Piano Outreach

Board of Directors

Vera Barskaya Anselmo -- Founder / Executive Director

Born in Moscow, Russia, Ms. Anselmo started taking piano lessons at the age of five under the guidance of her mother. She continued her music studies at Dunaevsky School of Music, and thereafter, at Ippollitov-Ivanov College of Music in Moscow. Graduating at the top of her class with diploma cum lauda, she proceeded to pursue a bachelor of Music degree as a full scholarship student at the Juilliard School in New York City. She also obtained a Masters of Music Degree at the Mannes College of Music where she has been on a part time faculty at the Preparatory and Extension Divisions since 1995. Vera’s solo engagements have included her New York debut at Weill Recital Hall of Carnegie Hall as well as appearances at Steinway & Sons and the Mannes College of Music faculty recitals. Her international engagements have included multiple appearances in France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Netherlands. In the last several years, Vera’s focus has been on music education. Today, as founder and Artistic Director of The Piano School of New York City, and Piano Outreach of New York (PONY), Vera Anselmo is a proud New Yorker, an American citizen, and a music educator.

Gbemi Adesemowo

Gbemi is an assistant vice president in the technology division at Lehman Brothers. She has a bachelors in Computer engineering from the Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria as well as a Masters in Information Systems Engineering from the University of Manchester and a Postgraduate Diploma in Computer science from the University of Cambridge both in the UK. She currenly lives in Hoboken NJ.

Andrew Anselmo

Andrew Anselmo, a native New Yorker, is a graduate of Columbia University currently working in real estate management. His exposure to and interest in piano began after meeting his wife, and with the advent of her successful piano school his interests soon joined hers by putting forth their joint effort of helping those who want to learn piano receive the assistance they need. The result of this was our formation of the Piano Outreach of New York (PONY) project, where Andrew has been a supportive man behind the scene since its 2003 inception.

Stephen E. Fischer

Stephen, now retired, was formerly Chairman of the Board of Banner Pharmacaps Inc., an international contract manufacturer of soft gelatin capsules. He is currently a Director of Young Concert Artists, Inc., where he also serves on the Executive Committee and as Treasurer. He is a graduate of the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce and New York University School of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review. He and his wife, Doucet, live in Greenwich Village.

Brian Gately

Brian Gately is the Technical Assistance Director for a NYC-based nonprofit the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions, NFCDCU. Mr. Gately joined NFCDCU in March, 1997. He has worked with credit unions since 1973, first with cooperatives in Colombia, South America, as a Peace Corps volunteer.

He also worked with an NGO, World Council of Credit Unions (WOCCU). From 1993-97, he was director for WOCCU's Bolivia, South America, microfinance project, and is fluent in Spanish and French.

Mr. Gately's interests are microfinance and aviation. He is also on the board of FONKOZE, a nongovernmental organization that works in Haiti in microfinance.

He grew up in Texas, and has his undergraduate degree in international business from the University of Houston and has done post-graduate work in Economics at Harvard.

Emily Gopstein

Emily joined PONY's Board of Directors in November 2005. She currently works as an analyst for Lehman Brothers' Corporate Strategy group, which advises Lehman Brothers' Executive Committee and Divisional Operating Committees on a range of issues involving the Firm's strategy and corporate development. Prior to that role, she worked in Lehman Brothers' Financial Institutions Investment Banking Group, where she focused on mergers and acquisitions in the depository, insurance, asset management and specialty finance sectors. Emily graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with an A.B. in Economics and a Certificate in Finance. In addition to her involvement with PONY, Emily also volunteers as an SAT tutor to New York City public school students through New York Cares, and is a mentor with the New York City Governor's Committee Mentoring Program.

P. Conor Grimes -- Chief Financial Officer

Conor is currently an associate with Lehman Brothers Merchant Banking Partners - a $1.2 billion leveraged buyout fund which acquires and invests in companies in the industrial, consumer retail, financial services, communications and energy sectors. Prior to that, Conor was employed in Lehman Brothers Investment Banking Division, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions primarily in the energy sector. In addition to his position with Piano Outreach of New York, Conor serves on the Board of Directors for Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of New York City, Inc. where he acts as Treasurer. Conor also volunteers with numerous other nonprofit organizations such as the Fresh Air Fund and the Turtle Bay Music School. Conor received his AB in Economics cum laude and a minor in Music from Dartmouth College.

Lisa Hoffman

Lisa is a parent of three teenagers, one of whom was has been a Piano School of New York City student for 6 years. Lisa gained first hand knowledge about the needs of public school children in NYC during her four years on the Executive Board of the PTA at the Lilli Devereaux Blake School P.S.6 Manhattan, first as Chairman of Fundraising, then as President of the PTA. She is currently a member of the Parents Association of the Riverdale Country School as Chairman of the Friends of the Arts Committee. Lisa graduated from the University of Michigan School of Art and worked as a Graphic Designer before running her own successful design business for many years. She most recently has become obsessed with knitting which is a perfect hobby to do while listening to her son’s piano practice. She works part-time as a knitting instructor and lives in Manhattan with her husband, Andrew, and children Erica, Ethan and Aaron.

Glenn R. Jacobson

Glenn is a Director of the Piano Outreach of New York. Glenn currently works as an analyst for Lehman Brothers Merchant Banking Partners, a $1.2 billion leveraged buyout fund which acquires and invests in companies in the industrial, consumer retail, financial services, communications and energy sectors. Prior to that role, Glenn served as an analyst in Lehman Brothers' Natural Resources Investment Banking Group where he focused on mergers and acquisitions and financings in the energy and chemical sectors. Glenn holds a B.A. in Economics from Dartmouth College where he graduated cum laude. He currently lives in Manhattan.

Christine Kunhardt

Christine is a Special Education Consultant with a specialty in Learning Disabilities. Prior to this endeavor, she had a Special Education Tutoring business providing services to hospitals and private schools. She has also worked as a special education tutor for Catapult Learning and an elementary and middle school special education teacher at the Eagle Hill School. She has a MEd. Degree in Special Education from American University.

Jiin Wen Burns

Jiin is the proud mother of two young budding pianists, both with the Piano School of New York. She is the Piano School of New York's parent liaison at the Ross Global Academy, a Public Charter School in Lower Manhattan.

She currently leads the Geographic Information System Unit at the New York City Economic Development Corporation. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Architecture and a Masters Degree in Urban Planning. She lives with her husband, two daughters and mother in Brooklyn.

Board of Advisors

Faye Zuzworsky
Mireya Kam