STEVE PAPPATERRA has a diverse background as a wealth management executive, trusts and estates attorney, professor, and professional musician. He has lectured and published widely in professional journals, and has been interviewed numerous times for major media outlets.

Prior to co-founding SYNCOPATE CREATIVE, LLC, Steve spent 14 years as Managing Director of Wealth Planning for PNC Wealth Management, with national responsibility for the strategic direction and delivery of estate and financial planning advice for high-net-worth clients. He was the primary architect of, and leader for, PNC's highly-regarded Wealth Planning Group, which grew to more than 80 wealth specialists comprised of attorneys, CPAs, and certified financial planners. He has also practiced trusts and estates law at Archer & Greiner, P.C. (Archer) and Earp Cohn P.C. For the past five years, Steve has worked as a performance coach for The Oechsli Institute, helping financial advisors grow and manage their practices.

Before beginning his business career, Steve spent years studying drums and percussion in New York with renowned teachers, Henry Adler and Morris Lang of the New York Philharmonic. He continues to play professionally in theaters, big bands, and as a percussionist in the South Jersey Pops.

A former longtime adjunct professor, Steve earned his B.A. and J.D. from Rutgers University. Steve served for 12 years on the Board of the Philadelphia Shakespeare Theater and, as a high senior, memorized Romeo and Juliet. He remains an avid baseball player in adult hardball leagues. He is also a volunteer and supporter of International Justice Mission, the world’s largest organization fighting human trafficking and violence against women and children.

VALERIE GAY possesses a unique blend of executive leadership and financial expertise, paired with extensive program development, which allows her to seamlessly interact in the areas of business, academia, and arts.

Valerie currently serves in the cabinet of Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker as executive director of Arts, Culture & the Creative Economy. Prior to her appointment, Valerie was chief experience officer and deputy director of audience engagement at the world-famous Barnes Foundation. For more than 20 years, she held senior and executive positions, including executive director of Art Sanctuary in Philadelphia, assistant dean for institutional advancement for the College of Education at Temple University, and vice president and portfolio manager with PNC Advisors where she managed investment portfolios for high-net-worth individuals and family trusts.

Val conducts workshops on financial management, organizational and board structures, and arts education, along with a coaching practice on presentations and performance. She has written articles concerning women and investing, as well as fundraising for regional and national publications, and has appeared on television newscasts and radio broadcasts. As a classically trained vocalist, Val has performed across the globe in operas, special events, and solo concert recitals. Val earned a Professional Studies Certificate and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance, a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from the University of the Arts, completed degree course work at Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, and has achieved the professional designation of Certified Financial Planner. In 2020, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. In 2023, she was named to the Metro Philadelphia Power Women List.

valgay.com

DR. MELISSA DUNPHY was born and raised in Brisbane, Australia to a Chinese mother and a Greek father. She has been hailed as "unquestionably the city's leading Shakespeare ingénue" by the Philadelphia Inquirer.

In 2014, Melissa performed in iHamlet, a one-person adaptation of Hamlet for the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. She has also performed with the Philadelphia Shakespeare Theater (Juliet, Lady Macbeth, Marina), the Lantern Theater (Ophelia), and Harrisburg Shakespeare Festival (Ariel, Ophelia, Hotspur, Lear’s Fool), among many others. Melissa is also a nationally acclaimed, award-winning composer, currently completing her doctoral studies in composition at the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a Benjamin Franklin Fellow.

In 2009, her large-scale choral work, the Gonzales Cantata, received rave press and reviews from media outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Harper’s Magazine, National Review, Comedy Central, and MSNBC's Rachel Maddow. Her song cycle, Tesla's Pigeon was recognized with a Spirit of Tesla award by the Tesla Science Foundation. Her compositions have been performed around the country, winning her awards from ASCAP, the Lotte Lehmann Foundation, and Boston Metro Opera. She has also served as conductor and musical director for several theater productions, including the O'Neill National Puppetry Conference.

With numerous acting and modeling credits for TV, film, and print, Melissa teaches acting and performance and, along with her husband Matt, is the owner of a soon-to-be renovated theater in Philadelphia. She also speaks on creativity and can be seen performing as a cellist, violist, mandolinist, pianist, singer, and host and performer of the web series, Ukulele Request Time. (www.melissadunphy.com)

Melissa received her B.A. from West Chester University and her Ph.D. in Music Composition from the University of Pennsylvania.

LISA GUNN-BECKER brings extensive performing experience to the corporate environment, creating a unique and vibrant blend of coaching using improvisation and acting techniques to enhance creative problem solving. Lisa has worked on Broadway and with legendary composer, Marvin Hamlisch. Her work encompasses musical theatre, Shakespeare, film, and television. She can be seen in M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening, Christmas Present, and The Last Days of April, as well as nation campaigns for Chevy, Band Aid, Dominos, USPS, and America West Airlines.

