Broward Performing Arts Foundation Announces New Board Members

The Broward Performing Arts Foundation has announced four new board members and a new Planned Giving Committee Chair.

Joining the Broward Performing Arts Foundation board are:

Robert Esposito, CPA, Chief Financial Officer and member of the board of directors of Stiles, has more than 35 years of experience in the financial sector. He is responsible for all financial reporting, accounting, tax and budgeting areas, as well as the administrative, information technology and risk management functions for all Stiles departments and the company’s real estate investment portfolio. With Stiles, he has deployed effective cost containment and financial reporting systems across all levels of the organization to help drive profitability. Prior to joining Stiles in 1994 as controller, Esposito worked in public accounting as an audit and tax manager for seven years, assisting a wide range of clients, including real estate development firms, REIT’s, financial institutions, hospitality industry and construction companies. A resident of Coral Springs, he serves on the board of directors for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce and FSU Real Estate Center and sits on the NSU Accounting and Advisory Board. He holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Florida State University and is a Certified Public Accountant

Rana Ghosh, Chief Transformation Officer of Spirit, has led multiple commercial roles during his nine-year tenure at the airline, including ancillary revenue, eCommerce, loyalty and guest care, over a period of incredible growth. Prior to Spirit, Ghosh held leadership roles in the energy and banking sectors both in Canada and the United States. Originally from Toronto, Ghosh has been an ardent supporter of the arts in Fort Lauderdale since he moved to Broward in 2012. A proud alumnus of the University of Toronto, his wife Chantell is also involved in the arts, serving as Chief Marketing Officer for Miami City Ballet.

Charles Ladd is chair of the Downtown Development Authority and currently serves as a board member of numerous City of Fort Lauderdale and downtown organizations. For more than 30 years, Ladd has been heavily involved in the improvement and revitalization efforts of downtown Fort Lauderdale and Las Olas Boulevard. As a longtime resident and developer in Fort Lauderdale, he has been instrumental in the implementation of the city’s commercial growth over the years and through his developments, has created special places and spaces for current and future generations. His most notable current development project is The Whitfield Hotel on Las Olas Boulevard.

Returning to the board is Gary Wendt, who has supported the Broward Center since 2010 with leadership gifts to the Encore! Capital Campaign to name the Wendt Terraces at the Center and The Parker campaign to name The Place To Be, the exclusive donor lounge at that theater. Wendt has served as chairman of Deerpath Capital Management and the company’s investment committee; chairman and CEO of GE Capital; and chairman and CEO of Conseco, where he led the company’s restructuring. In addition to the Broward Center, Wendt has been extensively involved in the community serving on the Florida Polytechnic University board of trustees where he chaired the Strategic Planning Committee, the State of Florida Investment Advisory Council, the executive committee of the Boys and Girls Club of America and the board and executive committee of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Broward County. He also served as a director of the Broward Workshop. Wendt graduated from the University of Wisconsin and earned his MBA from Harvard Graduate School of Business.

“I am thrilled to welcome four very accomplished, experienced, passionate arts advocates to our board,” said Broward Performing Arts Foundation President Lisa Kitei, “and I look forward to working with them to advance the mission of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.”

The Foundation’s new Planned Giving Committee chair is James (Jim) LaBate. A seasoned investor with more than 40 years of experience in the finance and investment fields, LaBate spent a significant part of his career in finance and asset management for two large investment banks. He has invested in, sponsored and sold numerous companies, funded through private equity and debt investment, in the technology, entertainment, security, agriculture and medical industries. He has also consulted, negotiated, and funded real estate projects throughout the southeastern U.S. Active in the community, LaBate is a past chair of the Association of Corporate Growth, Broward College Foundation, Bonnet House and Broward Community Foundation. In addition to the board of the Broward Performing Arts Foundation, he has also served as a board member of the Coral Ridge Yacht Club, Nova’s Oceanographic School, Fort Lauderdale Parks and Recreation, YMCA of South Florida, Florida House and the Executive’s Association of Fort Lauderdale. He is a graduate of Leadership Broward.

For nearly 40 years, the Broward Performing Arts Foundation has been instrumental in providing support for the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. The Foundation was established in 1985 to deliver the required private funding to build the Center and create an endowment to sustain its operations. Over the years, the Foundation has successfully raised funds to support the Broward Center’s innovative and diverse programming, arts-in-education initiatives, community engagement activities and capital projects.  In the decade between 2010 and 2020, the Foundation successfully completed two capital campaigns raising nearly $100 million to restore, renovate and renew the Broward Center campus and the Parker Playhouse (now known as The Parker).

For more information about the Broward Performing Arts Foundation, call 954-468-3284 or email Foundation@BrowardCenter.org.