fit for GRID’s entrepreneurial spirit as he is able to combine his experience in the art brokerage and digital marketing worlds into our framework of brokerage specializing in landlord representation, development advisory, and investment sales.
In 2018 he lead the repositioning of The Sterling, a 155,000SF former textile factory located in the Greenville section of the city. This small business incubator and arts complex has provided unique creative space for over 40 local businesses featuring the likes of Chilltown native and hip-hop royalty, Chi Modu, as well as shark-tank funded sneaker start-up, Muvez.

Gregory describes the real estate business as mining for diamonds. Every day one drives down the streets looking at the same potential, but how does one find the hidden value right inside the dirt and bricks? Creativity, vision, and commitment to the broader scope of placemaking are what allows him to thrive and is what he shares with his partners at GRID—the nexus of Jersey City commercial real estate.

Siara Mirabel is a Senior Associate on the Capital Markets team at a Real Estate Private Equity firm that manages $8B in gross property value. There she provides an additional level of support to the firm’s capital raising initiatives by assisting with due diligence requests from prospective investors, maintaining existing investor relationships, and assisting with ongoing reporting requests. Siara is also a dedicated member of the firm’s ESG Taskforce, actively involved in supporting and enhancing the firm’s Environmental, Social, and Governance program.

Prior current position, Siara served as a Business Strategy Analyst at a Registered Investment Advisor in New York, that managed $2B in AUM. There, she worked directly with the Managing Partners to strategically strengthen the firm’s infrastructure by building and implementing core business operations and systems, such as the firm’s CRM system and all the firm’s financial models including compensation plans, budgeting and projections, and revenue tracking. She also supported several multi-billion-dollar private equity firms as their modeling specialist, creating various analyses related to carried interest modeling and tracking, sensitivity modeling, Co-Investment tracking, SPAC modeling, and more.

Siara traces her roots back to Jersey City, where she was born and raised and currently resides. This dynamic community holds a special place in her heart, shaping her values and fostering a sense of connection to her community. Siara earned her B.A. in Mathematics with a minor in Economics from NJCU. She finds joy in crafting intricate models in Excel, engaging in DIY crafting projects, performing arts, and expressing her passion for anything related to Space and Star Wars.

Ben LoPiccolo serves as the CEO and partner of BLDG-UP, a dynamic real estate development firm focused on optimizing and elevating the value of every project they undertake. Boasting an extensive career spanning about three decades in the industry, Ben’s journey commenced with the renovation of luxury homes in Manhattan.

His enterprising spirit led him to Jersey City in the late ’90s, where he orchestrated the transformation of his start-up into a multi-million-dollar development firm. Ben’s expertise and unwavering commitment to excellence have garnered him numerous accolades and widespread recognition in development. His work has been featured in esteemed media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Curbed, NBC, and more.

Beyond his professional endeavors, Ben actively contributes to the community as a devoted board member, visionary founder, and enthusiastic volunteer at the Jersey City Theater Center. In his personal life, he finds joy in spending quality time with his cherished family, exploring new destinations through travel, and connecting with the serenity of nature.

Charlaine Mercado embodies the American Dream. Her story starts in Jamaica, her journey led to Jersey City – where she found home and has raised her daughter.
Over the past 25 years, Charlaine has risen to become one of the most prominent figures in Jersey City’s real estate industry. More importantly, she’s a tireless advocate that supports various community and women’s organizations.
Charlaine’s real estate expertise, passion for Jersey City, and love for the arts brings unique value to the Jersey City Theatre Center Board.

Eric Sandurs is an Executive Director at JPMorgan Chase, overseeing large technology functions in areas including strategy, transformation, organizational change management, and business operations. He is currently the Head of Business Governance and Operations for a technology organization overseeing core infrastructure.

Eric has over 20+ years of experience in technology across Fortune 50 companies including MetLife and Citi. He has partnered with executives on P&Ls spanning $200Mm – $1.5Bn and global organizations of 1000+ people. He has appeared on panels at leading firms showcasing his expertise in areas including organizational change and quality execution. His professional success is due to a focus on customer success, driving valued outcomes, and active listening.

Eric has worked in New Jersey for 10 years and is an active contributor to his community via volunteering and board service. He holds an MBA from Baruch College and a B.S. from the University at Albany, SUNY. In his personal time, Eric can be found spending quality time and enjoying life with his family and friends, exercising and practicing the guitar.

Maria L. Nieves is a change management specialist with three decades of experience helping organizations succeed, grow, and evolve by using her background in project management and talent development. Throughout her career she has guided organizations and teams to achieve ambitious strategic visions.