As a speech and performance coach, Lisa has worked with major companies such as Goldman Sachs, Johnson and Johnson, Horizon Media, and Endo Pharmaceuticals. Highly skilled in vocal production and mechanics, she also specializes in accent reduction and has worked with Accent Ace, which addresses the musicality of American speech. She is the co-creator, along with Steve Pappaterra, of the workshop, Shakespeare, Jazz Drumming and the Art of Creative Communication.

Lisa holds a B.A. from California State University Fresno and an MFA from Temple University.

DR. VALERIE JOYCE, Theatre Department Chair, has been performing, directing, or designing on stage at Villanova Theatre for more than 20 years. Villanova credits include: Translations, The Threepenny Opera, The Light in the Piazza, Carousel, Batboy: The Musical, Annie Get Your Gun, Cabaret, and Talley’s Folly. Other credits include: The Meat Opera and Up Your Ante for the New York and Philadelphia International Fringe Festivals, and Thank You for Sharing with Amaryllis Theatre Company. Valerie has also worked as a professional costume designer for local and regional productions including Six Story Building (Off Broadway), The Real Thing (Arden Theatre Company), Moon for the Misbegotten (Venture Theatre), True West and Waiting for Godot (Lantern Theatre Company), Billy and Zelda (Opera Delaware), and The Comedy of Errors (Princeton Repertory), as well as many university productions. She has also written a one-woman show dramatizing the lost stories of African American women pre-emancipation entitled I Will Speak for Myself.

Dr. Joyce is a board member of the American Theatre and Drama Society and an active member of the Music/Theatre Dance and Women and Theatre focus groups of ATHE. She has presented her research at the national conferences of ASTR, ATHE, and the Society of Early Americanists and internationally at the Staging America conference in Madrid, Spain. She is currently the chair of the ASTR nominations committee and has also chaired the ATDS Graduate Student Research Award and coordinated ATDS panels for ALA and the “Curtains Up!” Debut Panel with the Black Theatre Alliance and the Latino/a Focus Groups of ATHE. In Spring 2015, Dr. Joyce will be a VITAL Faculty Associate at Villanova, researching teaching, learning, and assessment in the Fine Arts. In 2010, she was awarded a grant from Villanova University to train in the Fitzmaurice Voice Technique, work that she uses in the classroom and the rehearsal room. Dr. Joyce is also a director, choreographer, and costume designer with recent credits that include The Three penny Opera, Light in the Piazza, Cabaret, Annie Get Your Gun, and Bat Boy.

Valerie received her Masters degree from Villanova University, and Ph.D. in Theater history and Performance Studies from The University of Maryland.

RODOLFO (RUDY) RIVERA is Chief International Counsel for Fidelity National Financial, a Fortune 500 Company. He is also a Board Member of the Association of Corporate Counsel, a position he has held since 2016.

In addition to numerous professional speaking engagements, including as a TED speaker, Rudy is primarily responsible for Fidelity National Financial's global expansion of its operations. He has established offices in Mexico and Malta and several joint venture projects, along with a network of attorneys in 34 countries. He currently manages a multi-million dollar national and international litigation budget. Rudy has been a longtime adjunct professor at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law and is a frequent guest speaker and lecturer on managing litigation, litigating in multicultural jurisdictions, and managing outside counsel.

He sits on the Board of Communities in Schools (CIS) in Jacksonville, Florida. CIS provides after school programs for kids who are under served in the community with a goal to increase high school graduation rates.

Rudy received his B.A. from Ohio Northern University and his J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law, where he was Assistant Managing Editor of the Law Review.

KEN BAGGALEY brings an uncommon and eclectic educational and professional background to his work as a consultant. Areas of expertise include: Executive Project prioritization\ facilitation\ oversight; strategic project management; streamlining processes and metrics; managing global virtual\ online\ classroom training methods and materials; national\international training and coaching for Lean Six Sigma; Kaizen and Belt-level training, mentoring and support; and serving as Lead Designer for International training software, as well as implementation of innovation startup and ground-level training regimens.

Ken spent more than 10 years with Merrill Lynch, serving in leadership and project management capacities. He also worked for several years in the mortgage business, and is knowledgeable in complex mortgage-backed investment products.

A graduate of the prestigious Hun School in Princeton, Ken studied in England for a year before entering Princeton University, where he earned a B.A. in English. He later earned his J.D. from Rutgers School of Law – Camden (evening program). Widely read in pre-seventeenth century military history and a former adult ice hockey player, Ken is an avid hockey and baseball fan.

JO LEONARD, Founder and President of Jo Leonard & Co., is now in her 22nd year as a family advisor, specializing in working with career starters and senior executives as they navigate their careers. She speaks and teaches on the power of personal branding, pitfalls and value of social media, and advanced job search skills, with particular attention on helping her clients discover productive and meaningful work. Jo has been asked to train and coach Fulbright Scholars, TED speakers, university business students, high school student leaders, and senior professionals in transition. She is also the Founder and Executive Director of the R.J. Leonard Foundation, which educates, initiates careers, and personally mentors young adults who are aging out of the foster care system.

