Matt Spielman, Lisa Versacio & Maureen Reidy Join The Board of Directors of The VH1 Save The Music

Oct. 19, 2011 - PRLog -- CONTACT:   
Nick Carcaterra
Susan Blond, Inc.
212.333.7728 ext.126
nickc@susanblondinc.com


MATT SPIELMAN, LISA VERSACIO AND MAUREEN REIDY
JOIN THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF
THE VH1 SAVE THE MUSIC FOUNDATION   


New York, NY (October 18, 2011)   —The VH1 Save The Music Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring instrumental music education programs in our nation’s public schools, is proud to announce the newest additions to their Board of Directors in Matt Spielman, General Manager & Vice President at Eventful, Inc., Lisa Versacio, Brand Creator & CEO of Brocade Home, and Maureen Reidy   , President & CEO of The Argus Group LLC. The group joins existing board members Tom Calderone, John Sykes, Larry Cohen, Dirk Ziff, Paul Cothran, Wynton Marsalis, David Nathan, Christina Norman, Scott Rauch, Morris L. Reid, Gordon Singer and John Varvatos in their mission to ensure that no child be deprived access to a complete education that includes music.

“We are thrilled to add such accomplished individuals to our Board of Directors,” said Paul Cothran, Vice President and Executive Director of the VH1 Save The Music Foundation. “With their diverse backgrounds and desire to make an impact, Matt, Lisa and Maureen are incredible assets to the Foundation as we continue to help raise awareness about the importance of music education. We have made great strides over the past 14 years but there is still a lot of work to be done, with their help we can come closer to reaching our goals.”

Through strategic partnerships with school districts, the Foundation provides brand-new musical instruments to public elementary and middle schools, jump-starting dormant music programs across the country. The school districts commit to funding certified music teachers’ salaries, providing maintenance and supplies, and scheduling instrumental music classes during the school day.  The Foundation maintains a partnership with the district until instrumental music is in place in every school. Since its inception in 1997, the VH1 Save The Music Foundation has provided $48 million in new musical instruments to 1,800 public schools in more than 100 cities around the country, impacting the lives of over 1.8 million children.

The VH1 Save The Music Board of Directors are comprised of volunteer leaders who help guide the organization as it strives to reach its lofty goals.  The new additions to the Foundation Board of Directors are accomplished men and women who look to continue their success in the world of music education. A graduate of Harvard Business School and Columbia University, Matt Spielman joined Eventful, Inc. after a long career at MTV Networks where he worked across the Networks’ portfolio to execute multi-platform campaigns, forging relationships with a wide variety of partners in business and media. F.I.T. alum Lisa Versacio created the cheap-chic furnishings label West Elm after over a decade of working in apparel merchandising for companies like Liz Claiborne and Capezio and has made a career out of following her instincts when developing new ideas. Today West Elm is a hundred-million-dollar business owned by Williams Sonoma, whose pared-down platform beds and modular storage cubes caught the eyes of shallow-pocketed aesthetes everywhere—as well as that of the brain trust at Restoration Hardware.  Lisa builds on her success as the Brand Creator & CEO of Brocade Home. Maureen Reidy worked with the Bloomberg Administration as part of the New York City Economic Development Advisory Council and CEO of NYC Big Events, Inc. as well as serving as COO of IMG Fashion, the world’s premier creator of fashion events, producer of fashion publications and creator of a wide array of fashion-themed media programming and content. Currently she is the President & CEO of The Argus Group. Together, this passionate group will help to advance the great work the Foundation has done since it began in 1997 and continue to work towards creating systemic change in the American public school system.

For more information or to see how you can get involved please visit www.vh1savethemusic.com.

About the VH1 Save The Music Foundation
The VH1 Save The Music Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring instrumental music education programs in America’s public schools, and raising awareness about the importance of music as part of each child’s complete education. To date, the VH1 Save The Music Foundation has donated $48 million worth of new musical instruments, donated to nearly 1,800 public schools in more than 100 cities around the country, impacting the lives of over 1.8 million public school students. To date, the Foundation’s Ambassadors (which includes a select group of talented musicians, actors and athletes) have raised close to one million dollars to further the Foundation’s mission to jumpstart instrumental music education programs in America’s public schools.  VH1 Save The Music Alumni Ambassadors include:  Beyonce, Natasha Bedingfield, Ne-Yo, Chris Webber, Venus Williams, The Fray, Jamie Foxx,  John Rzeznick, 3 Doors Down, Gavin DeGraw, Tamia, Nick Lachey, One Republic, Kelly Clarkson, Mandy Moore, Jason Mraz, Fall Out Boy, Chrisette Michelle and Colbie Caillat. Follow us on Twitter @VH1SaveTheMusic.