Co-President

Sally Wheeler Maier is an actor and producer in television, film and theater. Her company, Friend of a Friend Productions is engaged in the production of both documentary and narrative films. Ms. Wheeler Maier is on the board of Wheeler Farms, Wheeler Companies, Boston Mining and Preservation of Natural Florida, and on the Board of Trustees at Queens University of Charlotte. She is a nationally ranked amateur competitor in the Arabian horse industry. Sally lives with her husband Bill and their two sons in New York City.

Co-President

Dr. Waseem Noor is Lecturer in Discipline of Economics at Columbia University. He has extensive experience advising international leaders on strategic planning, growth strategy and talent engagements. He is based in New York.

Waseem spent over twenty years in the private sector as a strategy and leadership consultant. Most recently, he was a member of Russell Reynolds Associates’ (RRA) global Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology and Nonprofit Practices, where he specialized in the assessment and recruiting of senior executive leaders and board members for his clients.

Prior to joining RRA, he was Vice President and Global Lead for Strategy and Portfolio Analysis group at IMS Consulting Group (now IQVIA). While there, he advised large pharmaceutical, biotech and global health executives on strategic planning, growth strategy and business acquisition engagements. Earlier, he consulted for the Harvard Institute for International Development, the International Labour Organisation and the World Bank.

Waseem holds a B.A. in quantitative economics from Stanford University and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in economics from Columbia University.

Waseem served for six years on the National Advisory Board of the Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford University, and is currently on the board of directors for Only

Make Believe, a non-profit organization. He teaches Principles of Economics, International Trade and the Global Economy.

Treasurer

Mirza Kafedzic joined Only Make Believe’s board in 2022. Knowing first hand that the power of imagination can help heal he was moved by Only Make Believe’s mission.

Mirza is a Managing Director at Mizuho Americas. He co-founded the Municipals & Structured Finance business and serves as Head of Structured Finance. The group provides balance sheet financing across fixed income and real assets, with a specialty in socially and environmentally impactful projects including affordable housing, infrastructure, charter schools, healthcare facilities and renewables. Mirza previously co-founded and was Chief Investment Officer of Dreadnought Capital Management, an investment firm focused on affordable housing. He started his career at Citigroup. Mirza received a B.S. in Finance and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Florida. He also spent years training to become a Jedi Master.

Secretary

Laura Angel-Lalanne joined the Only Make Believe board in 2019. A partner in the Individual Client Service group at Schulte Roth & Zabel, Laura advises high-net-worth individual clients with respect to their estate and philanthropic planning, and also advises educational institutions and other nonprofit organizations with respect to formation, tax exemption, governance, endowment administration and planned giving. Laura received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her B.A. from the University of Michigan. Laura and her husband, Luis, have one daughter and live in Rye Brook, New York.

Board Member

Bradley J. Butwin is Chair of O’Melveny & Myers LLP, an internationally acclaimed law firm of nearly 900 attorneys in 18 offices worldwide.

 Under Brad’s leadership, O’Melveny has ranked in the top tier of The American Lawyer’s prestigious “A-List” for 13 consecutive years, while earning perennial recognition for its unmatched culture—finishing #1 in AmLaw’s 2024 Midlevel Associates Survey and #1 in all major categories in Vault’s annual law firm associates survey.

 Brad has presided over a transformative chapter of strategic expansion and nearly a decade of revenue growth for O’Melveny, including crossing the billion-dollar revenue mark in 2022.

 Beyond his legal industry leadership, Brad devotes himself to philanthropy and has received numerous honors for his dedication to justice and to his community.

 Brad is a passionate supporter of his alma maters Fordham University School of Law and the University of Wisconsin. He and his wife, Randi, have four children.

Board Member

Julie Cohen joined the Only Make Believe Board in 2024, but has also previously been a long time supporter of Broadway and the arts. She is a proud graduate of The Ohio State University and a proud co-producer of How to Dance in Ohio, The Wiz, Suffs and the Parade national tour. She loves to see the joy theatre brings to those who can access it and is excited to continue her philanthropic work with Only Make Believe. Julie currently lives in New Jersey with her husband and three kids.

