President Emeritus: Julia Valent

Board of Directors

The board of directors of Avant Garde Academy® Foundation Inc. is comprised of the following individuals:

Maria Diaz Kremer – Chairperson:

Maria Diaz Kremer is a passionate professional with deep community roots and over 25 years of experience with Fortune 500 companies. During her career she has excelled in professional development roles and takes pride in the growth and development of the people she has worked with. Ms. Diaz Kremer has earned great experience on the needs of culturally diverse populations and the communications needs of all stakeholders, including minorities.

Ms. Diaz Kremer is a dedicated volunteer and leader in several South Florida based community, non-profit organizations. She has been an active parent in her children’s education and parent-based groups in the public-school setting. Ms. Diaz Kremer is an ardent believer in the power of shared education to lift the

spirit and future of children.

Mark Riedmiller – Treasurer:

Mark Riedmiller is a semi-retired 30 plus year South Florida resident. Mark is married with two children who currently attend college in Coral Gables. He is active in the community and historically very involved in the public-school system and local community regarding the environment and development.

With four decades of rich diverse experience in leading sales teams and organizational operations, Mark has driven execution and growth, transformed operations, performance and teams and developed solutions for high-stakes issues, through creativity, innovation and resourcefulness. He spent a few years in HR, giving him a unique perspective in the process of employment, recruitment, training, compensation, and retention in a union environment. His background ranges from Fortune 100 corporations to small business, giving him a valuable perspective of both when making decisions.

​​​​​​​Throughout his career and personally, Mark is known for his values: Dependability, Commitment, Loyalty, and Open-mindedness. Additionally, ensuring that ethical guidelines are recognized and adhered to. Mark studied at Miami Dade College’s Associate of Arts program. Mark enjoys cycling, swimming and is an avid hiker.

Marc Spiegelman – Secretary:

Recognized for his innovative leadership and consultative selling techniques, Spiegelman is a tenacious, business-savvy sales and marketing executive with a career that spans over 30 years – one that has consistently delivered record-setting sales results and equipped him with vast corporate insight.

Spiegelman is a marketer and a senior sales executive who has guided, inspired, and leveraged large-scale sales organizations. His handpicked teams have been comprised of industry experts who led sales divisions within the United States. His success has been two-fold, as he is known for maximizing top-line revenue while positioning clients and corporations for dominance in the hyper-local marketplace.

Currently, Spiegelman heads-up Baptist Health Foundation’s HEAT. HELP.CURE initiative. HEAT.HELP. CURE. a partnership between the Miami HEAT and Baptist Health South Florida, raising awareness and critical funds for Miami Cancer Institute as it strives to achieve its vision of a world without cancer.

Spiegelman has been awarded multiple designations, distinctions, and prestigious honors throughout his career. Most notably, YP created an award specifically to recognize his unparalleled performance in the areas of leadership, culture and voice entitled, The LAVA Award.

Spiegelman has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Miami. With a well-rounded community and civic presence, he has held many local leadership positions. Marc resides in Miami with his wife Danielle and their three children: Logan, Austin, and Ethan.

Ron Legler – Member:

Ron Legler is the President of the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center home of the iconic Hippodrome Theatre in downtown Baltimore. Ron moved from Orlando Florida where he served as President/CEO of Florida Theatrical Association. Of his many accolades, Ron was recently recognized as Orlando Business Journal’s Most Influential Businessman (Non-Profit) and the Downtown Orlando Partnership’s Downtowner of the Year (DOTY). He also was awarded the Debbie Simmons Community Service Award by the Metropolitan Business Association of Orlando in 2013 for his contributions and activism. Ron was also awarded the 2014 Distinguished Alumnus of the year by his alma mater Thiel College in Greenville Pennsylvania.

In addition to his duties as an appointed board member of See Art Orlando, Ron is also extremely active in the Orlando community, as a member of Leadership Orlando – Class of 55 and is a member and Tony voting member of the Broadway League. Ron has previously served on the local Downtown Performing Arts Center Arts Groups Advisory Board, Vice President of the Central Florida Performing Arts Alliance, was Chairman of the Downtown Arts District, Vice President of the Central Florida Performing Arts Alliance, and Vice Chairman of Orlando’s International Fringe Festival.

Aside from his work with FTA, Ron has helped to spearhead the revitalization of the South Eola district of downtown by purchasing 25,000 square feet of space in The Sanctuary. Ron developed new offices in this space and opened two amazing new entertainment venues, The Abbey and The MEZZ. He formed a partnership with the surrounding businesses and branded the area the new “Eola Square.” Ron has worked with the Orlando Ballet, Orlando Philharmonic, and the Central Florida Jazz Society to develop intimate programs in The Abbey and The MEZZ that attract new patrons and give donors a closer look into the artistic side of the organizations, all in a risk-free rental environment.

In his 13+ years as the leader of FTA, Ron has doubled the number of season ticket holders, making Orlando one of the country’s top one-week Broadway markets. He also works with Broadway producers to attract the best possible touring shows to the Orlando market. Ron took FTA from debt in 2001 to assets over $6 million including a $1.2 million dollar endowment.

Marcelo Bianchi-Montana – Member:

Marcelo is the founder and president of Mai Creative Llc.

He has 20 years of experience providing business consulting and coaching services to non-profit organizations, government agencies and Fortune 500 companies in Latin America, Puerto Rico, and Miami. He has worked for many diverse organizational sectors including advertising, consumer marketing, energy, finance, payroll, government agencies, public relations, and sports teams. He is an expert in the topics of Creativity, Leadership and Personal – Executive – Athletic Effectiveness.

Marcelo is Professional Coach Certified, has a master’s degree in marketing and a minor in management from Universidad de Palermo – Buenos Aires and he has received advanced training in International Marketing at the MIT Sloan School of Management. He is also certified as a Soccer Coach by FIFA. (Federation Internationale de Football Association) In addition, he has several certifications as a corporate trainer, specializing in education and human development. He is a member of ICF and participates in the South Florida (VP International membership) and Argentina (Founding Member) Chapters, as well as Coaches en Español among other organizations. In January of 2014, Marcelo received a certificate of recognition for becoming the first Professional Certified Coach (PCC) in the City of Doral, Florida and for being the first Hispanic in Miami-Dade County to hold this title from the ICF. (International Coach Federation) In addition, Marcelo presents a monthly seminar, “Personal Coaching Skills for Life Optimization” offered by Life Well LED program for Florida International University (FIU).

Marcelo lives in Miami, FL., was born in Argentina and offers consulting and coaching services in Spanish and English. He has involved with a prestigious network of International coaches and consulting entities in a wide array of specialties that allow him to respond to any challenges or needs his clients may have.