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Arts Magnifique! Highlights
Business Volunteer Awards
Watch their stories on YouTube
The awards for Arts & Business Council Volunteers of the Year recognize outstanding contributions of active business volunteers in five Council programs:
Business On Call Volunteer of the Year Award
Mary Previni, Senior Financial Analyst, GlaxoSmithKline
After work and on weekends, Mary Previni provides her hands-on help – and sometimes even a bit of her sales skill.
“When Mary staffs our information table, she really sells our site,” says Linda Callegari, assistant administrator with Pennypacker Mills. “More people come back to visit after meeting Mary; she tells everyone about the next event and we get huge donations!”
Since 2002, Mary has volunteered more than 500 hours with dozens of arts organizations, returning frequently to those she particularly enjoys. For instance, at Pennypacker Mills, she has helped with such seasonal events as the Civil War Reunion, Rural Life in 1900, the Victorian Christmas Open House and the All Hallow’s Eve Fall Festival.
She also has helped staff Tyler Arboretum’s Arbor Day Plant Sale, Maple Sugaring & Pancake Breakfast and Pumpkin Days. Additionally, Mary recently has given her time to the Colonial Candlelight Open House and Colonial May Fair of Pottsgrove Manor Historic Site and to the Philadelphia International Flower Show of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
Presented by:
Business On Board Member of the Year Award
Stacy Maria Dutton
As president of the board for Lantern Theater Company, Stacy Maria Dutton has embraced challenges, enabling the organization to move forward during difficult economic times.
Anne Shuff, the company’s managing director, emphasizes the importance of Stacy’s contributions: “She led the transformation of the board to include more members with critical skills and community contacts. She also spearheaded a successful fundraising campaign that has been particularly important for our financial stability.”
A veteran business volunteer with the Council, Stacy is enthusiastic, inspiring and consistently willing to give of her time. And that’s what sets her apart, says Anne. Meanwhile, Stacy reports gaining great personal fulfillment through the work.
Presented by:
BVA Volunteer of the Year Award
Carolyn Picciotti, Principal, Picciotti Consulting LLC
Carolyn Picciotti’s strategic planning and finance work with the Wood Turning Center has yielded significant dividends.
At a time when the Center was struggling through the economic downturn, Carolyn helped to re-energize and re-focus the board and staff, enabling them to plan for the future and attract new funding.
Says Albert LeCoff, the Center’s co-founder and executive director, “Carolyn has been tremendously influential in moving us forward and preparing the Wood Turning Center to grow in positive directions.” Adds Richard Goldberg, president of the board of trustees, “The process with Carolyn was a dramatic success.”
Active with the BVA program since its inception in 1981, Carolyn enjoyed the high degree of difficulty and complexity of this project.
Presented by:
Technology Connectors Volunteer of the Year Award
Joseph Di Stefano, Senior Sales Consultant, Dimension Data North America
Due to Joe Di Stefano’s very active and consistent management, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society completed a strategic technology plan, even though at the midpoint a new PHS president was hired.
The completed plan, developed over six months with a fully engaged PHS team, is focused on five main areas: improving mobile connectivity for staff; leveraging and enhancing data management; establishing a Technology Team with representation across the organization to evaluate, recommend and monitor implementation of technology changes; using the website to help accomplish PHS’ goals; and advancing the technology infrastructure.
“The perception during this project,” emphasizes Joe, “may have been that I was ‘giving something back,’ when in fact it was I who received the greatest benefit, including a sense of accomplishment and the development of new friendships.”
Presented by:
PVLA Volunteer of the Year Award
Michael Fein, Esq. Member, Cozen O’Connor
Although Michael Fein has been involved with PVLA since 2000, one case last year may have been his biggest as a PVLA volunteer.
The client was Print Liberation, which used a rendering of Michael Jackson for a t-shirt – and almost immediately got sued by the late superstar’s licensing company. Given only 21 days to respond, the pair of entrepreneurs who created Print Liberation desperately turned to Michael Fein. He quickly stepped in, dealt with attorneys on the West Coast through his professional network and ultimately got the case against his defendants dismissed.
Michael’s extraordinary pro bono work saved the client what would have been $1 million in alleged copyright and publicity damages and thousands of dollars in attorney fees for bicoastal work, which included reviewing the case in Los Angeles and filing the responsive court documents there.
Presented by:
Council Volunteers of the Year Selection Criteria
The Volunteer of the Year Awards recognize active business or legal volunteers in each of five Council programs: Business On Board, Business Volunteers for the Arts, Technology Connectors, Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (PVLA) and Business On Call. These highly regarded programs create relationships between business and legal professionals with arts leaders to strengthen the management and governance of arts and cultural organizations, provide new leadership in supporting the arts and engage new advocates for the arts.
To be selected, volunteers must have:
- Performed significant activity on a Council project within the past two years
- Produced a significant and sustained impact on the organization
- Demonstrated leadership by engaging colleagues and/or tapping company resources
- Represented a best example of mutual business/arts benefits
- Not previously been honored with an Arts & Business Council award
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Photographs by Flynn Photography |