Meet the CSMA Trustees
FRANCISCO “CISCO” PALER-LARGE – President
In addition to being a musician in his free time, Cisco brings a wealth of experience to the CSMA board. He studied Theatre Arts at SUNY Oneonta and earned a masters of Social Work from Binghamton University. Through his career, he has taught theater and English at Binghamton High School, acted as assistant principal at Union Endicott High School, Principal of Trumansburg Middle School, worked with incarcerated individuals at Elmira Correctional Facility, homeless populations at the Ithaca Rescue Mission, with youth services with Tompkins County Youth Services where he served as a coordinator of youth services and served as the Safe Harbor coordinator for Tompkins County, in which he was tasked to coordinate efforts to serve Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth. Francisco then went on to serve as the Director of Hard to Place Services at the William George Agency, a residential treatment facility for youth. Francisco returned to education to serve as the principal of George Junior Republic working with adjudicated youth and youth placed by counties across New York State. After his tenure at George Junior, Francisco transitioned to a position as a behavior specialist for the mid-state regional partnership center serving K-12 schools in the region.
PATRICIA BREAULT BORG – Vice President, Development Chair
Though her day job is in healthcare finance and information systems, Tricia Borg has been involved in visual and performing arts education for decades, initially as a parent and homeschool group organizer. In recent years she has launched her own arts adventure, as a hand bookbinder and mixed media artist.
JACKIE BARRETT – Secretary
Jackie started her career in performing arts, where she worked on over 50 professional theatrical productions, primarily leading backstage teams. After earning her Masters of Business Administration from Cornell, she worked in corporate HR for several years before returning to Cornell, where she works as the Associate Director of Leadership Programs for the Johnson Graduate School of Management. In this role, Jackie designs and manages programs which allow students to develop their leadership skills through both classroom and experiential learning. Jackie is also an amateur potter and loves to experiment on the wheel and experience the magic of glaze combinations.
MIRIAM NUSSBAUM – Treasurer
Miriam is an accountant and avid amateur flutist, who works at the Sciarabba Walker & Co. accounting firm in Ithaca. She received an MS in Accounting from Binghamton University, and additionally holds degrees from Cornell and MIT. She grew up in Ithaca and is an alumna of several CSMA programs, including the Ithaca Children’s Choir, Star Search, Recorder Ensemble, and Gertrude Vrabel’s German classes.
JARI POULIN – Trustee, Programming & Exhibits Chair
Jari Poulin has spent her entire career in the arts, first in the world of dance and currently as a visual artist and educator. She was the founding director of the Conservatory Dance Ensemble in Jamestown NY, a 501c3 and went on a decade later to found Humble Pie Performing Arts School in Bradford. PA where she employed 16 instructors in arts ranging from instrumental and vocal music, dance, musical theater, martial arts, creative writing and gymnastics.
In the late 90’s she relocated to Boston and became the Executive Director of Topf Center for Dance Education and then Springstep Center for Traditional and Contemporary Arts. During her tenure there, she raised awareness and support of the importance of dance education in the public schools, was a graduate of the Lead Boston program administered by the National Conference for Community and Justice, and raised generous funds to support the arts.
Ms. Poulin served as a consultant for non-profit art organizations through her firm, Jari Poulin Consulting, LLC and worked with many important organizations in Boston including the Boston Schoolyard Initiative and the Ten Point Coalition.
For the past 15 years, Ms. Poulin has resided in Ithaca, NY and is a full time visual artist and educator conducting workshops nationally. She has served on the boards of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra and the Ink Shop Printmaking Center.
MANUELA AMZALLAG – Trustee
Born in California of French parents, I was raised in Zurich, New York City and Paris. My vacations were spent in Morocco, Switzerland and Cape Cod, Mass each year. Ballet, modern dance, photography were my creative anchors throughout a life in frequent motion. After a strict education in French schools, I could not wait to return to the United States for college at Sarah Lawrence College, where the basis of education was centered around creative critical thinking rather than rote memorization. Dance and Theater Arts, Arts History and Russian were my main concentrations. Steeped in the arts throughout my life, I integrated my layered cultural background and travel into my work as a Fashion Editor at Mademeoiselle magazine and other publications as a freelance editor. After a glamorous life in cities, I am happily settled in Ithaca, NY since 2004 pursuing my passion for photography and supporting the arts as they supported me throughout my life.