According to Jo, “Our clients always come to us with a story, but often it is focused on the past, the responsibilities they feel towards their families, living up to expectations of others, and most importantly, a lack of purpose and strong sense of their future. They feel as if their careers are managing them vs managing their own futures. We encourage our clients to share their story, dreams, talents, and are committed to staying open and non-judgmental. We excel at generating momentum, by providing interesting and practical programs, which align with their learning methods and their personalities.”

Jo received her B.A. from Montclair State University, and also studied at Hatfield University (UK).

joleonard.com

ALEX PAPPATERRA earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Acting from Arcadia University, graduating magna cum laude in 2012. He received the National Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Ensemble Performance from the Kennedy Center for his role in The Swing of the Sea, Molly Hagan’s three-character play that received the Harold and Mimi Steinberg National Playwrighting Award.

Alex also starred in numerous other productions, including Open School Night, winner of the Times Square Playwrights award for “Best Play” in 2013 and performed at Manhattan’s Roy Arias Studio One-Act Festival.

Alex combines his theater and film skills with creativity in coaching Syncopate clients, professionals, and recent college graduates on communicating about themselves and their ideas.

For three years, Alex worked as an actor portraying patients in a high-stakes simulated exam for Osteopathic medical students trying to obtain their license. As part of his work with the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, he used a standardized rubric to grade candidates’ doctor-patient clinical interaction skills.

https://sites.google.com/view/alexpappaterra

CARMEN KHAN is a director/actor/voice actor, and the co-founder and Artistic Director of the award-winning Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre. The Theatre was founded in 1996, and since then she has directed/produced over 60 productions of primarily Shakespeare’s works. As an actor she has performed in over 30 professional productions in regional theaters. As a voice actor her distinguished clients include Penn Medicine, Willhelm Scholtz Studios, AbbVie Pharmaceuticals, and The People’s Light and Theatre Company.

Carmen also created The Open Door Project, The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theater’s suite of education programs that include the following: Student Matinees; Artist-in-Residence programs; professional tours of Shakespeare’s plays to high schools; the Classical Acting Academy; the Shakespeare in the World Lecture Series; and Shakespeare classes and camps.

Collaborations with major cultural institutions in Philadelphia include: The Free Library of Philadelphia, The Barnes Foundation, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and Philadelphia Young Playwrights. TPST is the recipient of numerous Barrymore nominations and several awards, and also received a unique commendation from the City of Philadelphia for excellence in performance and education. Prior to being Artistic Director of TPST, Carmen was Artistic Director of The Red Heel Theatre and Co-Artistic Director of The Laughing Stock Theatre.

In 2017, with her husband, Jack Armstrong, Carmen co-authored a groundbreaking new annotation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth called Macbeth Moment by Moment. Romeo and Juliet Moment by Moment will be available in August 2023. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of London, and a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from The Catholic University of America.

carmenkhan.com

JACK ARMSTRONG is the founder of Armstrong Development Co. He created the Election Views software suite, which has been used to tabulate returns and generate the ballot artwork for hundreds of millions of votes in over a thousand elections in dozens of jurisdictions.

With his wife Carmen, he co-founded The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood. Jack and Carmen raised over $10 million in contributions, created 60 productions, entertained a hundred thousand patrons, turned on 200,000 school students with its innovative Shakespeare education programs, and won numerous awards, including a one-of-a-kind commendation from City Council for its contribution to the life of the City. Jack and Carmen are writing and publishing their own Shakespeare Moment by Moment series which, for the first time ever, provides a student all the coaching they need to truly understand every word of the play.

Jack has served on the governing board of Goshen Friends School for many years. He is a voracious reader and compulsive writer, with two novels, two screenplays, dozens of short stories, essays and poems. He loves climbing, hiking, paddling and sailing, photography, building furniture, playing and composing music, and studying languages.

Jack is a graduate of Saint John’s College, and also attended The University of Texas at Austin.

shakespearemomentbymoment.com

AMY HANG began working with Syncopate Creative at the start of 2023. She has well-rounded skills in all things digital, designing websites and editing photos, videos, and audio for various websites and social media platforms.

In college, Amy managed the marketing and promotions of student artists and events under the school’s record label, Lion Enterprises. After college, she moved to South Korea to teach English and learn more about different cultures. She was inspired by the K-Pop entertainment industry and witnessed how other countries became enamored with it. During her time in South Korea, she created a travel blog to share her experiences of traveling as a solo female traveler.

As the tech industry constantly evolves, she joyfully continues to learn new design and development tools with online courses and resources. She volunteers on multiple civic tech projects to help people in Philadelphia and gain experience in working with collaborative teams who also care about the city and its people.

Amy earned her B.A. in Digital Media and Music Business. She strives to continue to help creatives, entrepreneurs, and anyone with the vision to make a positive change in the world.