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President  |  Malina Rauschenfels is currently serving as interim President until a suitable board member can be elected. She also serves as co-artistic director with Paula Maust and manages contracts for musicians, venues, and occasional designers, photographers, etc. Additionally she manages booking, scheduling, budgets, promotion and accommodations for artists.

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Treasurer  |  David W Elbrecht, CPA is currently serving as interim Treasurer. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Music Industry from Valparaiso University and Master of Accountancy from Cleveland State University. He is a financial analyst in the Retailer Contract Administration division of American Greetings. Prior to receiving his MAcc, Dave managed concert operations for the Wisconsin Philharmonic of Waukesha, WI. He continues to perform in various amateur ensembles, including the Parma Symphony Orchestra (Contrabass) and choir at St Paul Lutheran Church in Westlake (Tenor).

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Secretary  |  A Cleveland-based freelance editor and clinical social worker, Shari Nacson specializes in consultations & presentations in child development. A contributing writer at 500 Pens: An Anti-Hate News Project; Safe and Sound Schools; The Heights Observer; and various parenting blogs, Nacson enjoys pro bono social work service, public speaking, and giving technical assistance to nonprofit organizations. She has been the Board President of Caring Cubs since 2014.​

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DeBorah McCreath | is a published poet, certified Laughter Yoga Leader, licensed minister, and Reiki Level II practitioner. As a trained voice-over artist, she can be heard on Blog Talk Radio and Cleveland Independent Films. Her wide-ranging life experiences include military service and working as a model for David and Lee Model Management. Additionally, she has volunteered with AirsLA.org, a non-profit organization for the visually impaired, and used her platform as the reigning Miss Wheelchair Ohio in 1997 to advocate for persons with disabilities. Today she records audio books and assists with social media management for independent artists. DeBorah is a married mother of five children who homeschooled her youngest for 14 years. On the Burning River Baroque board, she will be assisting with social media and helping give birth to the new "Living Poetry Project.” 

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Stephen J. Fopeano is a former cello student of Ms. Rauschenfels and is retired after a career in psychiatric nursing and health care administration. Many years ago he earned a BA in Philosophy from SUNY at Buffalo and a BSN in Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. There were no computers, internet, or cell phones then and wheels were square.

        He joins the Board out of appreciation for the music, the artists and the mission and looks forward to providing operational support wherever needed.

        At a strictly amateur level, he built a synthesizer based home recording studio, now hopelessly outdated. His family endured many holiday gift CD's.

        He rescued an abused cello 20 years ago and does not regret the time and money spent rehabilitating her. "Bella" was born in the 1860's in Saxony. Unfortunately he does not practice enough to make her sound as good as she is capable.

        Outside of music, he has an off grid cabin in Appalachian southeast Ohio and has been known to play Bella on the front porch.

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​Zoe Neely is a freshman in the Computer Animation BFA at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.  She is a children's book illustrator and a freelance artist.  She has worked making promotional materials for various companies over the years.  Additionally, she has been a board member and graphic designer for the non-profit Burning River Baroque for the last three years and currently works as an in-house designer for Joffe Emergency Services.  She placed 2nd in the Kids Film It Festival in 2019 and 2020 for her short films Cat Fight and Joe respectively.  She has also received an honorable mention from the Scholastic Art Awards the last two years in a row.  Outside of art, Zoe enjoys hiking, baking, and spending time with friends and family. 

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ADVISORY BOARD

Ben Nichols is Enterprise’s Vice President of Strategic Integration.  Currently, he is leading the integration of two development organizations, Enterprise Homes and Community Preservation and Development Corporation (CPDC) into one developer/owner of over 12,000 units of affordable housing in the Mid-Atlantic.  Previously, Ben led Enterprise’s National Initiatives which are subject matter focus areas including: Green Communities, Design, Transit Oriented Development, Partner Sustainability and Health and Housing among others.  He started the Partner Sustainability team that provides resources and technical assistance to both nonprofit developers in order to develop and preserve affordable housing as well as keep vital services flowing to our neighborhoods and communities.  During the last sixteen years at Enterprise, Ben’s duties have included: providing technical assistance on Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) projects, underwriting lending for Enterprise Community Loan Fund, evaluating the financial health of organizations and helping organizations plan for their future.   Ben holds an MBA and a certificate of nonprofit management from Weatherhead School of Management (Case Western Reserve University) and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame.    

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INTERNS

Holden Neely

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PAST BOARD MEMBERS

Hannah Baxter

Gerrette Braunsdorf

Heather Gilles

Ranelle Huber

Audrey Hudak

LJ Kimble

Rick Kimble

Paula Maust

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***Burning River Baroque is still building our board. If you have time to contribute, please contact us!

We continue to look for help including, but not limited to: legal knowledge, online concert listings, marketing and PR, grant-writing/ professional writing, and social media expertise.