Maria was most recently the President & CEO of the Hudson County Chamber of Commerce, where, during her 11-year tenure, she helped increase membership growth by 20% annually and transformed the Chamber into a highly respected organization providing tangible value to its members, including high-quality programming, benefits, and resources. Under her leadership, the Chamber launched #HudsonGives, an annual, competitive giving day that helped more than 100 local Hudson County nonprofits raise nearly $2 million over four years and engaged more than 5000 individual donors. The Chamber also launched a highly successful Women of Commerce Council and an annual diversity conference called HOLA. During her time at the Chamber, she developed numerous partnerships with corporate sponsors to develop a robust calendar programming and saw the Chamber’s retention or members exceed 90% annually.

She is currently enrolled in a RN program at Holy Name Medical Center School of Nursing.

Juana Penson is a full-time businesswoman and a full-time problem solver. With over thirty years of professional experience supporting top level executives, office management and administration she surpasses the old adage of “attention to detail.”

She is known for her interpersonal skills, keen listening ability and expert level multi-tasking and coordination. Her personal level of care is what separates her, she cares not only about the task at hand, but the person behind it.

Her passion to always serve others has connected her with like-minded organizations which have the same mission. She is always looking to serve with passion in any role she has been given the opportunity to.

She is a member of the Rotary Club of Jersey City, serves as Membership Coordinator for the Food and Shelter Coalition of Hudson County. She is a member and committee member of the Food Security Task Force of Hudson County. She serves The Brito Foundation as an advisor in any capacity needed. She also volunteers her time to various organizations in her community. Always looking to assist anyone who may need her assistance, counseling or guidance.

Other organizations she has served: All Roads to Success, Deliverance Children Ministry, Triangle Park Community Center, Jersey City Kappa League, Lincoln HS Parent Teacher Organization, Middle School #4 & Public School #3 Parent Teacher’s Association. Juana is always looking to improve the quality of life for everyone around her and bring a smile and comfort to whomever she meets.

On her spare time Juana spends time with her pet cat, her family and friends. She believes in showing those she cares about love and comfort to whom she shares her passion for cooking.

Christina “Chris” Seckar is the Associate Vice President of Human Resources across Europe and Canada at Merck (known as MSD outside the US and Canada). In this role, Chris and her team have responsibility for all divisions and functions across the region. With over 25 years of experience in HR, Chris provides coaching and executive leadership support to the Europe and Canada team on talent strategy, workforce and team effectiveness and career development.

Chris joined Merck (formerly Schering-Plough Corporation) in 2007 and has progressed through roles of increasing responsibility providing strategic HR support to leaders in a number of Merck’s major divisions and corporate functions including, Research and Development, Human Health, Animal Health, Consumer Health and Corporate Finance. Prior to joining Merck, Chris held a variety of human resource roles at Schlumberger, the world’s leading supplier of technology, project management and information solutions to the oil and gas industry and Genex Services, a leader in medical cost containment and disability services. Chris has lived and worked in the United Kingdom, Australia and Switzerland in addition to her home country of the United States.

Chris holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Lafayette College in Easton Pennsylvania, and a Master of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Chris lives with her husband in Morristown, New Jersey. She loves travel, understanding cultures, the arts, photography, fitness and most importantly, spending time with her loved ones.

Tiffany E. McQueary was born in Hoboken, NJ and raised in Jersey City, NJ. She attended PS #15 in Jersey City, where she excelled academically. She attended Marist High School in Bayonne and was awarded the Scholar-Athlete Award upon graduation. Tiffany would then continue her academic career at New Jersey City University, where she served on the Student Government Executive Board and pledged a Community Service Fraternity Alpha Phi Omega. It was during college that Tiffany realized that she had a deep passion for helping others after participating in multiple Habitat for Humanity Alternative Spring Breaks. After graduating with honors in 2008, she then began working as Program Coordinator for Suits for Success Hudson County (previously known as Dress for Success Hudson County). While at Suits for Success, Tiffany helped thousands of
clients on their journey to self-sufficiency, ensuring that they received the skills and resources that they needed. In 2009, while working at Suits for Success, Tiffany went back to school to pursue her master’s
degree in Public Administration (MPA).
In 2011, Tiffany decided to get more involved in her local community and joined the I Love Greenville Community Partnership (ILGCP), led by Garden State CDC and worked along with a group of Steering Committee Members to develop the Greenville Community Plan (GCP),which addresses the most important issues in the Greenville community as identified by the community residents and stakeholders. Since 2016, Tiffany has served as chair of the I Love Greenville Community Partnership, the group that formed during that GCP planning process and has worked collectively to secure millions of Neighborhood Revitalization Tax Credit (NRTC) funding for organizations to focus on projects that address quality of life issues related to housing, employment, education, health and wellness, and economic development.
Tiffany received honors when graduating with her MPA in 2012 and took her talents to Marist High School as the Director of Marketing & Admissions where she worked to increase enrollment. In 2016, Tiffany was promoted to Chief Advancement Officer, and in 2017 she led a campaign that to postpone the inevitable closing of the school. After Marist closed its doors in 2020, Tiffany then went on to work for the Benedictine Sisters of Elizabeth as the Director of evelopment & Marketing, where she built a development program from the ground up. Since November of 2022, Tiffany has been serving as the first Development Officer for the Jersey City Free Public Library.

