Meet the members who form the Board of Directors for Classic Lyric Arts. We are infinitely grateful for their support, their vision, and their dedication to the future of our developing artists.
John Hunter
President and Chairman of the Board
Mr. Hunter is an accomplished strategic leader with 35+ years of progressive experience in direct to consumer, operations, customer service and supply chain, including extensive experience in project and process management. Since 2007, he served as Executive Vice President of Customer Fulfillment Services, at QVC Inc, before retiring in 2013. During his 22 +year tenure, he played a key role in growing QVC from a $1/2 B televised shopping network to a $9 B global leader in video and E-commerce retail. As a member of QVC’s senior executive team, Mr. Hunter was a key architect in designing market and operational strategies that positioned the company for significant growth, despite a challenging economic climate.
He currently serves on the Dean’s advisory council at Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business and is the Chairman of the Board at Classic Lyric Arts. He is a contributing author for Ernan Roman’s Integrated Direct Marketing and Lance and Dorothy Berger’s Talent Management Handbook. John served on the board of directors for GSI Commerce Inc. (Nasdaq: GSIC) from 2007- 2011 before its sale to EBay.
Alan N. Frankel
Vice President & Secretary
Alan Frankel is the retired founder and President of Lighthouse Capital Corporation.
He had a forty-year career in senior management positions for major corporations in the equipment financing and leasing industry.
He was one of three founding officers of Copelco Financial Services Group where he served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Copelco Leasing Corporation.
Alan also held the same positions with American Business Leasing. Additionally, he was a Principal with The Alta Group. He served on the Board of Directors of the Equipment and Leasing Association and is a member of the board of RSVP and a former Trustee of Wilmington College (Ohio). He is a lead consultant with Volunteer Executive Consultants, providing assistance to nonprofit organizations.
Karen Kelly
Karen is the principal of The Karen Kelley Team at Compass. She is a formidable and experienced Associate Broker who excels at the art of real estate sales in New York. After 20 years in NYC Real Estate and with over seven hundred million in real estate sales transactions, Karen has been ranked in the Top 1% of brokers nationwide and in the top 75 brokers in Manhattan (WSJ). Karen specializes in the Acquisition and Marketing of Residential, Luxury, and New Development together with Developer services, she delivers her proficient counsel, trusted representation to her local, national, and international clientele.
Prior to her career in real estate, Karen pursued a career in opera as a lyric soprano, studying at The Manhattan School of Music, earning a Bachelors of Music from The Mannes College of Music, and furthering her studies by pursuing a professional diploma, apprenticeships, competitions and performances both in the US and abroad, including recitals at the Ethical Culture Society in NYC, Steinway Hall, performances with The Belgian National Symphony, and a pinnacle a season with the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Karen's passion for opera and voice continued for 20 years giving her a first-hand knowledge of the mission set forth by Classical Lyric Arts.
Patrick Gallagher
Treasurer
Pat Gallagher is a retired attorney, currently Of Counsel at Kirkland & Ellis LLP where he was a tax partner for 28 years. At Kirkland he handled tax and structuring aspects of complex domestic and cross-border transactions for private equity and other clients, including acquisitions and divestitures, fund formations, public offerings and other financings, and restructurings. His professional activities included serving as Chair of the New York State Bar Association Tax Section, and Chair of the Private Investment Funds Tax Forum. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Pat is also a classical pianist with a background in music history and theory. He received a B.A. in Music from Pomona College, and an M.A. in Music History and Theory from The University of Chicago, where he also won the university concerto competition. After retiring from the practice of law, last year he received a Professional Studies Diploma in Collaborative Piano from Mannes School of Music, where he remains an active accompanist. Pat also was a pianist for the Classic Lyric Arts Berkshires programs in 2021 and 2022.
Pat serves on the Board and Executive Committee of Enduring Hearts, a non-profit organization whose mission is to fund medical research to increase longevity and improve the quality of life for children who have had a heart transplant. He is also a member of the University of Chicago Humanities Division Advisory Council.
Pat lives in New York City and is married with three children currently ages 7-11.
Robin Shoemaker
Robin Shoemaker is a leading analyst with broad experience in equity research related to energy companies. Currently a Professor of Finance at Adelphi University, Robin’s extensive work experience includes leadership roles at KeyBanc Capital Markets, Citi Investment Research, and Bear Stearns & Co. Robin earned degrees from the University of Chicago and the University of Texas at Austin. He has been listed three times in the Wall Street Journal’s annual “Best of the Street” analyst rankings and ranked three times as a runner-up on Institutional Investor’s All-America Research Team in the “Domestic Oil” category and once in the “Oil Services & Equipment” category.