Brite Team
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Rob Bumm
Rob works as Demand Planning Manager with Tremco, Inc. and has a passion for education, music, and technology. As a native Clevelander, Rob is a passionate supporter of his hometown, from its long-suffering sports teams to its vibrant arts and culture scene. He especially loves Cleveland’s live music scene and can often be seen supporting its many music venues.
Leslie Graf
Leslie F. Graf is the Founder and CEO of L.F.G. Consulting and Coaching where she applies her more than 20 years of experience in accounting, auditing, litigation consulting, and destination and nonprofit management. Leslie provides sound financial guidance to CEOs, partners and boards of directors and has dedicated her career to helping nonprofits fulfill their missions.
Leslie’s passion in life outside of her professional career is her yoga career. Leslie earned her certification to teach (Registered Yoga Teacher “RYT”-200) through a month-long immersive experience in Costa Rica and has also earned additional teaching certificates from the Baptiste Institute and the Prison Yoga Project.
JUL HUNTLEY
Jul is a diverse musician from Cleveland, Ohio with styles that range from Pop-Rock, Hip-Hop, and Jazzy acoustic. Growing up in a musical family led him to develop a passion for the art at a young age. This passion would later drive him to receiving his B.A. in music from The University of Akron and also to start his solo and group projects under the name Jul Big Green. Through his music he conveys a positive message to his listeners while also giving them an enjoyable musical aspect. While he reaches to younger generations, his diverse arrangement of songs pulls in an even more diverse group of people.
Brett Klinger
Board Chair
As Special Projects Division Manager for Turner Construction Company, Brett provides executive oversight for all projects within Cleveland SPD, which includes approximately $50 million in annual revenue that supports 35 full-time staff members. Brett is responsible for all operations, including contract negotiations, client services, project quality, schedule and profitability, and has full authority and accountability over the division.
Brett began his career at Turner in 2008 as a Field Engineer and has since held roles in operations and preconstruction. Brett has a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from The University of Akron.
Brett resides in Broadview Heights, OH with his wife, Lindsay, and their dog, Teddy. In his free time, Brett enjoys music, playing guitar, traveling, hiking, and a good glass of whiskey.
Lisa Vinciquerra
Lisa is the Director of Production and Live Events at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. She has been booking the museum’s programs and live music for over 20 years. She has created and spearheaded many live music concert series including MTV’s Live at the Rock Hall, Miller’s Craft interview and concert series, Fortune Magazine’s Battle of the Corporate Bands and Sonic Sessions to name a few. In addition, she has served as stage manager for several major festivals including Bonnaroo, Electric Forest, Firefly, Forecastle and more. Lisa is an avid live music junkie and is a huge supporter of the Cleveland music scene.
JIMMY HARRIS
Board Member Emeritus
Jimmy is a founding member of the Brite Winter team and got his Ph.D. at Case Western Reserve University. He is currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, but returns to Cleveland any chance he gets for Brite-related business.
DONALD BULEA
Board Member Emeritus
Doni is a father, husband, attorney, music enthusiast, and long time lover and founding founding member. He’s been working with Brite to shine a light on northeast Ohio’s kick ass arts and culture for more than 12 years and enjoyed every moment, from procuring insurance and drafting contracts to shoveling snow, building installations, and watching live music from backstage in 11 degree weather.
STAFF
EMILY HORNACK
Co-founder and Executive Director
Emily is a founding member of the Brite Winter team. She was born and raised in Cleveland, left for a while, then came back home to stay. She’s a graduate of Case Western Reserve University and works at MetroHealth. She also serves as adjunct faculty in Baldwin Wallace University’s Arts Management program. Emily has extensive board experience, ranging from serving as a Vice-Commodore for a sailing club to starting small neighborhood music festivals. Emily also has a Master’s in Public Policy with a focus on non-profit management.
BRIAN HORSBURGH
Festival Production Director
Brian was born and raised on Cleveland’s east side. He graduated from the University of Denver with a BS/BA in Business Management and a minor in Business Ethics and Legal Studies. He is the founder of Spindrift Management and works on a number of non-profit and community events around the city. Brian serves on Hawken School’s Alumni Board and the ad-hoc committee of Cleveland Leadership Center’s (i) Cleveland program. In 2014, he was recognized by Cleveland Professional 20/30 Club as one of the top professionals under 35 years old. Brian resides in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood of Cleveland and enjoys Cleveland sports, volleyball, golf, traveling and being on Lake Erie.
EMILY APPELBAUM
Art Director
Emily graduated from Yale University with a degree in architecture and is newly returned to Cleveland from the San Francisco Bay Area, where she helped make places awesome through collaborative design, large-scale public art, earthshaking events and outreach to underserved communities. She also wrote, edited and designed for the late, great San Francisco Bay Guardian, and is currently working as Program Director at Ingenuity Cleveland.
Maura Rogers
Neighborhood Relations
Maura is a graduate of Baldwin-Wallace University, where she studied voice and received a degree in English and Theater. She started her artistic career at Great Lakes Theater Festival and spent nearly a decade invested in directing and acting. In the last decade, Maura has worked as a singer-songwriter in Cleveland and has released five albums since her solo debut in 2010. Her band, Maura Rogers and The Bellows, have built a supportive fanbase in Cleveland and have toured throughout the United States sharing their unique Americana sound with appreciative audiences. Maura is the Programming Director at Cleveland Rocks: Past, Present, and Future.
Brent Kirby
Music Director
Brent is an advocate and voice for the Northeast Ohio and Cleveland music scene. An active musician, he performs solo, with the Jack Fords, leads the monthly homage to Gram Parsons with The New Soft Shoe, and plays drums for the Cleveland holiday band, The Ohio City Singers, and Doug McKean & The Stuntmen. His 10 x 3 Songwriter showcase series at The Bop Stop has created an encouraging, vibrant original music scene. Brent, together with his wife, Jenna Juredine from the Barking Spider, have created Propagation Music, a booking agency that works with entities such as Downtown Cleveland Inc., Destination Cleveland, Brite Winter, Lakeview Cemetery, Spindrift, Bedrock, and other festivals, bars and establishments to promote musicians and provide opportunity.
MUSIC LIAISONS
Jason Patrick Meyers
Wallace Settles
Mikey Silas
partners
Whistle Communications
Marketing & Public Relations
Todd Sheppard and the Whistle Communications team have played a key role in Brite Winter’s success for more than a decade. Todd has served as a board member and volunteer and now leads his team in driving the festival’s marketing and public relations efforts. Based in Cleveland, Whistle partners with organizations of all sizes, from publicly traded companies managing global communications to small non-profits focused on targeted local outreach. Whistle delivers strategies that amplify their clients’ message and connect them with the audiences that matter most.