New Rochelle Council on the Arts Welcomes New Board Members

Maddali Paci Atallah, Karen Keller Selman and Candice Sanchez McFarland are the newest members of the Board of the New Rochelle Council on the Arts (NRCA).

"We are excited to add new Board members who bring a diversity of talent, persepctive and experience to the Board," says Theresa Kump Leghorn, President of NRCA.

Created by the New Rochelle City Council in 1975 to stimulate and encourage the study and presentation of the performing and fine arts, for 46 years NRCA has worked to fulfill that mission by sponsoring art exhibitions, public art, theatrical productions, dance recitals, film screenings, lectures, and concert series as well as signature events like the Summer Sounds Concert Series at Hudson Park and ArtsFest. NRCA has also contributed to the city’s public art, with murals – including the NRNY Murals created in 2019 -- and sculpture, as well as the Pop-Up Libraries. In addition, NRCA has facilitated collaboration among arts organizations, and helped build relationships between the arts, the business community and city government. For more information visit NRCA on the web at www.newrochellearts.org.

Maddali Paci Atallah has a resume that combines technology and the arts with volunteerism. Fluent in Italian, French and Spanish, she holds an MS and a BS in Applied Mathematics from the Universita di Genova and an MS in Computer Science from the Stevens Institute of Technology, where she also taught as an Adjunct Instructor; currently Maddali serves as Chief Technology Officer for SBI Consultants. But she is also a jewelry designer who has had her own studio since 2005, and she recently received her certificate in Landscape Design from the New York Botanical Garden. She works as a Landscape Designer for MP Landscapes. Maddali has been active in the New Rochelle Schools, serving as a member of the Board of Education and a Board member of the Westchester Putnam School Board Association.

Candice Sanchez McFarland is an award-winning writer and producer. She currently oversees Creative Direction + Cultural Strategy at Cinereach, known for films such as Beasts of the Southern Wild, The Florida Project, Sorry to Bother You and 2020 breakout hits, Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always and The Assistant. As a screenwriter, Candice has received various awards at film festivals -- most notably, The Tribeca Film Festival for the screenplay “$FREE.99” which is currently in development with co-writer, Pete Chatmon, slated for a 2023 release. Candice began her career in advertising at Omnicom Entertainment Group, where she developed, wrote and produced original content for blue chip brands including Visa, McDonald’s and Pepsi and produced branded programming for MTV, NBC and HBO. Candice is a graduate of Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, with a dual degree in Marketing and Management, and concentration in Dramatic Studies. She resides in New Rochelle with her husband and three children.

Karen Keller Selman is a longtime community volunteer with a background in professional services. She holds a BA in Economics from Tufts and an MBA from NYU's Stern School of Business, and spent the bulk of her financial career at Deutsche Bank, serving as Vice President, Product Specialist until 2002. Karen has been active in New Rochelle's schools since 2003, serving as a class parent, Board of Education representative, and a member of the Board of the NRHS PTA as well as the PTA Council. She was active as a Board Member and Coach for Youth Soccer New Rochelle from 2008 to 2012, and coordinated the New Rochelle Fund for Excellence's Carnegie Hall concert in 2015. She is an Alumni Interviewer for Tufts University Alumni Network.

NRCA's current Board of Directors includes President Theresa Kump Leghorn, Vice Presidents Lynn Green and Melissa Panszi Riebe, Treasurer Billie Tucker, Recording Secretary Margaret Chadwick, Corresponding Secretary David Patterson, Barbara Bock, Nick Carter, Leslie Demus, Monica Deane, Selena Evans, Charles Fazzino, Beth Feldman, Anthony Paolercio, Linda Tarrant-Reid and Ken Valenti. NRCA's Board of Advisors includes Terri Prettyman Bowles, Michael Dandry, Linda Kelly Fauci, Lynn Honeysett, Jesse Sanchez, Leah Sills, Angela Derecas Taylor, Judith Weber, Beth Willensky, Eric Woodlin and Bill Zimmerman. Thea Eichler is NRCA's Founding Member Emeritus.