John Frohling, a veteran who served in Korea in the 48th Battalion, 7th division earned his position as 1st Lieutenant Army Artillery, for his leadership skills, helping to resolve racial tension. John was a tireless volunteer and counsel for affordable housing, supporter of veterans’ issues, and he loved the arts.

John was rooted in finance and securities law. He argued a case in front of the Supreme Court and won, which resulted in a change of case law that still holds. In his securities law practice in New Jersey, John specialized in bond counsel services for financing educational facilities, public utilities, and other capital projects at his Law Firm, Frohling and Hudak.

John supported community and social justice issues. He was inspired to form an LLC to transform an abandoned lot on Sussex Street to become a parking lot to service 40 families in Paulus Hook. He participated in collective arguments against PPG’s legal team, which succeeded to hold PPG accountable to clean up the contaminated grounds in Bergen Lafayette, Jersey City. This helped clear the way toward the creation of Berry Lane Park, where John also volunteered.

John volunteered and provided counsel with the Morris Canal Redevelopment Corporation to help support the nonprofit’s for affordable housing initiatives. He was a former President for the Essex County Drug and Alcohol Addiction, counsel to the Paulus Hook Neighborhood Association where he helped the neighborhood deal with the developers when Colgate sold its land. He was a founding member and former President of The Learning Community Charter School and he volunteered for the Apple Tree House and Friends of Pershing Field.

He loved to uplift and recognize people. This led John to volunteer for the Veterans Parade Committee and he served on the Mayor’s Veterans Affairs Advisory Task Force, helping with fundraising and donations for the Veterans Parade.

Active in is church John volunteered at Our Lady of Czestochowa to increase the congregation, served as a weekly lector at St Nicholas R.C. Church and worked on their finance committee.

His interests in public service led John to consult for Mayors Glen Cunningham, Jeremiah Healy and Steven Fulop. John received a proclamation from Jersey City and Mayor Steven Fulop, recognizing his service to the city as well as a citation from Ward D. Councilman Yused Saleh. These were presented to him on September 1, 2021, on his 90th Birthday. Posthumously, the Hudson County Board of County Commissioners, spearheaded by Vice-Chairperson Anthony Romano Jr., also honored John with a Proclamation of his community service.

John’s love of the arts led him to cofound a community Arts program at Victory Hall Drawing Rooms in downtown Jersey City where he served as President. He was quoted in the local paper “I’m not an artist, but I recognize that art brings balance to the universe.” He purchased Gallerie Hudson, a custom frame and fine art shop in 2014, which he used as a platform to help promote local artists. He served on the Board of Advisors and later selected as a Board Member for the Jersey City Theater Center, where he worked actively towards help with outreach and funding initiatives.

He was loved by so many people. His mark was indelible and the ripple effect enduring.

The Anarchy Group

Coalition for Food & Health Equity

Board Member

Morning Consult

Duda Penteado Fine Arts

Elizabeth Schedl, the Executive Director of Hudson Pride Center, is a community activist devoted to LGBTQ+ rights and equality. During her time at Hudson Pride, Schedl has raised awareness about LGBTQ+ issues while strengthening and growing the Center’s services and cultural programs for both the youth and adult LGBTQ+ individuals in Hudson County. Schedl has developed new and maintained existing Center partnerships with outside agencies, businesses, community organizations, and individuals to advance services for the LGBTQ+ community.

Elizabeth is currently the Chair of the Early Identification of Individuals with HIV/AIDS (EIIHA) Committee and an active member of both the Executive and Minority AIDS Initiative Committees in Hudson County. She is a committee member of both the Municipal Alliance to Combat Alcoholism and Drug Abuse in Jersey City and Union City and also serves as a committee member on both the Hudson County Alliance to End Homelessness and the Human Service Advisory Council. Elizabeth was appointed to the Governor’s Age-Friendly State Advisory Council in 2022, servers on the Advisory Council of Healthy New Jersey 2030, and is a Community Council Member for New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault. And in 2023, Elizabeth became a Commission Member for the Hudson County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls.

Originally from Princeton, NJ, Schedl has a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a Master’s degree in International Relations from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She currently lives in Jersey City, NJ with her wife Francheska and dog Pierre.

DVORA Life