Danforth Volunteer Leadership

Ellie Anbinder has always had an inquisitive and questioning part to her DNA; she always asks questions about the “non-obvious” in life and as she has lived her life, has had multiple careers which centered around asking the hard questions and working toward answers to those questions.

In the 80’s she grew a networking referral company in the New England area; the company was actually the first networking company in the New England area.

When Ellie was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1991, her question was always: “why did I get this disease?”  Since no one seemed to be able to answer the question she founded a non-profit to fund research the links between breast cancer and the environment.  This mission was unique at the time and set into motion a new way of thinking about breast cancer.

The theme of finding out and asking question about untouched topics again arose for Ellie when she became the frontline caregiver for her husband who was suffering from Alzheimer’s.  She noticed and lived through the loneliness and isolation of being a caregiver and started a consulting practice which provides a safe place for caregivers to discuss their questions and find resources to navigate through the difficult dementia process which affects not just the health of the patient but impacts the caregiver dramatically.  Caregiver-Wellbeing is this new mission.

Ellie has always been very interested in art and architecture; and took her daughters to all the museums in Boston as they were growing up.  When the Danforth Museum opened, it was a lovely new resource in Framingham which she frequented and supported happily.  The privilege of seeing and learning about art was a hobby and one that brought great job to Ellie’s leisure time.

Barry has spent a career in development, working with non-profit organizations throughout the country, but primarily in the Boston area.  Following graduate school, he spent two years with Ketchum, Inc., a company specializing in in-residence capital campaign direction serving various clients that included hospitals, YMCAs, and even a city mission.  Returning to Boston, he became Director of Development and Section Head for the Museum of Science, launching their $20,000,000 expansion campaign for the new wing and Mugar Omni Theater.

More recently, Burlingham spent over a decade raising funds for Derby Academy in Hingham, Learning Prep, a special needs school in Newton, and two social service organizations in Boston, FriendshipWorks and EMPath.  Barry received his A.B. degree in English Literature from the University of Lancaster in the UK and a masters in Administration, Planning and Social Policy from Harvard.

Michael P. Cannon is Principal and Managing Director of Private Client Group Companies, a recognized leader in commercial finance, energy solutions, and payments-focused financial technologies. He oversees the firm’s global Private Client Capital Partners business in North America and Europe, and Private Client Payments Group in the United States.

Mr. Cannon was previously Senior Vice President of the U.S. payments partnership of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the world’s leading breast cancer organization. Then known as Every Swipe Counts, Mr. Cannon oversaw the national leadership teams. During his tenure, the company (now part of WorldPay/FIS – NYSE: FIS), qualified for its debut on the Inc. 500 list of America’s fastest-growing private companies, at #11.

Previously, Mr. Cannon was an executive for Heartland (now a division of Global Payments – NYSE: GPN), a provider of payments solutions and financial technologies to a diverse constituency. Mr. Cannon held several leadership roles and was most recently responsible for the company’s New England business development strategy and 120+ person sales infrastructure. Mr. Cannon was involved with the launch of a “bill of rights”-like public advocacy initiative that educated business owners about fair practices in that sector of financial services.

Mr. Cannon also held various business development roles at several of the nation’s largest media companies. Early in his career, Mr. Cannon served as a broadcast news and programming producer and was a freelance reporter and producer for ABC News Radio, CBS News Radio and the BBC.

Outside of business, Mr. Cannon is in his third term as an elected member of the Framingham, Massachusetts City Council; a role he has held since the Town of Framingham became a city on January 1, 2018. Councilor Cannon currently serves as Chair of the City Council’s Economic Development and Housing Subcommittee, Vice Chair of the Finance Subcommittee, and is a member of the Planning & Zoning Subcommittee. Councilor Cannon is also actively involved in issues and organizations which focus on supporting small business, broader economic development, seniors, veterans, the arts, animal welfare, education, as well as food insecurity and hunger.

Mr. Cannon served for several years as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in New England; a member of the Museum Council Steering Committee of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; and has been actively involved with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, as well as countless other local organizations supporting his community.

Gary Christelis is a Boston area corporate transactional attorney, businessman, and angel investor with extensive legal and commercial management and operational experience with a focus on startups and emerging high-tech companies. He is an accomplished leader in building successful teams, scaling companies, managing risks, and addressing complex business and legal transactions, with experience in both domestic and international matters. In addition to serving as a trustee and officer of the Danforth Art Alliance, which supports the Danforth Art Center, he is a trustee and President on the board of The Wayside Inn Foundation which owns and operates The Wayside Inn Historic Site in Sudbury, Massachusetts. Mr. Christelis was one of the principal architects of the merger of the Danforth Museum and School into Framingham State University in 2017 working directly with the leadership team at Framingham State University. He lives in Sudbury with his wife Doris, and two sons.

