Advisory Board
Jane Wasman
Jane Wasman is President and founder of JWasman Advisors, a consulting firm focused on strategic, operational and corporate governance matters for biopharma and life sciences organizations ranging from startups to publicly traded companies. She chairs the board of directors of Sellas Life Sciences, a publicly traded company, is a member of the boards of directors of publicly traded Rigel Pharmaceuticals and Athersys, Inc. Previously, she was President, International & General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Acorda Therapeutics, Inc., a publicly traded biopharmaceutical company, managing its international, legal, strategic planning, quality, intellectual property and compliance functions. Before joining Acorda, Ms. Wasman was with Schering-Plough Corporation, a global pharmaceutical company, holding various U.S. and international leadership positions, including Staff Vice President and Associate General Counsel. Ms. Wasman earned a J.D. from Harvard Law School and her undergraduate degree from Princeton University. She has been a member of the board of directors and the executive committee of the New York Biotechnology Association since 2007. Additionally, she is co-founder of the NY Hub of BioDirector, an organization supporting board effectiveness and diversity.
Kelvin Cooper
Kelvin Cooper is an Associate Professor in the Health, Physical Education and Recreation Department at Bronx Community College. He is certified in both fitness and yoga. He adjuncts at NYU, teaching Afro-Caribbean dance, and he is a teaching artist for the Alvin Ailey Arts Education Program. He has taught, and directed intercultural dance and wellness workshops, conferences and performances on the continent of Africa, South America, Asia, North America, and Europe. These opportunities have allowed him to explore much of his healing and creative work on Restorative practice with diverse communities. He uses this practice to address two fundamental needs of human beings; the need to be connected to your authentic self, and the need to be connected to others for mutual support and resources.
Natalia Mesa
Natalia Mesa Higuera is originally from Bogotá, Colombia. She is a cultural advocate, arts administrator, and dance educator dedicated to building social cohesion through the expression of arts and movement. Her professional background encompasses creative and educational realms. She is currently working at Ballet Hispánico as the Community Engagement Director. During her years working at Battery Dance, she managed the curation of the Battery Dance Festival, inaugurating a space dedicated to the celebration of Latinx Artists. Parallel to her Festival Manager role, she supported Dancing to Connect educational programs in the US, Peru, Argentina, and Uruguay.
Natalia holds a master's degree in Performance Arts Administration from NYU and a bachelor's degree in Industrial Design with a minor in Business Administration from Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia. In 2008, she moved to NY to train at The Ailey School. She has danced professionally with Tangolibre, Sandrine Legendre Contemporary Dance Company, Dakshina Dance Company, Company E, Clancy Works, DeMa Dance Company, and The Collective by Yesid Lopez.
