Intercultural Journeys Welcomes Two New Members to the Board of Directors
Philadelphia, PA—Intercultural Journeys is pleased to welcome Renee Garcia, a Senior Counsel for PNC Bank, and Miriam Fisher Schaefer, Interim Director of Finance and Operations for Friends Central School, to the Board of Directors. Both women were elected to the Board in June 2015.
"We are thrilled to have Miriam and Renee join our Board of Directors. Miriam brings extensive non-profit financial and executive expertise and Renee legal expertise, and, both of which will undoubtedly propel IJ forward as we continue to boost our programs and audience in the Philadelphia area," said Intercultural Journeys Board Chair, Stacy Maria Dutton. "Intercultural Journeys is one of the leading organizations in Philadelphia using the arts for social change and to bridge cultural differences. The election of these two talented women is a reflection of our growth and an investment in our future."
Ms. Schaefer currently serves as Interim Director of Finance and Operations at Friends Central School in Wynnewood, PA. She previously worked at several non-profit and corporate organizations in Philadelphia. After earning her M.B.A. from Columbia University, Ms. Schaefer held finance positions with the Chemical Heritage Foundation, American Friends Service Committee, American Express, Avon Products, and The Franklin Mint.
Ms. Garcia specializes in mortgage litigation with PNC Bank and serves on PNC Bank's Legal Department Pro Bono Committee. Ms. Garcia received her J.D. from Harvard Law School where she was active with the Harvard Immigration Project, Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, Environmental Law Review, and Women’s Law Association. Prior to serving as Senior Counsel for PNC Bank, Ms. Garcia was an Associate with Hogan Lovells LLP and handled a variety of litigation and pro bono matters. She has also held positions at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, LLP, Lawyers for Children, Inc. and the Open Society Foundations' Office of General Counsel.
About Intercultural Journeys
Intercultural Journeys seeks to promote understanding in pursuit of peace amongst people of diverse faiths and cultures through dialogue and the presentation of world-class performances in music, dance, the spoken word, and other art forms. We believe that performances, done for the purpose of bringing people together that might otherwise be in conflict, give us the opportunity to play a small part in contributing to world peace.
We fulfill our mission by transforming the traditional concert series into a new model that pairs performances featuring world-class artists with a special engagement project that takes those same artists into a specific and often underserved community. We believe that education is the cornerstone of our mission. Our educational residency program, Dialogues in Music, is aimed at promoting tolerance, respect, and mutual cultural understanding in the city’s youth.
Intercultural Journeys was founded in 2002 by Philadelphia Orchestra cellist Udi Bar-David, philanthropist Carole Haas Gravagno, Majid Alsayegh, and Sheldon L. Thompson. Together they saw the role that music could play in beginning a dialogue between people that might not otherwise speak to each other. Since then, Intercultural Journeys has held over 160 concerts, partnering with a diverse roster of both local and international artists, in the metropolitan Philadelphia area, across the United States, and abroad, in countries such as China, Spain, Italy, and Israel.