Board Member

Holly Fedorcik has a Master’s Degree in Nutrition from New York University as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Education from Elmira College. She worked in Education for over 10 years before working in the Nutrition field for The New York Road Runners. Since leaving the Nutrition field, the majority of her time has been spent raising her children. She sat on the Board of Trevor Day School (TDS) for 3 years and is still an active participant in the Parents Association at TDS. She has recently joined the Board of her residence as Head of the House Committee. Holly lives in New York City with her husband Mark and two children.

Board Member

Lara Flath joined the Only Make Believe board in 2023. She is a litigation partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom where she represents a wide variety of clients in complex, high-stakes commercial, securities, and antitrust litigation in courts throughout the country. Lara received her undergraduate degree from Yale University and her law degree from the University of Chicago. In her spare time, she teaches as a Master Instructor at the Bar Method Brooklyn, a barre-based fitness studio. Lara lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two dogs.

Board Member

Jennifer Hammerstein is a founding member of Only Make Believe. She was a producer in radio, television and commercial photography and currently works in clinical studies at the New York Medical College. Jennifer is committed to improving the lives of children in need.  She and her husband raised 3 children in Westchester County, New York where they now live with their giant rescue dog.

Board Member

John Hardiman has practiced in Sullivan and Cromwell’s litigation department for almost 40 years, handling a wide array of litigation, arbitration and regulatory matters for organizations such as Major League Baseball. Mr. Hardiman has led the Firm’s Merger and Acquisition-related litigation for a number of years, working on many high stakes contests for corporate control. He also has extensive experience handling regulatory investigations for the Firm’s broker-dealer and corporate clients, as well as standard commercial litigation. Mr. Hardiman also has focused on charitable causes, including time on the board of MFY Legal Services, a provider of pro bono legal assistance, and Only Make Believe, an organization that provides entertainment to children in hospitals.

Board Member

Brad has been involved with Only Make Believe for over twenty years now, performing at almost every annual gala since 2001, as an honorary board member since 2005, and now full time board member as of 2020! He is a two-time Tony nominee for his performances in “The Producers” and “Something Rotten!” and has also appeared on Broadway in “Jekyll & Hyde,” “Spamalot,” “The Addams Family,” “Big Fish,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” and “ Wicked.” His film and TV credits include “The Producers,” “Ghost Town,” “Madame Secretary,” “The Good Wife,” and, of course, several episodes of “Law and Order!” A graduate of Boston University, Brad is 2012 Lunt Fontaine Fellow and lives in New York City with his wonderful husband and longtime OMB acting company member, Diego Prieto.

Board Member

Achilles M. Perry joined the OMB Board in 2022 inspired by its mission to bring joy to children through engaging with their imagination. Achilles is General Counsel (International) for CIBC Capital Markets. He joined CIBC in 2003 and became head of its US Legal team in 2007 and since then has taken on responsibility for managing legal support in Europe and APAC. He is the General Manager of CIBC’s New York Branch and a member of the Board of Directors of CIBC First Caribbean. Achilles attended Brandeis University for his undergraduate education and obtained his law degree at the Fordham University School of Law, where he is a member of the Board of the Alumni Association. Achilles lives in New York with his wife and son.

Board Member

Sarah Rosand joined Only Make Believe as a volunteer in 2004, and joined the NYC Board of Directors in 2009. Upon relocating to Washington, DC in 2010, Sarah spearheaded the expansion of Only Make Believe in the DC metro area. She has a diverse marketing & business background in private and non-profit sectors, and received her B.A. in Psychology and Art History from Cornell University. Sarah resides in Washington, DC with her husband and 3 sons.

Board Member

Monica Spruill joined Only Make Believe’s National Board in 2024 and is the Global Head of Marketing for Accenture's Strategy practice. She has brought a wealth of expertise to our organization with her 25+ years of experience in marketing and communications, HBX Certificate of Strategy from Harvard University, MBA from Pace University's Lubin School of Business and BS in Marketing from Hampton University. She is an asset to our board and the mission to make a positive impact for children through interactive performance.

Board Member

David Travin is the General Counsel at PJT Partners, a global advisory-focused investment bank. Prior to joining PJT Partners, David was a member of the legal departments of both UBS AG and Deutsche Bank AG. David received a B.S. in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University and a J.D. from The George Washington University School of Law.

David joined the Only Make Believe Board in 2019, and has been an advocate of OMB since he hosted a Day 6 party in 2005 and was able to see first-hand the joy shared by the children, actors and volunteers. David and his wife have two children and live in Chappaqua, NY.