Deborah Nathan - Founder & Executive Director
Deb is an experienced artist, psychotherapist, art therapist, and manager. She has been a professional mixed media and fiber artist for over 30 years, and has taught art to children and adults, run a retreat center, and directed various art programs. Her focus over the years has been the impact of trauma on youth and family systems, and the use of arts in conflict mitigation. Deb lived in Israel from 1976-1979, where she observed that the Palestinians and Israelis residing there are remarkably similar, with shared concerns, though the outside world views them as disparate and incompatible. Upon moving back to the U.S., she received master’s degrees in Mental Health Counseling and Art Therapy from Lesley University, and pursued a career as an artist and art educator.
Michele Cohen
Michele Cohen grew up in New York City where she attended the Bronx High School of Science, She earned a BS in Business Administration from Washington University and a JD from Boston University School of Law. Shortly after graduating, Michele moved to Marblehead with her husband Brian where they have lived for 30 years raising their 3 children and volunteering in local youth and teen focused organizations. Most notably, Michele currently chairs the Board of directors of the Epstein Hillel School and previously chaired the board of directors of the Jewish Teen Initiative.
Michele first learned of Artsbridge, Inc. when she was hired to organize a fundraiser for the organization in 2017. While planning the event, Michele recognized the transformative impact that the Artsbridge program has on its participants and the potential it has to change the lives of young people dealing with conflicts throughout the world. Michele joined the board in 2018 and she is excited to help steward the organization through its next chapter.
Richard DeLaCuadra
Richard De La Cuadra is an innovative educator who takes a collaborative and personalized approach to education, changing the way students experience school. Richard was born in Ecuador and spent his teen years in New York where he attended Nativity Mission School followed by Xavier High School. He is a graduate from Holy Cross in Massachusetts and upon graduating he entered the field of education and moved to Texas. He has served as a teacher and administrative leader in a variety of schools ranging from large public schools, to small private schools, and religious schools. After watching students become frustrated and hopeless in traditional and rigid school settings, Richard set out to create a new education model where learning is student centered, flexible, stimulating, and personalized. In 2007 Richard opened the doors to Xavier Educational Academy in West University, Texas. Richard believes in the unique model developed at Artsbridge and has already seen the transformative impact of this on students from the Xavier Academy. He is a life-long learner and has continued his education in collaborative leadership through the Houston Galveston Institute and the Taos Institute. Richard's goal is to help each student tap into their potential and thrive.
Dahlia El Gazzar
Dahlia El Gazzar's appointment to the Artsbridge board is deeply rooted in both personal and professional connections. Influenced by her uncle and mentor, Tarek El Heneidy, a foundational figure in Artsbridge's establishment, and past honorary award winner for his work and accomplishments in peace activism. Dahlia is profoundly dedicated to advancing the organization's mission with strategic precision and passion.
Dahlia's extensive background in marketing, event management, and technology equips her with the strategic acumen necessary to enhance Artsbridge's visibility and impact. She is adept at deploying targeted marketing strategies and public relations to broaden donor bases and intensify alumni engagement. Recognized for her innovative approach, Dahlia is committed to introducing and executing strategic initiatives that drive community building and resource mobilization.
As the founder of DAHLIA+Agency since 2012, she has successfully bridged the gap between technology and creativity, positioning her at the forefront of the events industry. Her accolades — including being named one of the Eventex 50 Top Influencers in the Events Industry in 2023, Best Event Tech Evangelist at Event Tech Live in 2022, and Most Influential Women in Event Tech by BizBash in 2021 — highlight her leadership and strategic influence. With her comprehensive expertise, Dahlia is poised to significantly contribute to Artsbridge's strategic objectives, ensuring the organization not only grows but thrives.
David Garner - Treasurer
David currently is the Director of Schools at Xavier Academy in Houston, Texas. With a background in architecture, accounting, business, and education, he brings a varied perspective to the Artsbridge board. David is married to his college sweetheart, Jenelle, and together they have four children and two dogs.
