Board of directors

Former MMC Executive Director and Columbia Chapter President — Senior Vice President, D. E. Shaw Group

Julian Vleeschhouwer is an associate at Cleary Gottlieb in New York City. He is a graduate of Georgetown Law and Columbia University, where he served as Treasurer of MMC’s Columbia Chapter. He plays piano and trumpet, and in his free time enjoys attending operas and other classical music performances. 

Senior Director, Financial Information Systems at Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Zila is an anti-money laundering and U.S. sanctions specialist with Linklaters. Zila is an adjunct professor at Fordham Law School, teaching a course in anti-money laundering. She is also a member of the Líderes Board of LatinoJustice PRLDEF, a national not-for-profit Latino civil rights legal defense fund, and a deputy president for Region II of the Hispanic National Bar Association. Ms. Acosta-Grimes received a J.D. from Columbia Law School in 2015.

Rachael Holloway is an Executive Recruiter at ThinkingAhead Executive Search, specializing in placing transformative leaders within arts and music nonprofit organizations nationwide. She brings 10 years of combined experience in music education, performance, and organizational leadership, with a proven record of fostering talent, building strong teams, and driving mission-focused outcomes. Before transitioning into executive search, Rachael spent 10 years as a conductor, music educator, and program leader, directing award-winning ensembles, developing innovative curricula, and doubling program enrollment through community engagement. Rachael holds a Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Music Education from the University of Tennessee at Martin and a Master’s degree in Choral Music Education from Florida State University. She resides in Sebastian, Florida, with her husband and their two dogs, and remains an active performer and private vocal instructor. Her passion lies in ensuring that access to quality music education and mentorship continues to thrive for the next generation of musicians and leaders.

Former Columbia MMC Chapter President

Peter M. Susser has been on the Board of Directors at MMC since 2015. As a MMC Grand Mentor he offers expertise in composition, theory, musicianship, and music pedagogy. Susser is the Director of Musicianship at both Columbia University and the American Musical and Dramatic Academy – NY (AMDA). This year at Columbia he researched how neurodiverse communities are taught music and incorporated those findings into a new musicianship curriculum.

Katie graduated from NYU Steinhardt in May 2020 with a B.M. in Music Education. During her time at NYU, she co-founded the Musical Mentors Collaborative Club at NYU (previously, the organization was only a chapter at NYU). She also served as its President during the 2019-2020 school year. Katie was also an instructor with MMC, and taught piano and general music for three years. Outside of MMC, Katie works as a music teacher at Partnership Schools in the Bronx, and teaches general music for grades K-8.