About — Lincoln City Fellowship

Speranza Foundation is a private operating foundation established in 2008.

Today, its work is primarily expressed through the Lincoln City Fellowship, a community of professional artists built around the belief that artists make an essential contribution to the life of the world.

Years ago, Kathy invited a group of musician friends to record an album at her home on Lincoln City Road.

That experience became the seed of what would eventually become the Lincoln City Fellowship.

Since then, the Fellowship has grown into a nationwide community of artists working across music, literature, theatre, photography, visual art, film, and other creative disciplines. Fellows have released award winning albums, published books, created new theatre and film, and exhibited work around the world.

Through residencies, retreats, financial support, creative development, and ongoing connection, the Fellowship creates space for artists to step outside the demands of everyday life and reconnect with themselves, their work, and one another.

Our Team

Kathy Treat

Founder/President

Kathy Treat is the President of the Speranza Foundation which she founded in 2008. Her philanthropic work supports artists and other change makers who are engaged in restoring and inspiring humanity. Kathy is a member of World Vision’s Strong Women Strong World Council, a group of women committed to ending extreme poverty by empowering women and girls. Other areas of support include HIV/AIDS, clean water initiatives, and other equality projects. She lives in New York City.

Joey Borgogna

Executive Director

Joey Borgogna is a Los Angeles-based creative coach and producer at the intersection of art, philanthropy, culture and community.
As Executive Director of the Speranza Foundation, he has transformed the organization from a historic grant-giving entity into an operating foundation that leverages resources to serve a robust community of artists and humanitarians.
Drawing from his own background as an actor, talent agent, acting teacher and producer, he designs and facilitates customized programming, cohorts, coaching sessions, retreats, and convenings for artists and partners within Speranza’s core program, the Lincoln City Fellowship.
Prior to leading Speranza, Joey served as the long-standing Executive Program and Community Director at Creative Visions Foundation where he oversaw the fiscal sponsorship development and management of over 200 social impact media and arts projects, exhibitions, productions, and campaigns that addressed some of the most pressing global issues like: the environment, hunger, addiction, HIV/AIDS, education, happiness, housing, mental illness, and violence against women/girls.
He is founder of Novel Eye Productions where he collaborates with other clients like the Nomadic School of Wonder and Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles to create soulful stories + experiences that amplify intention + impact.
His work is inspired by many humanitarian and cultural expeditions spanning 21 countries on 5 continents. He holds degrees in Theater and Communications from the University of Southern California.

Lauren Borgogna

Board Chair

Lauren serves as Board Chair of the Speranza Foundation, having previously led the foundation’s operations and communications.
She is currently Sr. Strategy Leader, Family & Next Gen Engagement at World Vision U.S., an organization Speranza has supported over the years and continues to support. Her work builds on a longstanding commitment to initiatives that empower women and girls, including her previous service on the Advisory Council for World Vision’s Strong Women Strong World initiative.
Prior to her work in philanthropy, Lauren worked in digital marketing and brand strategy. Before that, she spent more than a decade in tiny theaters, audition rooms, and occasionally a medium sized stage, singing and dancing her heart out. She remains a passionate supporter of artists and the courage it takes to continually show up and create.
Lauren received her bachelor’s degree in Communication and Theatre from the University of California San Diego and also studied at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.

Alia Kache

Advisor

Alia Kache, a native of Chattanooga, TN, is a kinetic storyteller, dancer, educator, and costume designer that has dedicated her choreographic voice to creating honest, thought provoking theatrical experiences.
She first developed her dance habit at Center for Creative Arts and Chattanooga Ballet. After graduating from the Ailey/Fordham B.F.A. program in 2004, she subsequently joined Ailey II and also performed with Nathan Trice/RITUALS, Companhia de Dança Contemporânea (Alcobaça, Portugal), Opera Company Philadelphia, Dance Iquail!, Periapsis Music and Dance, and Camille A. Brown and Dancers.
Alia has appeared in Laurie Simon’s Music of Regret – Act III (pocket watch), Radio City Christmas Spectacular 75th Anniversary DVD, and Cordoniu Navidad 2007 (Barcelona, Spain). She was a featured dancer in Big League Theatricals’ Aida, and performed with Disney’s The Lion King (Gazelle and Rafiki Tours as well as Broadway).
Her choreography spans from self-produced evening-length works in notable international festivals with her own project-based company, Kachal Dance (Cistermúsica in Alcobaça, Portugal, Dance Gallery, and FringeNYC) to commissions for Ballet Memphis, Ailey II, Houston Contemporary, Chattanooga Ballet, and Associação de Dança de Leiria (Leiria, Portugal). Alia has choreographed and taught for Chattanooga Ballet, Towson University, Middle Tennessee State University, and The Ailey School. And created dances for contestants of the Miss Tennessee and Miss Georgia pageants (Miss America Organization), Broadway Cares, The Helping Hands Campaign, Academia de Dança de Alcobaça (Alcobaça, Portugal), and Associação de Dança de Leiria (Leiria, Portugal). Her work has also been seen at The Tank, DUMBO White Wave Festival, Dance Gallery Festival, Harlem Arts Festival, Bryant Park Presents Modern Dance, and FringeNYC.
As a mentor and educator, Alia has had the privilege of guiding the young talent of Ailey II as rehearsal director where she also assisted in choreographing “Against Their Will” for MTVu, and an industrial for Mercedes Benz at the New York International Auto Show. Alia is a proud Lincoln City Fellow, an artist in residence with RestorationART in Brooklyn, NY, and the 2021 Choreographic Fellow for BalletX! You can absolutely believe there is MORE TO COME!

