Board of Trustees

Maria Pham - Board Chair

Maria Pham is a Director and Deputy Head of Regulatory Affairs for the Americas at MUFG overseeing the execution of regulatory examinations and day-to-day engagement with the firm’s banking regulators.  Prior to joining MUFG, she held roles in the Advisory practices at PwC and Deloitte, where she provided forensic accounting, financial advisory, and litigation consulting services to complex global clients.  She received a B.A. in Political Science from Barnard College.  As a longtime Brooklyn resident, Maria has a strong commitment to stewardship and continuing the mission of BMS to provide high-quality, accessible, and affordable performing arts education to the Brooklyn and greater NYC community. She is the proud parent of a BMS student.

Mark Braithwaite, D.D.S., M.A. - Vice Board Chair

Mark is the former Chief, Dental and Oral Medicine, at VA Connecticut Healthcare System, where he specialized in periodontology and implant dentistry for the Department of Veteran Affairs.  

He has held numerous positions in public service and private practice within the dental profession, including service at Harlem Hospital, Loyola University of Chicago Medical Center, and Cardinal Bernadin Cancer Center and as Chief of Dental and Oral Medicine for the Department of Veteran Affairs, Connecticut Healthcare System.  He has received grant funding for post-doctoral research in cellular and molecular biology, to study oncology and periodontal disease in oral health.  Mark is also an alumnus of the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

Mark has had a lifelong interest in jazz music and its history, having been a disc jockey for jazz programming at WKCR FM radio in New York City while attending Columbia University.  He is currently studying saxophone at BMS and contributing his jazz muse as a senior member of the BMS Jazz Orchestra.

Chuck Swartz - Treasurer

Chuck is the Vice President at Rothschild & Co. A life-long music enthusiast, Chuck studied guitar and drums at Tulane University, while pursuing a degree in Finance and Business Administration.  Chuck believes discovering new music to be his most rewarding pastime.  He is honored to be a part of the Brooklyn Music School, helping others to realize the far-reaching benefits of music education.

JEFFREY Tannenbaum - secretary

Jeffrey Tannenbaum has been a Trustee of Brooklyn Music School since 2006 and served as Board Chair from 2014 to 2016 and Vice Chair from 2016 to 2019. He is currently a General Manager at Tanner Bolt & Nut - A GMS Company, based in Brooklyn.

Daniela Bauer

Daniela Bauer is a music therapist and professional musician.  She is a Berklee College of Music alumni and has held a long-standing position as a music therapist and child life specialist for the Child Life Department at the Maimonides Children and Infant’s Hospital of Brooklyn. Daniela serves children and families facing chronic and life-threatening illnesses by providing coping support through music, therapy, and play, and additionally teaches young children about their illnesses and treatments. Daniela is a singer, songwriter, guitar, and bass player for various bands based in NYC. She has toured extensively as a background singer in the USA and Europe. Daniela is a student at BMS studying classical guitar privately and has played bass in the Motown ensemble. Daniela’s son is a student of a drum ensemble at BMS.

Zach Kouwe

Zach Kouwe is an Executive Vice President at Dukas Linden Public Relations (DLPR), where he co-heads the agency’s asset management practice and provides strategic communications counsel to financial and professional services firms. He joined DLPR in 2011 after nearly a decade as a financial journalist, most recently for The New York Times and the New York Post. He has also written for The Denver Post, The Wall Street Journal and other publications.

Zach lives in Brooklyn with his wife and daughter. All three are music lovers and attend concerts and performances around the country including an annual trip to the Newport Folk Festival. He holds a B.S. in Economics from Hamilton College and an M.A. in Journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Zach also serves on the board of the New York Financial Writers Association. You can follow him @zkouwe on Twitter.

François Leininger

François Leininger studied architecture in Paris (Paris-Malaquais), Mexico City (UNAM), and in the USA (Princeton). From 2000 to 2011, François worked for Pritzker Prize architect Jean Nouvel, developing the firm’s New York projects, including 40 Mercer in Soho, 100 Eleventh Avenue in Chelsea, the MoMA Tower, and Jane’s Carousel in Brooklyn. From 2014 to 2019, François was co-founder of Paris-based Post-Office Architectes. The studio designed several projects big and small, including 30 Warren, a ground-up residential condominium located in Tribeca. Francois works as a designer and consultant on various projects in New York and abroad. He lives in Fort Greene with his wife and two children. Their daughter studies piano at BMS.

Artist Advisory Board

Brooklyn Music School’s vision is: “To make it possible for everyone, regardless of their background and resources, to be able to experience the joy of music and the artistic and intellectual benefits of musical performance."

In order to remain relevant, BMS needs to continually raise the bar of the quality and the breadth of the offerings it provides and find new ways to bring the excitement of artistic discovery to the next generation. These Advisory Board members have generously agreed to contribute their time and wise counsel to moving BMS forward.

Our Advisory Board plays a key role in helping BMS to continually enrich our educational and artistic offerings, improve our pedagogical approach, increase our visibility in the community, and refine our strategy.

Our Advisory members include:

  • Mark Kelley

  • DJ Logic

  • Vernon Reid

  • Nels Cline

  • Emanuel Casablanca

  • Gordon Chambers

  • Daniela Bauer