Thérèse Esperdy
Heartbeat Opera

Thérèse Esperdy has spent more than three decades in investment banking, including senior leadership roles at JPMorgan, and she now serves on the boards of several major corporations, including Moody’s Corporation. A longtime champion of the arts, she chairs the board of Heartbeat Opera and sits on OPERA America’s Trustee Council.

Cathy Remson Lazarus
Opera San José

Cathy Remson Lazarus is a retired public administrator, civic leader, and arts advocate who has served the communities of Santa Clara County, California, for more than 35 years. She joined the Opera San José board in 2020 and has served as board president for the past three years, helping update the company’s bylaws and participating in the development of its first strategic plan.

Laurie Nelson Randlett
Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera

After a 30-year career as a legislative advocate at the California Legislature, Laurie Nelson Randlett joined the board of the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera in 2013 during a period of crisis for the company and later became board president, helping steer the organization through the pandemic to a far stronger financial and civic position.

Robyn Marie Lamp
Amelia Island Opera

Robyn Marie Lamp, a soprano and arts administrator, co-founded Amelia Island Opera in 2021 and serves as secretary of its board. She has helped guide the company from a fledgling startup into one of the region’s leading performing arts organizations, supporting its growth in programming, fundraising, audience development, and community engagement.

Sylvia Neil
Lyric Opera of Chicago

Sylvia Neil made history as Lyric Opera of Chicago’s first female board chair, steering the company through pandemic recovery with a five-year plan that resulted in financial stability, record fundraising, and sold-out audiences. In addition, she led the search that resulted in the hiring of General Director John Mangum. A lecturer in law at the University of Chicago, she also serves on the boards of the Art Institute of Chicago and OPERA America.

Richard Rees
Vancouver Opera
(Association for Opera in Canada Honoree)

Richard Rees joined Vancouver Opera’s board in 2017 after a 27-year career at the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of BC and Yukon. He rose to board chair in 2020, guiding the company through the pandemic, and now chairs the Vancouver Opera Foundation board, where he works to ensure the company’s fiscal viability.