Arts and Corporate Responsibilities
Bartos Screening Room | 10:45AM - 11:45AM
One of LIC’s greatest assets is its large and diverse arts and cultural community, as well as its deep
support for the arts from its corporate leaders. This panel will explore this symbiotic relationship, as
well as where the lines of responsibility are, and are not.
Tracy Capune
Kaufman Astoria Studios
Tracy Capune, a veteran urban planner and economic
development consultant, is Vice President of Kaufman
Astoria Studios. A key member of KAS’s team, Ms.
Capune oversees the Studio’s expansion plans as
well as initiatives to further economic growth in the
neighborhood surrounding the Studio. Ms. Capune played
an integral role in creating the Studio’s backlot, managed
the development of the Stage K building and was a
key team member in developing The Marx, a 33-unit
condominium building. She recently led the successful
drive to designate the area surrounding the Studio as the
Kaufman Arts District. Ms. Capune is now overseeing a
new expansion project, building Stages O and N. She
is a graduate of The American University and earned a
Masters in Urban Planning from New York University.
Katie Denny Horowitz
Socrates Sculpture Park/LICCA
Katie joined Socrates Sculpture Park in 2013 with over
ten years of experience in grant-making and development
in both the private and public sectors. Prior to joining
the Park, she was the Director of Development for New
Yorkers for Parks, a citywide advocacy organization,
where she led overall fundraising efforts to champion
an equitable and accessible parks system. Katie holds
a MPA from NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service with
an emphasis in Nonprofit Management and Public Policy.
Paula Kirby (Moderator)
Plaxall Inc.
Paula Kirby is Managing Director of Plaxall, an innovator
in the thermoforming industry and a third-generation
family business which owns and manages more than a
million square feet of property in Long Island City. Prior
to joining Plaxall in 2014, Paula worked in Europe for
over 20 years, notably as Head of Marketing for Prada
based in Milan, and as Deputy Director of Prada UK and
Head of Licensing for Alfred Dunhill while in London. A
Queens native, Paula serves on the Board of Trustees
of the Queens Museum, the Board of Advisors of
Mount Sinai Queens, the Real Estate Committee of the
Queens Chamber of Commerce, and as Co-Chair of the
Long Island City Business Improvement District (BID)
Expansion project, among other civic activities around
the borough.
Hilary Ayala
ConEdison
Hilary S. Ayala serves as the Director of Con Edison’s
Strategic Partnerships Programs. Reporting to the Senior
Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Ms. Ayala leads the
company’s strategic, cause-related contributions program
and employee engagement initiatives. Ms. Ayala’s
portfolio includes the company’s strategic partnerships
program, employee and retiree volunteer corps, board
placement program, and employee engagement programs.
Her responsibilities include assisting senior executives in
the development and implementation of the company’s
community strategies to communicate Con Edison’s
position as an industry leader, an environmentally
responsible company, and an active community supporter.
In former positions at Con Edison, Ms. Ayala served as
the company’s principal federal lobbyist in Washington,
DC. Ms. Ayala joined Con Edison in 2001.
Ms. Ayala is a graduate of Manhattanville College with a
bachelor’s degree in International Studies. She studied
at the Université de Paris-Sorbonne on a Marandon
scholarship.
Mary Ceruti
Sculpture Center
Mary Ceruti is the Executive Director and Chief Curator
of SculptureCenter in New York, where she oversees all
programing, planning, and organizational development
and has spearheaded two major building projects. She
has organized dozens of solo and group exhibitions, and
curated projects by over 50 artists. Ms. Ceruti previously
served as an independent writer and curator with
institutions such as the San Francisco Arts Commission,
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and Capp Street
Project, an acclaimed international residency program in
San Francisco. Ms. Ceruti holds a dual BA in Philosophy
from Haverford College and in Art History from Bryn
Mawr College, with an MA from the Inter-Arts Center at
San Francisco State University.
David Brause (Introduction)
Brause Realty
David Brause has worked in real estate for over 25 years
handling acquisitions, development and management of
office, retail, and residential property in the tri-state area.
As President of Brause Realty Inc., he has been active
in the ownership and development of approximately three
million square feet of space.