Michelle Cave

FOUNDER AND PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Michelle Cave is the founder and director of Ballet and Beyond NYC, a nonprofit organization with the mission to provide high quality ballet training for any child in NYC who has the passion for dance. Michelle is also a teacher in both the Pre-Professional Program and the Conservatory Program at Steps on Broadway in New York City. Born in California, Michelle received her early ballet training at the Sacramento Ballet School, was awarded summer scholarships to the San Francisco Ballet School, and attended the Royal Ballet Upper School in London. As a professional, she performed with Sacramento Ballet, Western Ballet, Ballet Internationale, New Jersey Ballet, and Classics Dance Theatre, among other companies, and as a guest artist in Seattle, Washington. She is certified in the ABT National Curriculum Training from Primary through Level 3.

Michelle’s academic work culminated in a BA in International Relations, an MA in International Policy and an MBA, all from Stanford University, and she worked for more than ten years as a fixed income research analyst on Wall Street. Michelle has taught ballet to children and adults for more than 30 years, and in 2016 Michelle founded Ballet and Beyond NYC with the goal of making high quality training and performing opportunities available to any child, who is drawn to ballet, regardless of their family’s financial situation. 

Board of Directors

Michelle Cave, Chair
Director, Ballet and Beyond NYC

Edward Marrinan, Treasurer
Executive Director, SMBC Nikko Securities

Clarke Harned, Secretary
Account Strategist, Google

Directors at Large

Martha Cooper
Joyce Theater, Marketing Director
Independent Marketing Consultant for Arts Organizations, retired

Melissa Gerstein
Founder, The MOMS

Deb Lifshey, Esq.
Managing Director, Pearl Meyer

Susan Macaluso
Community Arts Consultant, Retired

Barbara Shelly
Artist

Carlton Terrence Taylor Jr.
Musical Theater Performer and Educator

Martha Cooper, Director at Large

Martha Cooper is an arts marketing consultant with more than twenty years experience in the nonprofit sector. As the Director of Marketing at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, she led marketing efforts for such artistically diverse programs as Great Performers, American Songbook, Lincoln Center Festival and Mostly Mozart.  Her experience also includes Director of Marketing positions at The Joyce Theater, American Ballet Theatre, and The Performing Arts Center at Purchase College. As a consultant, Cooper draws on her expertise to help organizations articulate their brand, develop strategic marketing plans, and reach their revenue goals. 

Ms. Cooper is a member of the Board of Directors of Ballet & Beyond NYC and Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo and was an adjunct Marketing professor in New York University’s Masters in Performing Arts Administration program. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Connecticut and a Doctorate in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Melissa Gerstein, Director at Large

Melissa Musen Gerstein is a results-driven C-Suite executive and the co-founder of the multi-media company, The MOMS Network. Prior to The Moms, she was a founding partner in the company, Moms & The City, LLC. Gerstein, along with NBC, created, hosted and produced the television series Moms & The City and a Dad Named David. In addition to Gerstein’s executive positions, she spent the past ten years producing and creating broadcast television shows at the networks including, ABC, CBS, MNSBC, CNBC and CNN. She has produced for Anderson Cooper’s Show and most recently The Big Idea at CNBC. Gerstein moved to Toronto for a year to launch and produce Canadian Idol, the number one rated show in Canadian history. 

As Co-Founder of The MOMS, Melissa created the first ever mom-focused town hall series called Mamarazzi. The ever-popular Mamarazzi® events provide influential moms and media with access to celebrities in a town-hall discussion while partnering with top consumer brands. Gerstein attended New York University where she graduated with honors from The Gallatin School. She has sat on many Boards including Concerts in Motion. She has performed in such productions as The Nutcracker and The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Gerstein is widely recognized as an innovative industry and philanthropic leader, coach and mentor. Gerstein resides in New York City with her husband and three children.  

