Advisors

Ted Berger is the Director of New York Creates and the former Executive Director of the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA).  Under his thirty-year leadership, NYFA became one of the country's largest providers of grants and services to individual artists and artist-centered organizations in all disciplines. 

He also currently serving as the Project Director for the Urban Artist Initiative NYC, a consortium committed to strengthening information systems for New York City artists and developing a new grants program for new works for NYC artists of color; lead consultant for the feasibility of developing the Brooklyn Public Library's new Visual and Performing Arts Library as part of the BAM/LDC; and a consultant for the development of the new Louisiana Creative Economy Foundation.

He has served on numerous cultural and educational boards, panels, and committees, including the Board of the Asian American Arts Alliance; ArtsConnection; the Design Trust for Public Space; the CUE Arts Foundation; and the International Studio and Curatorial Program.  He has served on advisory boards for Studio in a School;  Symphony Space; the Theater Museum; and the Older Artists Project of Columbia University's Research Center for Arts and Culture. He is also a Steering Committee member of the New York City Arts Coalition.

He writes and speaks extensively on the arts and artists and cultural policy for numerous national and international publications, conferences, academic institutions, and organizations. 

Mary Lynn Halland is a Marketing Consultant to non-profits and financial services firms. With over 20 years of experience in the financial and banking sectors, she brings a wealth of experience in helping clients launch successful entrepreneurial ventures.

Having lived abroad for several years, in both Colombia and France,  she has first-hand experience with the frustrations immigrants face, particularly when starting businesses. And, as an artist and trained musician, she understands the particular business needs of artists and artisans. 

Ms. Halland has a degree from the Interlochen Arts Academy, a BA in Economics from the University of Michigan, and an MBA in Finance from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

Kathy Malone is a successful serial entrepreneur who is currently launching her latest venture, Clementine Events. She founded the Brooklyn Indie Market, which featured a select group of "curated" craft artists selling their work as well as an online site, and created and launched her own clothing line, Fafolle.

Herself a former BCNA client and winner of a BCNA eBay Technology Grant, she is uniquely qualified to advise on the specific needs and challenges craft artists face in the marketplace and has helped develop new workshops aimed at meeting those unique needs.

Ms. Malone has a degree from the Fashion Institute of Technology.

Maisha Walker is the Founder and President of Message Medium, a Web Site Design and Internet Strategy firm that enables small business owners to harness the power of the Internet and create a dynamic and profitable brand online. She has been building Websites and online communities for more than 14 years.

In 2008 she was nominated by the New York City Small Business Commissioner for the annual New York Enterprise Report Small Business Awards, winning a finalist spot for Innovation and Excellence in Sales and Marketing. 

She is a featured online columnist for The Internet Strategist, which is now Inc. Magazine's most popular blog.

Ms. Walker has a degree from Princeton University.

Sean Basinski is the founder and director of the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center. The Street Vendor Project is a membership-based organization representing the 10,000 people who sell food and merchandise on the sidewalks of New York City.

He writes and lectures frequently on street vendors, immigrant entrepreneurship, and the informal economy. He spent 2009 as a Fulbright Scholar, researching the economy and urban planning in Lagos, Nigeria.

Mr. Basinski is a graduate of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and Georgetown University Law Center.