WOMAN OF ACHIEVEMENT LUNCHEON

Deborah Borda

Linda and Mitch Hart President and CEO

New York Philharmonic

Deborah Borda has extended the artistic, commercial, and technological boundaries of what an orchestra can be through creative leadership, commitment to innovation, and progressive vision. Within three months of her return to the New York Philharmonic in 2017 she completed a $50 million launch fund, empowering a new vision for the Orchestra. She worked with NY Phil and Lincoln Center leadership to complete decades-long plans to completely transform David Geffen Hall — collaborating on both the oversight of the visual and acoustic elements and also on raising $550 million for the costs — allowing the NY Phil to deepen connections with the community and engage in vital global conversations. She followed that accomplishment with the February 2023 announcement that Gustavo Dudamel, the most sought-after conductor in the world, would become the New York Philharmonic’s Music and Artistic Director in 2026.

Borda has held top posts at ensembles including the San Francisco Symphony and the Detroit Symphony, as well as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where her business, education, and curatorial plan was credited with restoring the orchestra to robust artistic and financial health. The first arts executive to join Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership, Borda has received Honorary Doctor of Music degrees from Curtis Institute of Music and Manhattan School of Music, and will receive one from The Juilliard School in May 2023. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, chairs the Avery Fisher Artist Program, and has judged competitions including La Maestra International Competition for Women Conductors.

Celine Patel
Chief External Officer
iMentor

Celine Patel is the Chief External Officer at iMentor, an organization dedicated to building 1-1 mentoring relationships for first-generation students in support of economic mobility. As CXO, she oversees development and marketing/communication to meet iMentor’s $17.1M fundraising goal, recruit 2,000+ volunteer mentors, and elevate iMentor’s profile. Celine joined iMentor a decade ago and has held numerous positions in development. Prior to joining iMentor, Celine began her career in finance—at Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers, and Neuberger Berman. Celine is also deeply involved in the NYC community and has taught financial literacy classes and has been a mentor to four iMentor students. Celine earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration-Finance from the University of Florida, completed an Executive Certificate in Financial Planning at Fordham University, and participated in the Developing Leaders Program at Columbia University. She is currently pursuing an Executive Masters of Public Administration at NYU and will be graduating this May.  

Kathleen Burke
Associate Director of Development Operations
Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)

Kathleen Burke is a development professional in the New York Arts Sector with over six years of experience in fundraising, development operations, and special events. She has a deep admiration for the performing arts which were rooted in her career beginnings at Park Avenue Armory.  At the Armory, she served as the owner and lead fundraiser for the General Membership program and Young Patrons group, the Avant-Garde, stewarding over 1,500 constituents annually.  She also worked in tandem with Database manager to strategize more effective analysis tools for annual gift appeals and ensure proper recording of all donations, pledges and gift adjustments processed through the Armory’s CRM database, Tessitura.

Following her tenure at the Armory, Kathleen joined the Development team at Pioneer Works where she oversaw the Membership and Patron Programs, led the discovery phase of the Salesforce NPSP implementation project, assisted with Board Management, and project managed the 2021 Annual Fund Appeal which included storyboarding; developing strategy and financial goals; and drafting correspondence for the Executive Director and President.

While at Pioneer Works, Kathleen discovered her knack for developing and maintaining systems, which led her to her role as the Associate Director of Development Operations at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM).  She is responsible for building and maintaining program and expense budgets, overseeing gift processing and acknowledgements,  analyzing data trends and onboarding new Development Division staff on best practices through their CRM, Tessitura, and building renewal campaigns through their e-marketing platform, P2.

Kathleen received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Disorders from SUNY New Paltz and has since completed courses toward her Fundraising Certification through NYU’s School of Professional Studies.  Outside of work, Kathleen spends her time cooking, working out, and spending time with her dog, Leo.  She currently volunteers at Women in Development (WID) on the membership committee and is the Co-Chair of the Young Professionals Taskforce, a group that seeks to raise issues of importance to Young Professionals, empower the next generation of fundraisers, and foster an environment of intergenerational exchange and future-facing conversation to spark new connections and ideas within the WID community.