Menu
Since visiting Kingston for the first time in 2013 while Gaia was painting the monumental mural on the back wall of the former BSP Michael has become an honorary Kingstonian.
As an independent wealth manager and father of a world renown muralist (and O+ alumnus) Gaia, Michael has focused on the areas of fundraising and art in his six year tenure on the board.
In addition to volunteering for O+ Michael has generously donated his time for many years to Housing Works and Holy Name Medical Center.
Originally from Portland OR, Don received his BFA and MFA from the California College of the Arts in Oakland CA in printmaking and sculpture. After this he taught printmaking and drawing in Victoria BC at the University of Victoria, and then went on to Santa Barbara where he taught at UCSB of Creative Studies, made sculptures, and had three solo shows in NYC. He relocated to NY and landed a teaching job at Sarah Lawrence in the early 1980s. He chose to build a house and settle in High Falls and worked for Jeryl Parker, making copper etchings which were the biggest in the world at that time. Don and Jeryl printed for artists like Julian Schnabel, Donald Sultan, and David Salle. He has experience selling art at Sotheby’s and Christie’s, and Don has been a generous supporter of O+ since it started.
Micah is a worker trustee at The Good Work Institute with the goal to prove possibility and unleash the imagination to see a Just Transition. He also serves on the boards of Radio Kingston as well hosting his own show Hip Hop 101. Micah is an artist, a mindfulness teacher, the creator of DAY 1, a TMI Project workshop leader and a dedicated father of two. Being an artist and deeply rooted in community, he became a part of O+, previously being the Creative Director and on the music committee for many years before moving to the board.
Jicky Schnee is a multidisciplinary artist working in both the visual and performing arts. In 2017, she established The Stable Gallery in Lake Hill, NY to provide an artist-run, supportive exhibition platform in Woodstock, NY.
Schnee first came to know O+ as a festival alum in 2018. Her visual installation was shown alongside a performance of the one act autographic play The Four Sisters; The Eye, the Ear, the Brain and the Mouth. Schnee received her degrees in Fine Arts and Art History, BA and Pre-med, BSc. from Rice University and she studied drama at the British American Drama Academy in England. Jicky Schnee comes from a large family of doctors and looks forward to working with O+ to continue to bring quality health-care to artists and to grow the organization in ways that allow O+ to expand that access.
Omari Washington identified his purpose in 2004, during a backpacking & paddling trip above the Arctic Circle in Alaska. Hiking across the melting permafrost, Omari witnessed the significant changes already taking place. Moreover, he knew that many marginalized communities would be disproportionately affected by our inaction. After returning from that trip, Omari received a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Green Mountain College in Vermont and a Masters in Sustainable Environmental Systems from Pratt Institute. He has led hikes in urban parks, managed diverse teams of environmental educators, built school gardens, developed curricula, and helped plant 1,000,000 trees in New York City. The focus of all of this work has been to engage and empower youth in developing deep connections to nature, centered around their own unique experiences. Omari currently serves as Executive Director of Wild Earth, a 501(c)(3) that leads transformative nature immersion experiences that cultivate character, confidence, passion and perseverance in New York’s youth. His commitment to equitable access, shared leadership, empowerment and sustainable practices for a more just future are guiding values that he brings to the O+ Board.
Diane Eber is an accomplished producer and curator with a passion for bringing life-changing artistic experiences to audiences around the world. With an impressive background in the music industry, Diane has worked with Warner Music Group, International Music Network, and curated performing arts programming at MASS MoCA, where she has consistently pushed the boundaries of what is possible in the intersection of visual art and performance. Currently, Diane is the Executive Producer & Artistic Director of BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, New York City’s longest-running performing arts festival that has been presenting talent from around the world and around the block for 45 years.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Diane launched the Auditory After Hours series at MASS MoCA, providing a much-needed outlet for artists and audiences alike. She also served as the Interim Executive Director at GlobalFEST, where she was instrumental in launching their first-ever Tiny Desk partnership with NPR.
As a tastemaker with an eye for finding talent before the rest of the world, Diane is an outside-the-box thinker who is passionate about creating new opportunities for artists to reach new audiences. She believes that producing goes beyond what happens onstage, and has conceptualized and actualized the first-ever Community Care position at BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!, moving health and wellness from a passive afterthought to a proactive approach. With a commitment to excellence and a passion for bringing the best in music and performance to audiences everywhere, Diane Eber is a force to be reckoned with in the worlds of producing and curation.
A family doctor with over 20 years of experience and many interests, Dr. Carpenter got her BA in Russian Studies from Brown University before graduating summa cum laude from SUNY-Downstate Medical School. She completed her family practice residency at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. Before settling in the Hudson Valley, Dr. Carpenter lived and worked in Lawrence, Kansas, Wairoa, New Zealand and Brooklyn, New York. She specializes in reproductive health as well as palliative care. Her passion for global health led her to start Go Doc Go in 2013, a not for profit focused on preventing cervical cancer around the world. Together with other volunteer doctors, Go Doc Go has established programs in Senegal, Ethiopia, Haiti and The Gambia. Dr. Carpenter is also the medical director for ACT Access, a group fighting for reproductive care access everywhere.
Pierre M. LaRamée has more than 30 years’ experience in NGO programming and administration with overlapping expertise in academic research, policy analysis/advocacy, strategic communications and publishing, and resource development. Building on a career in the fields of women’s rights and global public health, he co-founded – Re: Generation — Population, Development and Reproductive Health Consultants, LLC. He serves on the Board of Action Canada for Sexual Rights and Health (formerly Planned Parenthood) and the North American Congress on Latin America (NACLA).
