Our People

Arts & Minds, Inc. is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors:

Executive Director, Carolyn Halpin-Healy (B.A. Stony Brook University, M.A. Williams College),
Ms. Halpin-Healy provides vision and leadership and is responsible for the management of Arts & Minds. She has over 20 years experience in museum education at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  Since 2008 she has produced museum programs and workshops for people with dementia and their caregivers.

President of the Board, James M. Noble, MD, MS, CPH, Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology, Department of Neurology and the Taub Institute, Columbia University Medical Center.
Dr. Noble’s clinical practice serves patients in Harlem and Washington Heights who suffer from dementia and other neurologic disorders. His scientific interests include research on the impact of non-pharmacological therapies on the lives of dementia patients and their caregivers.

Vice President of the Board, Olajide Williams, MD, MS, Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurology, Associate Director of the Department of Neurology, Harlem Hospital Center, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
In addition to being an expert in stroke research and clinical care of stroke patients, Dr. Williams is the driving force behind The Hip-Hop Public Health Education Center at Harlem Hospital.

Secretary, Shanta Scott, Manager of School, Youth, and Family Programs at The Studio Museum in Harlem
Ms. Scott facilitates partnerships with over fifteen schools annually throughout New York City, working to broaden arts education across school curricula. She also coordinates visual art-based programs for families with young children. Shanta provides training to museum educators and organizes professional development opportunities for classroom teachers and parents. She has initiated programming for special audiences at the Studio Museum, such as verbal description tours, and currently assists in the development of interpretative materials building bridges between the Museum and non-traditional art-going communities. Shanta is completing her Master’s degree in Arts and Cultural Management at Pratt Institute.

Treasurer, Monique Hedmann, MPH, Senior Project Officer for Aging Initiatives, Department of Neurology, Harlem Hospital Center.
Ms. Hedmann has designed and implemented the Walk-it-Out program and other public health initiatives to serve the Harlem community. She has served as program coordinator reaching out to many community organizations, senior care organizations, government entities and neurology care clinics to inform the community about Arts & Minds and to recruit participants.

Member and Counsel, Richard P. Kaye, Esq., Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP, NYC.
Mr. Kaye provides general legal counsel to Arts & Minds, Inc.  He is active in the representation of not-for-profits organizations and also serves on the Board of Directors of the Ronald McDonald House of the Greater Hudson Valley, at the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, New York.  Mr. Kaye is a partner in the Manhattan based law firm of Ellenoff Grossman & Schole, LLP where he leads the litigation group.

Member, Karen Bedrosian-Richardson, is the director of a boutique insurance agency specializing in ex-patriot health insurance.  Prior to that, she was the Director of Finance for PanAmSat, a telecommunications satellite operator based in Greenwich, Ct. and was earlier the Chief Financial Officer of Spanish International Communications Corporation, a Spanish language television network (now known as Univision).  She is the President of The MagneVerde Foundation, a private operating foundation based in Greenwich, Ct. and serves on the Boards of The Society of the Silurians (the nations oldest press club) and The Armenian Center at Columbia University.

Member, Berna G. Huebner, is President, Chair and Founder of the Hilgos Foundation (www.hilgos.org) in Chicago, Illinois, which supports and encourages the ongoing process of artistic creation with people who have different forms of dementia including Alzheimer’s.  She is the Co-Director and Associate Producer of I Remember Better When I Paint, a documentary that shows how the creative arts can help Alzheimer’s patients re-engage in life.  Ms. Huebner also serves on the Boston University School of Medicine Alzheimer’s Board and is Director of the Center for the Study of International Communications in Paris, France.  She is the former Research Director for Nelson Rockefeller when he was Governor of New York and then Vice President.

ADVISORY BOARD
Bringing outstanding expertise in the fields of public health, museum accessibility and education and elder care are Barry Greene, Director of Research Administration, New York Blood Center; Rebecca McGinnis, Museum Educator in charge of Access and Community Programs, The Metropolitan Museum of Art; and Amy Trommer, Independent Geriatric Care Manager and Demetia Care Educator.