Jane Guerino was an adopted child who was sexually abused from the age of four to nine. At age 30, Ms. Guerino was abducted and was held for five months without clothing in a frigid cold basement, where she was terrorized and tortured. She was then sold to different sex traffickers for two years until her escape. Ms. Guerino suffered immense deprivation and violence while captive. Today, she helps abused, trafficked, and incarcerated girls and women through Glory House, the organization she founded.
“My voice and hope were taken from me, but through your generous support of The Spero Foundation I can hope and heal and will speak my truth!”
Karen Books is a Communication Specialist, Speech-Language Pathologist, and Child Advocate. Karen has worked with children of all ages for over 2 decades. She has a Master’s Degree in Communicative Disorders/Speech-Language Pathology, with a minor in Psychology. Karen has extensive experience in working with children, parents, families, and all aspects of the related education and medical fields. Karen is also an author. Additionally, she has over 10 years of sales, training, and management experience, as well as a multiple award winner in medical sales.
A graduate of Philadelphia’s Academy of Vocal Arts, bass-baritone Keith Miller joined the Metropolitan Opera in 2006. He made his Met debut on opening night of Peter Gelb’s first season as The Imperial Commissioner in Anthony Minghella’s HD production of Madama Butterfly.
Since then, he has sung in over 300 performances for the company. He has developed a close relationship with the Metropolitan Opera over the past several seasons, appearing in its new productions of Ballo in Maschera, Anna Bolena, Carmen, Armida, Tosca, Salome, Madama Butterfly, Il Trittico, Two Boys, Macbeth, and the Grammy Award Nominated Eugene Onegin, all of which were featured in the popular The Met: Live in HD series, as well as his broadcast performances of the remounts of Turandot and Fanciulla del West. Additionally he was a featured soloist in the Metropolitan Opera’s inaugural Summer Recital Series in New York and appeared in its recent revivals of Billy Budd as well as performances in Manon Lescaut, Aida, Andrea Chenier, Arabella, Rigoletto, War and Peace, Faust, Die Zauberflöte and Ernani, to name a few. This season Miller makes his debut at Boston Symphony and the Philadelphia Opera in Salome and returns to the Met next season in Un Ballo In Maschera and Carmen as well as returning to Nashville Opera for Riolobo in Florencia en el Amazonas and Don Giovanni in Don Giovanni at Opera Guadalajara. Other upcoming engagements include his venture into Wagner as Marke in Tristan und Isolde, Donner in Das Rheingold, Colline la bohème, Scarpia in Tosca, concert tour in Beijing, Macao, Savannah, and Nassau.
Other recent opera engagements have included Sarastro Die Zauberflöte at Nashville Opera, Riolobo in Florencia en Amazonas at Opera Colorado, Sarastro in Mozart’s The Magic Flute at the Seattle Opera, his debut as Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Florida Grand Opera, the Bonze in Madama Butterfly at the Washington National Opera, the Bonze in Madama Butterfly and Monterone in Rigoletto, and Ramphis in Aida at the Portland Opera, Leporello, Monterone and Sparafucile in Rigoletto and Don Basilio in Il barbiere di Siviglia with the Crested Butte Music Festival; Alidoro in La Cenerentola with the Fargo-Moorhead Opera, the Bonze with Emerald City Opera, Colline in La bohème with the Poughkeepsie Opera, and Don Alfonso with Oberlin in Italy.
He also made his film debut in NOAH starring Russell Crowe, Emma Watson, Jennifer Connelly and Anthony Hopkins and has recently wrapped filming with Zach Quinto in AARDVARK. Mr. Miller has also been cast in several commercials and was the “Voice of God” announcer for the United Nations earlier this year.
Mr. Miller’s many concert engagements have included his debut with the New York Philharmonic in two special concert performances at the New York Armory, Berlioz’ L’Enfance du Christ with the Utah Symphony, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Fanshawe Chorus London in Ontario, Colline in a concert version of La Bohème with the Rockford Symphony, and Handel’s Messiah with the Chamber Opera of Philadelphia, the bass soloist in Rossini’s Stabat Mater, Handel’s Messiah with the New Choral Society, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Bucks County Choral Society and the Fanshawe Chorus in London, Ontario, CA, and Mozart’s Vesperae de Dominica and Requiem with the Blackburn Chorus and Symphony in Ottawa, Ontario, CA. In 2009, he partook in a weeklong residency with the Savannah Children’s Choir that culminated in a recital and performance with the choir and returned for a second residency and recital in 2011.
He served as the Crested Butte Music Festival’s Director for Opera and its Opera Young Artist Program for the Crested Butte Music Festival in Colorado for the past 6 years, and has elevated the program to the point that students apply from around the world and the program is garnering an international reputation with world class singers like Samuel Ramey and Joyce DiDonato doing master classes at his invitation. Mr. Miller now brings this experience to The Bahamas International Opera Festival, where he now serves as the Artistic Director as well as the Traverse City Wine and Opera Festival where he is the General and Artistic Director. He is also the Guest Director for the Savannah Children’s Choir Annual Gala a post he has served for the past 6 years.
Drawing on his professional sports training, Miller has also founded Puissance Training, a progressive new way of looking at opera today that focuses as much on the physical conditioning of singers as the vocal.
Miller was appointed Treasurer of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) in June 2011. Previously, he served on AGMA’s Board of Governors for two years as well as its board of treasurers. The prestigious appointment entails Miller overseeing all checks, deposits and monies.
Before studying voice at the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts, Miller played professional football for 5 years and had the honor of being an Olympic Torch Bearer for the 1996 Games in Atlanta. He is a native of Ovid, CO.
TBA
I was 32 when I hit rock bottom ..i had no place to go… I needed help to get off drugs and alcohol. When I got out of a treatment center that was when the real work started…( I was a boy trapped in a man’s body) I went directly into a sober living home . I got connected with other sober men.. I found a sponsor who guided me through the 12 steps .. And through that process I repaired relationships with family members and became a productive citizen .. And now I’m 48 years old I’ve been sober 15 years. I’m married and have a wonderful family and amazing life…
Zohair “Z” Yasin is a Web Developer who is passionate about today’s web standards. Z help organizations develop custom websites that are specifically catered to their needs.
Z has worked with many Advocacy, B2B, B2C, Corporate, Consulting, Digital Marketing, Non-Profit, Startup organizations where Z has focused primarily on Web Development as well as a Consultant. As a Web Developer, Z has gained experience designing, developing, and programming company websites, mobile-friendly sites, and SharePoint on-prem and online websites with Microsoft Office 365.
Z can solve problems by facing them headstrong, as well as being able to complete my objectives in a timely fashion. I can also troubleshoot website issues and identify areas of inefficiency thus developing a method for improvement.