LEON HOLDEN – Trustee
Leon Holden (he/him) is the premier Director of Equity Inclusion & Belonging at Family and Children’s Service of Ithaca. Prior to taking on this role in February of 2024, he held the title of Director of Human Resources at Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, and also the first Human Resources professional in the history of that non-profit organization. In addition to his 8+ years of HR experience, he holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science, from Brooklyn College, and is a Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP).
Leon is currently a sitting board member for FoodNet Meals on Wheels (PEP Committee; Chair), Alternatives Federal Credit Union (HR Committee), Workforce Development of Tompkins County, Society for Human Resource Management Tompkins County Chapter (DEI Director), Southside Community Center (HR Committee) and the Diversity Consortium of Tompkins County (Board President). In addition to his membership on several other committees throughout Tompkins County. The Brooklyn, NY native is a recent transplant to the Ithaca community and has been a resident since November of 2021. He is committed to fostering a culture of equity, inclusion, and belonging among his myriad collaborators and within the communities that he serves.
MIA KORF – Trustee
Mia’s experiences as a performer cross-cross the worlds of Broadway, Off-Broadway, Regional Theater, Television, Soap Opera, Film, commercials/voice-overs and the Los Angeles live music scene. She credits her success as a professional to the early arts education she received growing up in Ithaca, and to the continued education she received at both Cornell University and Ithaca College. Mia is excited to be back in her hometown of Ithaca after many years in New York and Hollywood, and grateful for the opportunity to give back to the Ithaca arts community. Mia is also a certified mediator, an accredited Suzuki Violin teacher, a bass player and an Etsy shop owner.
STEVEN COX – Trustee
Steven Cox joined Morgan Stanley in 2024 as a Wealth Management Associate. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Steven served as a Senior Management Consultant with Ernst & Young where he provided executive planning services & support to several companies including Bank of America, Silicon Valley Bank, and Morgan Stanley. Steven specializes in market analytics, corporate strategic planning, financial planning, and investment management.
Before transitioning to Management Consulting, Steven functioned as a financial analyst for Standard & Poor’s. Where he primarily analyzed a portfolio of real-estate investments valued at over $200B.
Steven graduated from Ithaca College with a Major in Mathematics and a Dual Concentration in Finance and Economics. Steven is an accomplished musician with over 20 years of experience performing and composing music. He is also an adjunct professor at SUNY Cortland. He is an Ithaca resident who attends Christian Community Church of Ithaca where he serves as a Licensed Minister, and Director of Music.
GAIL KING BELOKUR – Trustee
Gail brings decades of mission-driven organizational leadership in the arts, including music, dance, and particularly theatre, to help advance CSMA’s mission and impact. An alum of Ithaca College’s esteemed Theatre Arts program, from which she graduated with distinction, Gail began her artistic life at a young age thanks to a family immersed in music. She recalls becoming a musician, dancer, writer, and theatre producer (including her first “juke-box musical”) well before her teen years and credits that early work for her creative and innovative approaches to all aspects of her personal and professional life. Gail was a co-founder and co-artistic director of Running to Places Theatre for the first six years of its history. “The mission of R2P has always been centered on youth development, utilizing theatre as the medium,” she shares. “Similarly, the work at CSMA transforms students’ lives through the arts in a way that is accessible, diverse, and inclusive; I’m excited to help gather the resources and strategically support that work.” Gail also served as Executive Artistic Director of Cider Mill Playhouse for four years, leading them to a regional professional theatre contract with Actors’ Equity Association. Realizing her passion for philanthropy, which she describes as creating lasting change so that all people can thrive, Gail joined the United Way of Tompkins County team in August 2018 where she serves today as its Chief Development and Operating Officer. A lifelong resident of the area, she has worn several hats – volunteer, employee, board member, and executive director – in mission-driven organizations providing services to youth through adults and including a multi-generational handbell choir, youth sports and recreation, and a small school of the arts including a dance studio. Gail is excited to collaborate with the talented and committed CSMA community–utilizing her skills and experience in mission-driven organization leadership to support its leadership, teachers, students, families, and our community.