Katherine J. Eyre is a graduate of Wheaton College in Norton, MA.  She spent her junior year at Williams College.  She completed her Master’s in Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA and had a 40-year career as a clinical social worker where she saw individuals (including college students) and couples as a senior member of Colony Care Behavioral Health in Wellesley, MA, retiring in 2020.  Kate was a founding board member of The Divorce Center in Natick, MA, an educational resource for couples contemplating divorce.

Robert C. Eyre, M.D. is a graduate of Williams College and the University of Virginia School of Medicine.  He was Chief of Urology at several hospitals affiliated with Harvard Medical School, retiring from active practice in 2019.  He remains a corresponding member of the faculty at Harvard Medical School.  He currently serves on the part-time staff at the Boston Veteran’s Administration Hospital system.  He is an elected member of the Board of Health in Wayland, MA.

A lifelong educator, Dr. Diane Finch was the director of counseling for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, Maryland, and an assistant professor at Loyola University of Maryland. Currently, she is an adjunct professor at Rogers Williams University.

A licensed clinical counselor, Diane has treated clients with alcohol and drug addictions and patients with severe mental illness as well as providing Pro Bono counseling services through the Maryland Pro Bono Counseling Project. Her research focused on the post-deployment adjustment of wounded warriors of the Afghanistan and Iraqi Wars. In addition, she served as the Senior Research Associate for the American Heart Association Study on Anxiety Burden among patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillator at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

As the wife of a career Navy officer, Diane was President of the Naval Officers Wives organization and the Navy Judge Advocate General Wives organization and a representative on the Joint Chiefs of Staff Wives Committee. Diane has lived in multiple states on the West and East Coasts and in Naples, Italy. Before moving to Rhode Island, Diane spent one year living and working with Lakota Sioux middle school girls in South Dakota.

Compassionate and outgoing, Diane is a welcome addition to the Danforth Advisory Board.

Noelle received a B.A. in Fine Arts from St. Lawrence University and a M.Ed. from Lesley University. In addition to Danforth, she has been on the faculty at the De Cordova Sculpture Park and Museum, the Fitchburg Art Museum, and the Umbrella Community Arts Center in Concord. She was selected as Artist-in-Residence for a yearlong study of sculpture, and has also designed and presented a series of professional development seminars on sculpture and art education. Since 2016, Noelle has overseen the relocation of the school, as well as the integration of Danforth with Framingham State University. Noelle enjoys creating art, but her primary vocation is in providing exceptional art classes for all ages.

Betty’s love of art is as unbounded as her pride in the people of Framingham,  Town Meeting, Framingham State University, the Danforth Corporation, Inc., and  Massachusetts State Government, all of whom worked together to create and make the Danforth Art Museum at Framingham State University.   It has been an incredible experience to be part of assuring access to art and art education in the beautifully restored, and historic Jonathan Maynard Building on the Framingham Common.

Betty is a founder and past President and CEO of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Corporations of Massachusetts, a past active member and Board Chair of the Washington based National Council for Behavioral Health, and past Executive Director of the Framingham Youth Guidance Center.  Her broad community board experiences have generated wisdom that moderates fear of change. She is very comfortable with well thought out strategies for change and believes strongly that the community can be expanded and mobilized to support expansion of fundraising and volunteerism for the Danforth Art Museum.  Betty notes that community boards like Danforth Art Alliance, while geared to protect the educational, social, and cultural products of art, are equally committed to protecting the financial base that is essential to survival.

Ms. Funk has an MBA from the Simmons College Graduate School of Management and continues to live in Framingham with her ever growing family.

Dr. Kristen Porter-Utley is Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Framingham State University.  As an administrator in higher education she strives to empower and help faculty and staff members find new ways to support student success, locate essential resources for important work, and launch and sustain programs which truly make a difference for all students.  Dr. Porter-Utley holds a BS, MS, and PhD in fields related to botanical sciences from the University of Florida, Gainesville, and is a member of President Niemi’s leadership team at Framingham State.

Jessica joined the Danforth Art Museum in 2011, was appointed Curator in 2015, and Director in 2020. Selected exhibitions include Barbara Swan: Reflected Self, The Memory Palace: Domesticity, Objects, and the Interior, Beautiful Decay, Dressed, Family Circle, and Lois Tarlow: Material Vocabulary. Jessica has held positions at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C., and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She has taught courses at Emerson College and Suffolk University, has served as a juror for regional and national exhibitions, and is a regular contributor to Aspect Initiative, an online gallery focusing on contemporary photography in New England. Jessica has an MA in Art History from the University at Buffalo and a Ph.D. in American Studies, with a focus on the History of Photography, from Boston University.

