Sponsored by the Alumni Association of Princeton University

Moderator:

Stacy Wolf

Panelists:     

Alina Ziaja MacNichol ’81

Donna Joe ’86
Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Corporation for Public Broadcasting

 Stephanie Leotsakos ’16
Composer, Conductor, Soprano, Violinist; Founder, Gnotes by Stephanie, LLC

Deborah Lugo *14
Vice President of Programming and Education, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts

PANELISTS

Donna Joe ’86
Donna Joe is a corporate attorney with more than 25 years of in-house experience serving as a key thought partner and strategic adviser to boards, CEOs, senior executives and cross-functional business units. Since 2009, she has worked in the nonprofit sector for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, leading complex commercial transactions, managing compliance and procurement programs, and providing strategic legal advice on corporate governance, risk management and contracts. She is a former chair and board member of My Own Place — a nonprofit organization that provides a comprehensive range of services that support adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Stephanie Leotsakos ’16
Stephanie Leotsakos is a Colombian Greek American musician and educator. Her recent conducting engagements include the premiere of Iris Karlin’s “Yehudit” with Hebrew Union College, along with productions of Jeremy Beck’s “Black Water” with City Lyric Opera, Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” with Amore Opera and Fauré’s Requiem with the Princeton University Glee Club. As the 2024 National Opera Association’s Dominick Argento Fellow, she is pursuing a Ph.D. in composition at Rutgers University. Her original multimedia operas “OMG” and “Young Goodman Brown” have been performed in opera festivals and on concert stages nationally and internationally. A prizewinning soprano, Leotsakos has performed with Amore Opera, New York Lyric Opera Theatre and the Vermont Philharmonic Orchestra. She frequently performs both traditional and contemporary repertoire and continues to appear as a soloist and recitalist in the greater New York area. Her business, Gnotes by Stephanie, is an educational initiative developing creative resources and technologies for neurodivergent music learners.

Deborah Lugo *14
Deborah Lugo serves as the artistic lead for Houston’s Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, driving creative vision and strategy execution for programming, education and community engagement initiatives. Lugo is an established arts and education leader recognized for building exemplary institutions with a collaborative and inclusive approach. Previously, Lugo served as the founding executive director of Arts Connect Houston, where she helped build a community of more than 90 partner organizations from diverse sectors aligned in the mission of expanding equitable access to the arts for students across Houston. She also served as the executive director of Mercury Chamber Orchestra, leading the organization as it grew from a Baroque ensemble to a renowned chamber orchestra. Originally from Puerto Rico, Lugo holds a Master in Public Policy degree from Princeton University and a bachelor’s degree in violin performance from Florida International University.