MIAMI, FLA.- The Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami welcomes the addition of three new members to its Board of Trustees. Led by William M. Lehman, Jr. as chairman of the Board, the new board members include Christopher Carter, Daniel Salas and Sebastien Scemla.
The growth of MOCA’s Board reflects the recent excitement that the museum has experienced under Executive Director Chana Sheldon’s leadership, since she joined the museum in January 2018. In the past year, MOCA has again achieved accreditation by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM), the highest national recognition afforded the nation’s museums. The museum has presented critically acclaimed exhibitions and expanded educational and public programming that has facilitated cultural engagement and fostered connection with the local community, as well as the global dialogue in contemporary art. MOCA’s 2018 Miami Art Week exhibition, “AFRICOBRA: Messages to the People” was selected as an official Collateral Event of the Biennale Arte 2019, marking the first exhibition from South Florida to be represented in the prestigious La Biennale di Venezia held in Italy. MOCA has also been recognized with a grants and awards from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation including the 2019 Knight Arts Challenge Miami.
“MOCA’s Board of Trustees is a representation of highly esteemed individuals who are deeply rooted in our region, and dedicated to promoting the museum’s mission of bringing contemporary art to diverse audiences,” said Sheldon. “I am grateful to work with this incredible team, as we continue to expand the museum’s offerings and build its legacy.”
The full board includes William M. Lehman, Mayor Philippe Bien-Aime, Christopher Carter, Peggy Hollander, Dr. Rudolph Moise, Marc Napolitano, Dr. Larry Pierre, Clark Reynolds, Daniel Salas and Sebastien Scemla.
Lehman, chairman of the Board of Trustees, is president of Lehman Dealerships Enterprises. Lehman’s father, Congressman William Lehman, was responsible, in part, for securing a $2.5 million HUD grant to build MOCA. Lehman’s mother, Joan Lehman, has donated artworks to MOCA’s permanent collection and her name is on the building. In 1967, he took over management of his family-owned Buick dealership in North Miami, which his father operated in North Miami since 1936. Since that time, Lehman has owned many automobile dealerships. Lehman is very active in the community, having served as the president of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, executive vice president of the Board of Directors of Florida International University, as well as the president of the South Florida Auto Dealers Association and the Michael Ann Russell Jewish Community Center. He was awarded the Automotive Lifetime Dealer Achievement Award at the Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance on Feb. 9, 2020.
Mayor Philippe Bien-Aime, Mayor of North Miami, has worked in all aspects of the automobile industry for almost 20 years. Since 1999, he has been a strong community advocate throughout South Florida, supporting and promoting political involvement and lobbying for immigration-related issues.
Christopher Carter’s career spans over 30 years, where he has a diverse repertoire, having spent 18 years within the entertainment industry before transitioning to the sculptural focus he maintains today. Throughout his career, Carter has been an active community leader, lending his experience to organizations for social and technological development. Carter’s sculptural work has been exhibited at the Prism Art Fair for the past three consecutive years, alongside Scope and Pulse Art Fairs within Art Basel Miami Beach. Beyond this, he has also been displayed at museums and galleries nationwide, his exhibitions reaching deep into the Midwest and East Coasts with displays from The Grand Rapids Art Museum in Michigan to acquisitions by the Smithsonian National Museum of African American Culture in Washington DC, as well as exhibits within the heart of the West Coast where he made his start, at spaces such as the Museum of African Diaspora (SF) and California African American Museum (LA).
Peggy Hollander, founder and managing partner of The Succession Group, has spent more than 20 years in the field of succession planning not only for financial assets, but for other valuables such as art collections. Hollander is an active philanthropist and involved in a number of civic and cultural organizations.
Dr. Rudolph Moise is president and medical director of Comprehensive Health Center, treating more than 25,000 patients in the local community. Dr. Moise has spent his life dedicating himself to the principles of family, scholarship, entrepreneurship and philanthropy. He is a successful businessman and was awarded the “Black Business of the Year Award” by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and the “Community Leadership Award” in 2004.
Marc Napolitano is a commercial real estate developer and in 1983 founded Napolitano Commercial Properties, a management and investment company. He has served on many boards including the Miami Board of Realtors Commercial Ethics Committee, Miami Dade County Task Force 2000 which implemented the Land Use Development Plan of North Dade, and much more.
Dr. Larry Pierre is the executive director for the Center for Haitian Studies, Health and Human Services. He is also the president and CEO of the Greater Miami Health Education and Training Center (GMHETC). Dr. Pierre is most widely known for his work in the tremendous work he has done in HIV/AIDS prevention.
Clark Reynolds of Museum Plaza, LLC, has been a leading advocate for the redevelopment of NoMi. He was the first chair of the North Miami Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Advisory Board. Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors for the North Miami Educational Foundation, Inc. and North Miami Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board. He is also a founding member of SAVE Dade, the countywide gay and lesbian political organization.
Daniel Salas is the vice president and general council for Sole Mia where he is responsible for the oversight of the 184-acre Sole Mia mixed use community project. Prior to joining Sole Mia, Salas was in-house counsel for another major developer in Florida where he served as legal director for all development and construction projects. He has extensive experience in all aspects of the development, construction and operation of real estate, with an emphasis on mixed use projects, transit oriented development and residential communities. His clients have included real estate developers, institutional investors and lenders, condominium and homeowner associations and construction industry professionals.
Sebastien Scemla is a fashion designer, creative entrepreneur, and CEO of Scemla Realty Group. With over 25 years of experience in the fashion industry, Scemla has shaped entire brands around his keen eye for classic aesthetics with a modern edge. It is, perhaps, that very same design philosophy that primed him to work at the forefront of developing Miami’s unique sense of style and culture. Having brokered over $100 million dollars in real estate deals over the last years, Scemla’s operations gave way to major developments that helped shape now-iconic areas in Miami such as the Design District. Today, he continues to identify neighborhoods with high potential, which has led to him focusing his attention on Miami Shores and North Miami which now serve as the home of his corporate headquarters.