Halcyon Mancuso is a former professor of writing with Framingham State’s English Department (2000 – 2021).  She currently serves as mentor for the 8-student cohorts of Mancuso Scholars and is the Executive Director of the Mancuso Humanities Workforce Preparation Center.  In 2019, she launched The Mancuso Humanities Scholarships at FSU.  Two recipients, one of whom is always an English major, receive scholarships covering all tuition, fees, room, and board for all four years, but recipients must meet certain scholarship requirements, including following a 4-year career readiness preparation plan, to have their scholarships renewed each year.

The Mancuso Humanities Workforce Preparation Center (MHWPC), launched in 2020, is a new resource to promote the benefits of a humanities education and to help FSU Arts and Humanities students become career ready.    The Center is funded through an annual donation from Professor Mancuso, who also serves as its executive director. It was created to serve three constituencies: current and prospective arts and humanities students and their families; University arts and humanities faculty; and regional employers.  In 2018, Professor Mancuso launched the Mancuso Artist Purchase Awards Program designed to support the University’s student artists by establishing market value for their artwork and to help the University build a collection of alumni artworks.  The purchasing program allows senior studio art majors to sell their portfolio work during their senior shows in the University’s Mazmanian Gallery.   The purchased artwork, while it remains the property of Mancuso, is hung throughout the University, along with artist plaques.

Finally, along with FSU Fashion Design faculty, Professor Mancuso manages the annual FSU Mancuso Fashion Awards Program, established in 2022,  at the Danforth Museum through which four senior fashion design students each receive a $1,000 prize in four categories. Inspired by works that the students have viewed at the Museum during the academic year, the Danforth is pleased to annually showcase the talent of FSU’s Fashion and Design students in its Fashion in Bloom show.

Dr. Kurt T. Steinberg is the Chief Operating Officer of the Peabody Essex Museum.  Most recently he served as the 8th President of Montserrat College of Art in Beverly, MA, on Boston’s North Shore.  This followed 12 years as Executive Vice President and Acting President at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Dr. Steinberg’s focus has been to promote the ideas of a creative life; a mutual commitment made between the college, its students and its alumni to a lifelong relationship of helping artists, designers and artist educators achieve their creative goals. He strongly believes in fostering the diversity of creating traditions as a way to challenge both students and faculty to expand their social and global awareness. In support of these ideas, he has focused on the expansion of Montserrat’s presence internationally and nationally through affiliations in China, Bahamas, Japan, India, the New World in Miami, FL and NOCCA in New Orleans, LA.

An authority in collegiate operations, Dr. Steinberg has delivered guest lectures on higher education finance, urban planning and social justice. He has lectured on the power of innovation and design through art education in China, Japan, India as well as throughout the United States. He has participated in site visits for the New England Council on Higher Education (NECHE), the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) and the National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD). He serves on the board of the North Shore Chamber of Commerce, the North Shore Alliance for Economic Development, the St. Botolph Club Foundation and is a Nominator for the Boston Foundation/Brother Thomas Fellowship. He was elected to serve as Treasurer and Executive Committee Member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design in 2019. Most recently, Kurt became a Commissioner of the Essex National Heritage Commission.

Dr. Steinberg is an Honorary Trustee of the Danforth Art Alliance after serving as Trustee and Treasurer of the Danforth Museum and School.  He was recently invited to be a reviewer by the Iceland Ministry of Education.

David Weinberg received his B.A. from Temple University in 1971, and M.D. and Ph.D. degrees in 1977 from New York University School of Medicine.  Following his residency and research fellowship, Dr. Weinberg served as a staff pathologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Associate Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School.

Upon retiring from a thirty-year career in academic medicine, David pursued a second career, completing a certificate program in professional photography at Boston University in 2006. He has exhibited his fine art photography in galleries in New York City and Boston, and has participated in many national juried shows. David is a resident of Brookline, MA.

Since graduating from college, Evelyn Wolfson has been teaching and writing about the environment, history, and Native American life. While raising two children, Mrs. Wolfson taught ecology and Indian lore to students and teachers at an environmental education center in Massachusetts. She also conducted teacher in-service training in Massachusetts schools. For the past thirty years she has been a teaching specialist in Native American culture in public schools throughout Massachusetts.

Mrs. Wolfson is the author of thirteen books for children, two for adults, and co-authored a textbook on environmental education. She contributed to an anthology of women adventurers and writes for both newspapers and magazines.