Michelle Myerson
Michelle is a Principal in the Infrastructure and Power Group at ARES Management, where she is known professionally by her maiden name, Michelle Brauner. Michelle has worked in finance as a private equity professional for the past 24 years, focused on managing portfolio assets and evaluating project investment opportunities. Prior to joining Ares in 2015, she was a Vice President at Energy Investors Funds. Michelle holds a B.S. from Brown University in Mechanical Engineering and an M.A. from the Yale University School of Management in Public and Private Management. With periodic visits to Israel through out her life, one particularly memorable trip she rode the length of Israel as a 2004 participant of The Israel Ride to support the cross cultural Arava environmental institute located in southern Israel. She is currently serving on the Investment Council of the African Entrepreneur Collective which is a network of accelerators and loan funds that offers business training, consulting, and access to affordable capital to spur job creation in East Africa. Michelle has a lifelong interest in the visual arts and is a huge fan of the Artsbridge student showcase events.
Peter Nathan - Interim Board Chair
Peter recently retired from his Executive Director of Global Business Development position at New England Biolabs, Inc., a leading biotechnology company located in Ipswich, MA. Born and raised in England, he met Deb while both were living and studying in Israel and has supported Artsbridge since its founding in 2007. Peter has experienced many countries and cultures over the course of his education and professional career. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of East Anglia, in Norwich, England, his Master of Science from Tel-Aviv University, and his PhD from Princeton University. He first joined NEB in 1987 as a Postdoctoral Fellow and became a key member of their business team from 1989 on. An effective manager and cross-cultural negotiator, Peter now gives his time by serving on various boards and committees while enjoying his retirement. Peter believes that grass roots efforts, such as Artsbridge, that create and empower constituents for change are essential to move the world to a more hopeful future. He considers himself fortunate to have had a number of positive role models throughout his life’s journey and a warm, caring family with whom to share his experiences.
Sriharsa Pradhan
Born in India to a University Professor, father, and a homemaker mother. Sriharsa then moved to the United Kingdom where he received his PhD, in 1995, in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry for work trying to understand the complicated network of gene expression. Conflict in a biological system often results in conflicting gene expression, which often manifests as diseases, including cancer. He currently works at New England Biolabs, Inc., pursuing his passion as a Distinguished Scientist. Sriharsa was drawn to Artsbridge because he realized that the geographical and ideological conflicts between countries, religion and cultures are very similar to complex biology. He believes that while Nature and nurture define biology, they also impact human conflict.
Raeshma Razvi
Raeshma (She/her)is an Indian/Muslim American who produces projects in the nonprofit cultural sector, working at the intersections of community-building, storytelling, and the arts. In collaboration with theater company Cal Shakes, she founded the Shahrazad Squad, a project that facilitates conversations and community amongst SWANASA (Southwest Asia, North Africa, and South Asia) women, creatives and change-makers, and amplifies their voices through unique content. Raeshma has also managed large-scale participatory media projects with Cal Humanities, the International Museum of Women and SOMArts. She was awarded the national Schwartz Prize for outstanding work in public humanities for her project Youth Digital Filmmakers, and collaborated with refugee youth on a documentary project resulting in the widely screened One Family film trilogy in New York. Raeshma has facilitated conflict transformation dialogue groups in the USA, and internationally in Cyprus, India, Palestine/Israel and more. Throughout her career she has received fellowships and grants from multiple foundations including the Rockefeller Foundation, the NEA and The New York Foundation for the Arts.
She holds a B.A. in comparative literature from Northwestern University and an MFA in Film/Video production from Columbia College and currently works as a Program Officer at Mass Humanities, helping to fund expanded efforts in storytelling and equity in the state. Raeshma is aligned with the mission of Artsbridge as it relates to the power of both dialogue and art to create individual meaning and transformational encounters, and believes that Artsbridge’s ‘way of being in the world’ is very much needed, locally and globally.
Phil Sandler, MD
Phil is a retired psychiatrist and past president of the Rotary Club of Brookline, MA. He received his AB from Columbia University, his MD from the University of Pittsburgh, and his residency took place at Mount Sinai Medical Center. He spent most of his career in community psychiatry in central Massachusetts and then at Boston University Student Health Service. He had raised funds for Artsbridge when he donned black tie and tails to dance a classic waltz in the Rotary Club’s Dancing with the Brookline Stars. Phil is very interested in the unique Dialogue method that Artsbridge uses and how that in combination with Art making proves to be transformative. Now retired, he is able to spend his time between summer and winter residences.