Ted Nash Sextet: Presidential Suite, Eight Variations on Freedom

A unique musical composition that blends jazz with history and politics, composed by Grammy-winning saxophonist and long-standing member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. Inspired by famous political speeches, each movement of the Suite is tied to a different speech by world leaders, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill, and others, giving the words new resonance through music. 

Our guest speakers for the evening that will be reading these famous political speeches are all local leaders in the Long Island community:

• Sandra Krasnoff, Co-Chair, Tilles Center for the Performing Arts Board of Advisors — reading John F. Kennedy "Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You"
   
•  Sunny Thakkar, Artistic Director, Indo-American Arts Center — reading Jawaharlal Nehru "Tryst With Destiny"
   
•  Erika Floreska, President, LI Children’s Museum — reading Winston Churchill "We Shall Fight on the Beaches"
   
•  Winthrop Roosevelt, Great Grandson of Theodore Roosevelt of Tweed Roosevelt — reading Franklin D. Roosevelt "The Four Freedoms"
   
• Eric Krasnoff, Chairman, LIU Board of Trustees — reading Ronald Reagan "Tear Down This Wall"
   
•  Gina Wouters, President and CEO, Planting Fields Foundation — reading Aung San Suu Kyi’ "Freedom From Fear"
   
•  Dr. Gregory Barton, Dean, LIU Honors College and Global College — reading Lyndon B. Johnson "The American Promise"
   
•  Dr. Isma H. Chaudhry, MD. MPH, Past President & Chair, Islamic Center of LI — reading Nelson Mandela "The Time for the Healing of the Wounds Has Come"

Sandra R. Krasnoff, a graduate of NYU School Of Law, began her career specializing in Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions at the Wall Street firm of Carter, Ledyard and Milburn. She later joined Pall Corporation’s legal department, rising to Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, overseeing the S&P 500 company’s global legal, corporate governance, compliance and health and safety matters. 

Sandra is passionate about philanthropy and a strong advocate for education and the arts. In addition to Tilles Center, where she is Co-Chair of the Board of Advisors, she chairs the Board of Directors of Virtual Enterprises International (“VEI”). VEI is a non-profit whose year-long, credit bearing programs educate over 35,000 middle and high school students annually in 460 schools across the United States, over 100 of them on Long Island, with authentic business experiences in the class. By managing all aspects of their simulated businesses as if they were real world companies, with finance, marketing and HR departments, a C-suite, a connecting global banking network, several local, regional and national business competitions and trade shows, VEI students develop durable financial, business, technology and critical personal skills for college, work and life. 
 

Born into a musically inclined family in Gujarat, Sunny Thakker's journey began with the tabla, sparking a lifelong passion for Indian classical music. After moving to New York as a teenager, he deepened his commitment to preserving and promoting his cultural heritage.

With over 20 years of experience in radiation therapy, Sunny now serves as Clinical Coordinator and Faculty at Manhattan University, mentoring the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Beyond medicine, he has made a lasting mark in the arts. Through his company, Sneh Arts (sneharts.com), he has curated and presented numerous concerts featuring maestros and emerging artists. As Artistic Director of Music for the Indo-American Arts Council (IAAC), he curates their annual music festival, amplifying South Asian arts and culture (iaac.us).

Through the Sneh Arts Foundation, Sunny furthers this mission by supporting performances, education, and cultural exchange between India and the U.S., ensuring Indian classical, folk, and contemporary arts reach and inspire global audiences. 

Erika Floreska is President of the Long Island Children’s Museum, where she leads with a commitment to fostering creativity, curiosity, and community through the power of play. A former flutist turned arts leader, she has spent more than 30 years guiding some of New York’s most dynamic cultural organizations including the Bloomingdale School of Music and Tectonic Theater Project. She also spent more than a decade at Jazz at Lincoln Center, where she helped expand the organization’s education and community engagement programs, connecting audiences around the world to the art form. Erika believes the arts are a bridge for learning and connection, and holds degrees in Flute Performance from The College of Wooster and the University of Michigan.

