GroundWorks DanceTheater’s board of directors announces the appointment of Cynthia H. Dunn as the organization’s third president. The board also welcomes four new members – Jack Alan Bialosky, Jr., Lisa Lansing, Brian Marita and Kay Shames. Other officers of the board include Jenna Snyder, Secretary and Jack Katzenmeyer, Treasurer.
Dunn is the President & CEO of Judson Services, Inc., a non-profit organization that operates four subsidiaries: Judson at University Circle, South Franklin Circle, Judson Home Care and the Judson Foundation. Collectively, the organization provides programs and services to thousands in Northeast Ohio. Dunn, who has served as CEO since 1992, has more than 30 years of experience in senior living and services. She is the recipient of the Joseph D. Pigott Leadership Award from University Circle Incorporated, the LeadingAge Ohio Leadership Award of Honor, and Northern Ohio Live Magazine’s Rainmaker Award. Dunn received her BS degree from Barat College in Lake Forest, Illinois and a Master’s Degree in Social Services Administration from Case Western Reserve University.
“Cyndy Dunn continues a succession of strong Board leadership for GroundWorks, one that is informed by her longstanding connection to and knowledge of the organization and the community it is a part of,” says GroundWorks Executive Artistic Director David Shimotakahara. “As we look toward our 20th anniversary year I am eager to work with Cyndy in helping the company aspire to its next level of development and the start of our next decade of creativity. I am excited to be able to add to GroundWorks impetus, the energy and expertise of such strong new Board members as Jack Bialosky, Brian Marita, Lisa Lansing and Kay Shames. Their input will be invaluable.”
Dunn succeeds Denise San Antonio Zeman, retired President & CEO of St. Luke’s Foundation, as board president. Zeman steps down from the board after four years as president and will continue to serve as a director.
Jack Alan Bialosky, Jr. is Senior Principal & Managing Partner at Bialosky + Partners Architects, an AIA Ohio Gold Medal Firm. In his former life on the East Coast, Bialosky worked in the US Embassy in Bangladesh and taught at the Boston Architectural Center and the Graduate School of Design at Harvard. He was a Celebrity Dancer in GroundWorks’ It Takes Two Benefit in 2015.
Lisa Lansing is Owner and Master Trainer & Educator of the GYRONTONIC EXPANSION SYSTEM. She has been teaching movement and dance for more than 30 years, traveling around the world updating her Master Level requirements or sharing her knowledge of movement, anatomy and kinesiology. Lansing previously owned Pilates Mom, a regional award-winning Pilates program for pre- and post-natal women in Cleveland.
Brian Marita is the Managing Partner at Ciuni & Panichi, Inc., a Beachwood-based firm which provides financial services to industries including mining, manufacturing, construction, non-profit organizations, government, real estate and retail. A Cleveland native, Marita attended John Carroll University and is a 2014 Leadership Cleveland graduate. He was a Celebrity Dancer in GroundWorks’ It Takes Two Benefit in 2016.
Kay W. Shames is the Founding Director of The Center for Arts and Innovation at Cleveland State University. She supervises the Cleveland Arts Education Consortium, in residence at CSU, which is comprised of over 80 community cultural groups who come together for professional development, advocacy for arts education, and undertake collaborative research projects. A native Clevelander, Shames is also the Director of CSU’s new Arts and Humanities Alive! Festival.