Amy Cordileone

Advisor

Amy Cordileone is a graduate from the Program in Educational Theatre at New York University, where she earned both an M.A. and a Ph.D. She conducted her doctoral field research in northern Uganda during the summer of 2009; in the spring of 2010 she completed her dissertation, Remarkable Disruptions: Dialogues on Teaching and Learning through Drama in Northern Uganda. She received her B.A. in Theatre from the University of California at Irvine. Currently, Amy is an administrator, faculty member, and student-teaching supervisor at NYU Steinhardt.
Throughout her tenure at the university, Amy has been actively involved in the Program in Educational Theatre's Shakespeare Initiative, Theatrix!, and the international forums annually produced in the spring. She directed the Shakespeare Youth Ensemble's production of Two Noble Kinsmen (2009), co-produced An evening of Shakespearean Monologues and Scenes (2010), and is currently directing and choreographing the mainstage show, Alice: The Lookingglass Girl. She curated Instant Gratification: A 24-Hour play Festival (2009 and 2010), The Festival of 10-minute Plays (2009 and 2010), New Plays by Young Playwrights (2009), The Writer's Workshop (2008), and A Producer's Panel: Play Development for Regional, Off-Broadway, and Broadway Theatres (2008).
Additionally, Amy has enjoyed collaborating with the program faculty while designing the costumes for three Educational Theatre productions: The Giver (2009), Kindertransport (2008), and Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde (2007). Amy also works for the non-governmental organization Invisible Children (IC), primarily based in Uganda and The United States. In 2006, Amy founded The Teacher Exchange. She created the program for Invisible Children in conjunction with NYU, facilitating a study abroad opportunity for students in the Program in Educational Theatre. The Teacher Exchange aims to engender cross-cultural collaboration between international and Ugandan educators, all of whom volunteer their time and energy to the organization. Participants in this program partner in a team-teaching experience to explore educational possibilities in Ugandan classrooms and their individual contexts. Amy's publications include Dialogues of Dirt: An Exploration of Drama in the Curriculum, in Northern Uganda ( in Social Justice in Context, 2008) and Negotiating Aesthetics and Culture (in Concepts in Theatre/Drama Education, forthcoming).

Jeffrey Miller

Advisor

Jeff Miller has taught Theatre Arts in a collegiate setting for nearly 40 years, serving as department chair and receiving Distinguished Faculty recognition in several institutions. He was the co-founder and artistic director of The Refreshment Committee Theatre Company of St. Paul, Minnesota. He was also a writer and director for the live radio broadcast of Sunday Nite! on the Skylite Satellite Network and for six years following served as Director of Education for Lamb’s Players Theatre in San Diego.
His many directing credits include Macbeth; Guys and Dolls; Shadowlands; Edith Stein; Forgiving Typhoid Mary; Tartuffe; The Secret Garden; An Evening of Pinter; Love’s Labour’s Lost; Joyful Noise; Into The Woods; Growing Up Chris-tian; Metamorphoses; Lizzy, Darcy, and Jane; An Inspector Calls; On Common Ground (A Devising); Urinetown!; Blood and Gifts; She Loves Me; Freud’s Last Session, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. On his last sabbatical, Jeff directed a new musical, Life Goes On, for the Bucket Brigade in St. Paul, MN, and Wit, for Joining The Dots Theatre Company of Sydney, Australia. Recent highlights include Gordon’s first-ever Mini-Fringe Festival, Babette’s Feast, Titanic the Musical, White Guy On The Bus and A Doll's House, Part 2.

Christine Lai

Advisor

Christine Lai is a cross-sector collaboration catalyst, connecting capital, ideas, opportunities, and people for positive social change. Her imperative is bringing people together to build communities of belonging and creating access to opportunity.
At her core, Christine loves identifying and maximizing the true potential of individuals and organizations. Fueled by her passion for uniting people and purpose, Christine blends her experience in the private and social sector to build and strengthen collaboration among impact communities.
Over the past 5+ years, Christine has accompanied several foundations and worked behind-the-scenes on their community, ecosystem, and network strategies. Previously, Christine served as Chief of Staff with Delivering Happiness, a coachsultancy [hybrid coaching + consulting] creating more successful, sustainable cultures with corporations, governments, universities, and other organizations. She also has prior experience in education, hospitality, and sports.
Christine graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a BA in Political Science. She’s currently geo-flexible [in a different city every few days/week], and enjoys concerts, food, snowboarding, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Jeff Lund

Advisor

With more than 20 years of experience in live entertainment, immersive experiences, hospitality, and location-based entertainment (LBE), I’ve built my career around one core belief: the audience comes first.
As an operations and entertainment executive, I’ve helped lead fan-first experiences for globally recognized brands including The Walt Disney Company, Cirque du Soleil, Spiegelworld, Meow Wolf, and Netflix. My background spans experiential entertainment, live events, immersive attractions, guest experience strategy, and large-scale operational leadership.
I specialize in building and scaling high-performing teams, launching ambitious entertainment concepts, and creating emotionally connected fan experiences that drive long-term brand loyalty. My experience includes pre-opening operations, multi-department leadership, strategic partnerships, experiential marketing, and IP-driven entertainment environments.
I’m passionate about the future of immersive storytelling and the evolution of entertainment into participatory, fan-centered ecosystems. I thrive in growth-oriented environments where creativity, operational excellence, and innovation intersect.