Management and Staff
Darrian Douglas
Executive Director
darrian@jazzforumarts.org
Darrian Douglas is a drummer, composer, and arts leader dedicated to building community through music and connecting audiences of all ages to the spirit of jazz.
As Executive Director of Jazz Forum Arts, he guides the organization’s overarching strategic vision, fundraising initiatives, partnerships, and artist bookings. Previously, while serving as Director of Programs, he successfully led the organization’s free summer outdoor concert series and education programs.
Originally from Jackson, Mississippi, Darrian developed his career in New Orleans and New York City, performing with renowned artists, including Ellis Marsalis, and leading creative projects that bridge performance and education.
Darrian is the founder and former Executive Director of Second Line Arts Collective, a nonprofit focused on music education and career sustainability for young artists.
His leadership reflects a lifelong commitment to expanding access to jazz, nurturing emerging talent, and creating spaces where artists and audiences can grow together.
Clara Winder
Chief Operating Officer
clara@jazzforumarts.org
Clara Winder joined the Jazz Forum Arts team in the fall of 2017. Growing up in Dobbs Ferry, Clara was first introduced to live jazz through Jazz Forum Arts’ free summer concerts at the Dobbs Ferry waterfront. These concerts fostered her deep appreciation for live music’s ability to strengthen bonds within a community.
As Chief Operating Officer, Clara oversees the core administrative and operational functions of the club and the overall non-profit. She brings a wealth of institutional knowledge to this leadership role, having previously served as both Marketing Director and Operations Manager, where she managed promotional campaigns, branding, communications, and daily administration.
Clara took on the role of Online Productions Manager during the pandemic, engineering over a hundred weekly livestreams at artists’ homes and six premium live streams at the Jazz Forum. She relished the opportunity to share her live-streaming knowledge with artists and create a new space for our community to connect through music.
Clara is passionate about fulfilling Jazz Forum Arts’ mission to make live music accessible to all in the community.
Isak Edblad
Marketing & Program Manager
isak@jazzforumarts.org
Since joining Jazz Forum Arts in 2018, Isak Edblad has focused on long-term strategy and growth, developing initiatives that connect the organization with its community.
Isak combines technology, content, and communication to execute the organization’s strategic vision. He has a proven ability to oversee initiatives from the drawing board to reality, ensuring every project is delivered with precision and purpose.
Drawing on an international background in marketing and media production, he manages the organization’s advertising, fundraising, and web development.
His passion for building community extends to the next generation of jazz lovers. He founded Jazz Forum Arts’ first, and award-winning, early childhood program Jitterbugs: Jazz for Kids, and developed the Jazz Forum Student Combo program. It’s a role he was personally drawn to, inspired by his own experience as a father.
Sheri Levine
Finance Manager
sheri@jazzforumarts.org
Sheri Levine has an impressive and varied professional background. After becoming a Certified Public Accountant and graduating from law school, Sheri worked in an accounting firm and then became an executive in international film distribution and then back in the world in finance. She was one of the founders and partners in Forward Entertainment- an international distribution company focusing on documentary and independent films.
For the past decade, Sheri has been an independent financial professional with diverse Westchester and New York-based clients. Sheri is a dedicated tennis player, dog-lover and music aficionado. Jazz Forum Arts constantly taps Sheri’s wide-ranging expertise and is lucky to have this talented professional and lover of the arts on the team.
John Chambal
Chef and Kitchen Manager
John grew up in Elmsford, attended Tarrytown schools and was friends with Charlie Breitenbach, whose family owned a wholesale bakery for 40 years on the site of the Jazz Forum. John moved to Austin, Texas where he advanced through the Hyatt kitchen management program before returning to Tarrytown as a baker for caterer Abigail Kirsch. He then had two businesses for a decade each: Custom Cuisine Catering and then Good Food Restaurant in Briarcliff Manor.
John spends off hours running an organic farm at Congregation Sons of Israel in Briarcliff Manor, the seasonal source of much of the produce used at the Jazz Forum. He also races sailboats, kayaks and loves eagle-sighting on the Hudson.
Contributing Photographers & Videographers
Thank you to the following photographers who have supported Jazz Forum Arts and enriched the community with their talent.