Clarke Harned, Secretary

Clarke has over 6 years experience working as a consultant and operations lead in the technology industry. In his current role as Operations Manager at Google, Clarke consults on various projects across Google Search. He works to bridge knowledge between Google's users/ partners and internal product teams. He helps to define business opportunities, product gaps, and long-term strategies to influence the direction and priority of technical product features.

Clarke is also currently pursuing an M.Sc. in Sustainability Management from Columbia University, specializing in Corporate Sustainability Reporting and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accounting. As a consultant, he has advised on measuring, creating, and implementing GHG reduction strategies, and educated stakeholders on how to measure GreenHouse Gas (GHG) Scope 3 emissions.

Deb Lifshey, Esq., Director At Large

I have known Michelle since our daughters were in pre-school together at the Westside Y. From its inception, I observed Michelle grow BB in incredible ways. I have wanted to contribute to her efforts in some format for years. In my earlier years practicing law I was involved with Volunteer Lawyer for the Arts completing 501(c)(3) applications, but was not able to immerse myself given time constraints of working and parenting young children.

As a mom of two now grown daughters who danced at School of American Ballet, Alvin Ailey, Manhattan Youth Ballet and a variety of other pre-professional schools for 17 years, I have been immersed in the world of dance as a parent and as a keen observer of the training process. Both of my girls have interned for BB over the years as well.

The vast divide between the haves and have nots in NYC is obvious on so many fronts, and especially in the world of the arts. I’m so proud of Michelle for all she has accomplished and would love to be a part of growing this mission and all the doors it opens for kids in our city.

Susan Macaluso, Director At Large

Susan Macaluso brings a diverse career in performing arts, public relations, marketing and social services to Ballet and Beyond NYC. Most recently she was the Director of Community Arts at Goddard Riverside where she launched and created the program in 2012. During her tenure she grew the capacity of the community arts program to hundreds of performances, rehearsals and classes each year, as well as instituted the summer Performing Arts Conservatory, Performing Arts Saturdays, and Goddard Opera Kids.

For many years, Susan was an independent producer and event planner, creating dozens of videos on social justice issues and multi-media presentations for corporate training and fundraising events. She founded two not-for-profit organizations, Imaginations Unlimited which was dedicated to providing interactive, bi-lingual theater to youth, and Dance Medicine Education Fund which provided specialized information for the dance community. In collaboration with NYC Ballet’s orthopedic surgeon, Dr. William Hamilton, she produced dance medicine videos that were widely distributed to colleges and physical therapy practices.

Susan graduated with a BA in English and Italian, and an MA in Criminal Justice Studies, both from Indiana University.

Edward B. Marrinan, Treasurer

Edward Marrinan serves as macro strategist for SMBC Nikko Securities where he formulates strategic views and trading recommendations across the global credit markets. Mr. Marrinan has extensive engagement with institutional investors and the financial media and also edits strategy publications that are distributed to the firm’s clients around the world.

Mr. Marrinan graduated from Union College with a Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics and holds an MBA-Finance from New York University. He currently resides in Bronxville, New York, with his wife Holly and two children, Ted and Krissy. Mr. Marrinan is actively involved in a range of community and philanthropic activities locally in the New York metro area and in Southern Vermont, including the Bronxville School, St. Joseph’s Parish, Regis High School, Union College, Ballet and Beyond NYC, Grace Cottage Hospital, The Stone Trust and the West Townshend Community Association, among others.

Barbara Shelly, Director at Large

Barbara Shelly is a dancer, designer, and artist who studied fashion design at FIT. As an artist, she paints images of people in current events that inspire her through their actions, activities, or "look." As a dancer she understands the transformative power of discipline and hard work. Barbara started painting about the same time Ballet and Beyond NYC was conceived, and she uses her art to bring attention and support to Ballet and Beyond NYC.  For example, she curates an annual women's art show for Women's History/Art Month, WHAM at the GRCC Bernie Wohl Center.  

Barbara is a founding member of Artspeak Collective, a group of artists that produces virtual events supporting nonprofits through art sales.

Carlton Terrence Taylor Jr., Musical Theater Performer and Educator