Our Team
Greg Fernandes
Founder & Executive Director
Greg Fernandes (he/ him) is the founder & executive director of Rose Conservatory.
He is the proud father of Zoe, Serenity & Zion who are all thriving in their own respective ways. In addition to being a proud father, Greg takes pride in how he transformed his challenging past into a beloved passion for music and mentorship. Overcoming obstacles, he found solace in music, inspired by his late mother Roseanna’s legacy as a music educator. Returning to Bridgewater State University as an adult, Greg received the education and support that lead him to establishing Rose Conservatory in 2021. Greg is passionate about youth empowerment, the arts and ensuring that no child at Rose Conservatory ever has an excuse not to succeed.
Board Members
Steven Siagel
Board Treasurer
Steven Siagel (he/ him) serves on the Rose Conservatory board as Treasurer. He is the founder of Siagel Productions Inc., a premier entertainment and event planning company that has been a cornerstone of the Greater Boston area for over 45 years. Steven is also a gifted pianist and Emcee. He has entertained for President Bill Clinton, the New England Patriots, and international audiences in Geneva, Switzerland, and Berlin, Germany. Through his dedication and passion for music and the arts Steven has built a legacy, bringing joy and unforgettable experiences to countless clients and audiences around the globe. Rose Conservatory is thrilled to have Steve serving as Board Treasurer & sharing his gifts with our program.
William Dickerson
Board Chair
Will Dickerson (he / him) serves as the Board Chair for Rose Conservatory. A dedicated social justice activist, passionate community organizer, and advocate for the arts and youth development, Will lives locally with his wife, Sequoria, and their two beautiful children
Murray Kidd
Board Member
Murray Kidd (he/ him), conductor and artistic director, is thrilled to be a board member & supporter of Rose Conservatory. He is the director of choral activities at Xaverian Brothers High School and has led Polymnia Choral Society of Melrose since 2009. As a choral educator, Murray has participated in a wide range of activities in Massachusetts. He led the choral department at UMASS Lowell for five years. While there, he prepared the University Choir for a collaboration with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops on a Sony DVD recording of Handel’s Messiah Rocks! by Jason Howland. Murray has performed as chorister and soloist with the Handel & Haydn Society and Boston Baroque under such notable conductors as Martin Pearlman, Grant Llewellyn, Robert Spano, and Christopher Hogwood. His mentors include Daniel Pinkham, Craig Smith, Martin Isepp, Nico Castel, James Jordan, and Terry Decima. Murray recently completed a second master’s degree in Sacred Music at Westminster College. He also holds degrees in vocal performance from the University of the Pacific (B.M.) and New England Conservatory (M.M.). He previously held choral/ vocal positions at Middleboro High School, Oliver Ames High School, New England Conservatory Preparatory, UMASS Boston, and Boston College
Tracie Allen
Board Member
Tracie (she/ her) was born and raised in Roxbury, Massachusetts. She graduated from Boston Technical High School and completed university studies. Upon graduation she worked for a non-profit research and development corporation for 6 years. After leaving that role she began to work for an international medical consulting firm for over 20 years. Married for 42 years, Tracie and her husband Ronald have raised 4 children and now she has the pleasure of being a “Mimi” of 5 grandchildren. Tracie currently works for an international school as the international coordinator. In addition to serving her community on the board of Rose Conservatory, Tracie is a also a member of The Salvation Army Joan Kroc Community Center where she has volunteered in various youth programs and activities.
Dr. Donald Running
Board Member
Dr. Donald Running (he/ him) is the Director of Bands at Bridgewater State University.
He is thrilled to be a part of the board of directors of Rose Conservatory.
Maggie Burrell
Board Member
Maggie Burrell (she/ her) is the mother of 4 amazing children, a teacher, a Rose Conservatory parent and a big lover of The Rose Conservatory. She enjoys spending time in nature with her family, making up fun songs with her kids and getting to share Shave Ice with the community in their families Shave Ice trailer. Maggie has experience as a home school educator & a Spirit medium. Maggie feels so fortunate and purposeful being a part of the Rose Conservatory village and she wholeheartedly supports the mission of providing equal access to arts education for all!
Malika Hale
Board Member
Malika Hale (she/ her) and her family have been a part of the Rose Conservatory family since the inception.
Malika received her education in the city of champions & works full-time as a service coordinator for a local Brockton business. In her free time Malika enjoys, reading, attending live concerts & supporting the arts.
Malika is enthusiastic about supporting the work of Rose Conservatory and especially enjoys seeing her daughter
Reagan shine brightly with all of her friends at the program!
Damontae Yassen
Board Member
Damontae (he/him) is a Brockton native, graduate of South Shore Regional Vocational High School and is currently studying architecture at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston where he holds the title of senator for Wentworth’s NSBE chapter. In addition to excelling in his rigorous educational commitments,, Damontae has taken time to serve the Rose Conservatory community by leading design workshops with the youth. Damontae has helped with countless events and serves as an informal mentor to our Roses, especially his own younger brother Dametrius, a talented Rose Conservatory musician & violinist.
Mark Finklestein
Board Member
Mark, a physician, retired in 2023 after 33 years in the private practice of gastroenterology in Brockton and Southeastern MA. Mark has been an active amateur musician throughout most of his life with a specialty in the double reed woodwind instruments. He has played oboe and English Horn with the Brockton Symphony Orchestra for almost go years and currently assumes the position of Principal Oboe with the orchestra, and he plays bassoon with the Quincy Symphony and has played with numerous orchestras and ensembles throughout southeastern MA for many years.