Eric Krasnoff led Pall Corporation, an S&P 500 global innovator in the fields of high tech filtration, separation and purification, serving customers across the Life Sciences and Industrial landscapes. There he served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer for 17 years prior to retirement.

His lifetime philanthropic and non-profit board service is broad-based. From having served on the boards of The Nature Conservancy, Planned Parenthood, The Boys and Girls Club, Winthrop Hospital, The Children’s Museum, Old Westbury Gardens and others, to now chairing the Board of Trustees at Long Island University. Krasnoff is also a board member of Jazz at Lincoln Center where he sits on its Nominating and Governance and Audit committees. The Krasnoff Theater at Tilles Center is named for Eric and Sandra Krasnoff.

Gina J. Wouters is President and CEO of Planting Fields Foundation. Her focus is on the preservation and revitalization of historic sites, with an emphasis on estates from the Gilded Age and Country Place Era. Prior to joining Planting Fields, Gina was Curator of Vizcaya Museum and Gardens in Miami, Florida, a National Historic Landmark, followed by Vice President of Museum Affairs and Chief Curator at Cheekwood Estate and Gardens in Nashville, Tennessee. Her degrees include a B.F.A. in Photography from Barry University, an M.A. in Dutch Art in a European Context from the Universiteit van Amsterdam in her native country, the Netherlands, and a Ph.D. in Museum Studies from the University of Leicester in the UK. She has curated numerous exhibitions as well as site-specific commissions from artists such as Mark Dion, David Brooks, Diana Al-Hadid, and others, and has published extensively on related subjects. 

Gregory W. Barton, Ed.D., serves as the Dean of the Honors College and Global College at Long Island University. Dr. Barton received his doctorate from Johns Hopkins University, specializing in Entrepreneurial Leadership in Education. His research focuses on improving college readiness through arts, athletics, and family engagement. As a former college athlete and practicing artist, Dr. Barton is passionate about helping students succeed by building college readiness skills in extracurricular activities.

Before completing his doctorate, Dr. Barton received his master's in Historic Preservation from the Savannah College of Art and Design and his bachelor's degree in sculpture and art history from Washington and Lee University. Dr. Barton has served as a Director of Student Affairs and Associate Dean of Students, and also has extensive teaching and coaching experience at the high school and college levels, both domestically and internationally.
 

A physician by profession, Isma Chaudhry, MD., MPH completed her Internal medicine training at the Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center. She has served as an Associate at the Metropolitan Center for Sleep Medicine. Isma serves as the Executive in Residence, Graduate Public Health Programs at Hofstra University. Her study of interests in Public Health are Healthcare Infrastructure in Developing Countries, Ethnic Barriers to Primary Care, Minority and immigrant Health, and Healthcare Disparities in the US. She also works as a diversity, inclusion, and cultural humility consultant at various government and private organizations.

Isma is an interfaith activist and an advocate for equity and social justice. She has been actively involved with the Islamic Center of Long Island for over 20 years. In 2015, she was elected the Center’s first female president and, in 2018, the first female chairperson.
 

In addition to her advocacy, she has extensive public appearances and speaking engagements to her credit, including the United Nations Conference on Islamophobia, Grassroots Models for Interfaith Engagements, United States Institute of Peace, United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention, and the Responsibility to Protect, the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers, and Healthcare and Building Community Coalitions @ Engagement Institute. Isma works tirelessly to support local communities and serves on various nonprofit and governmental boards.

She is a founding member of the Interfaith Refugee Resettlement Coalition, “Upholding Humanity.” In 2019, she launched her nonprofit, Waris Foundation, to serve distressed global communities. She has served on the Health Equity Taskforce—Northwell Health since 2020.

Isma has been listed in the Long Island Press Power List 2015 - 2023 among the most influential Long Islanders (Power 50), and in 2021, was inducted into the LI Press Hall of Fame. She has been recognized by City & State 2021 Long Island Power 100.
 

She aspires to build bridges of mutual respect and move beyond “just tolerance” by celebrating the diversity of tradition, culture, and religion.