He also is a regular member of the Bespoke Consort ensemble, directed by Erik Lindgren and plays bassoon with a woodwind quintet in Boston. Mark has played in pit orchestras of community theatre productions throughout the South Shore for many years as a “doubler,” adding clarinet and saxes to his double reed instrumentation. In addition, Mark is an amateur pianist and has done musical arrangement in theatre productions. In addition to his musical activities Mark coaches primary school children in reading fluency and comprehension as part of an AARP program, and he takes courses at UMass Boston through the OLLI program. He is active in his Jewish congregation and is a Board member of several organizations. He still manages to find time to spend with his partner, Howard, his two adult daughters, Rachel and Anna, and his friends. At the Rose Conservatory, Mark volunteers as a piano and music theory teacher.
Lenora Benson
Board Member
Lenora Benson and her daughter have been part of the Rose Conservatory family since the inception. Lenora works full-time as a therapist at Lasell University, runs her own private practice part time, and continues to serve as a commissioned officer as a member of the Army National Guard for the last 21 years. Lenora appreciates the village Rose has created in her life and the crucial values that Rose continues to reinforce in her daughter Galene.
Staff Members
Laurel Gibau-Bala
Head of Academic Excellence
Laurel Gibau-Bala (she/ her) works currently as Rose Conservatory’s head of academic excellence & has been with the program since its first day in 2021. She identifies first & foremost as a teacher, parent, artist & social justice activist. Laurel is a 2014 graduate of MassArt & was a passionate home-school teacher for 7 years. More recently, she has served the Brockton community as an ESL & special ed. educator for the past 5 years. Laurel’s additional experience with curriculum development, program management & grant writing make her an asset to the Rose Conservatory team. Laurel is passionate about family, music, art, exploring cultures through travel & providing dynamic education. She believes in learning for ALL! Presently, Laurel is nearing completion of a specialized degree in leadership in early childhood education through Umass Amherst. This custom area of concentration encompasses the study of cognitive, emotional, social, & physical development of young children with an emphasis on mentoring teachers in developing and implementing curriculum & environments where all children can successfully succeed. Her particular focus is on serving the educational needs in urban/ marginalized communities & developing nonprofits to serve non-traditional educational needs. Laurel brings a robust repertoire of experience to Rose Conservatory including experience in: professional development of educators, psychology, Afro-American studies, social justice, ESL, supporting neuro-diverse learners, & special focus on alternative learning & teaching methods.
Lauren Selman-Kaptimer
Program Administrator
Lauren (she/ her), has been working with families in varying supportive capacities over the last 18 years. She earned her masters degree in child life & family centered care from Wheelock College in 2009 and her bachelors degree from Pratt Institute in 2005. At Rose Conservatory, Lauren supports with many organizational needs including program planning, youth enrollment, fundraising, event booking, picking up legos, and much more.
In addition to her work with Rose Conservatory, Lauren is a full spectrum doula & artist with most of her work focusing around fertility, loss and the complexity of power in medical & birth related decisions. Lauren is passionate about making this world more inclusive for neuro-diverse humans & building intentional community. In her free time, Lauren enjoys supporting the arts, going to see live music & spending time in the sunshine with her family. Lauren lives in Brockton with her husband, Henok, their 3 awesome kids & pupski. (Bunny-a cavapoo).
Jen Pearl
Voice Instructure
Jen Pearl has been teaching students of all ages for the last twenty years, in private as well as in choral settings.
As a teacher, she strives to guide each student, regardless of experience, to find their own true voice. Jen currently serves as Chair of the Voice Department at South Shore Conservatory, as Senior Voice Faculty at EKS Music School (Quincy, MA), voice teacher at Brockton’s Rose Conservatory, conductor of the Schiller Institute Chorus (Quincy, MA), all while maintaining a private vocal studio in her home. Having a strong connection to Brockton, Jen worked as an arts specialist in the Brockton public schools for five years through SSC’s ImagineArts program. As a singer, Jen is a freelance church ringer and recitalist and is most proud of her recent performance as a chorister with City Sing in the Handel and Haydn Society’s performances of Handel’s Messiah in 2024. When she’s not singing and conducting, Jen loves going hiking with her husband and pup, doing yoga, and reading.
Betsy Hinkle
String Instructor
Betsy Hinkle (she/ her) has performed throughout New England with orchestras and chamber ensembles, including the Boston Public Quartet, the Boston Ballet Orchestra, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and the Orchestra of Emmanuel Music. She founded the non-profit musiConnects and the Boston Public Quartet to address the lack of access to public music education and to connect, inspire and innovate as an ensemble-in-residence in Boston’s diverse neighborhoods.
As the creator of the curricula The Hinkle Approach Betsy is especially excited to work with the youngest learners at the Rose Conservatory, as well as introduce advanced skills and chamber music to the more experienced players. Since 2023 the BPQ is proud to be supported by the Brockton Local Cultural Council in our collaboration with Rose Conservatory. Betsy received her Master of Music in Violin Performance, as well as a Music in Education Concentration, in the studio of Nicholas Kitchen of the renowned Borromeo String Quartet. A native Floridian, she received her Bachelor of Music from the Florida State University, on full academic and music scholarships, and played in the Honors Piano Trio as a Liberace Scholar. She lives in Roslindale with her husband and two children and loves cooking, baking and gardening.
