LFP Cohort 2

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LFP Cohort II (Jun 2016 - Jan 2018)

Co-Directors

Ken Foster
Ken Foster is Associate Professor of Practice in the Thornton School of Music and Director of Arts Leadership at the University of Southern California. Before joining the faculty of USC, he was executive director of San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) for ten years. The organization thrived under his leadership, benefitting from his dedication to nurturing long-term relationships with artists, growing YBCA's audience and establishing the Center as an international leader in the contemporary arts. Foster has more than 30 years of experience as an arts administrator, curator, educator, and performing arts presenter at Millikin University, Penn State University and the University of Arizona in addition to YBCA. He has served as a board member for national arts organizations like the Association of Performing Arts Professionals, Dance USA, and Chamber Music America, is a Founding Member of the Africa Contemporary Arts Consortium and consults regularly with arts organizations around the world on issues of relevance to the arts and the contemporary world.

Krista R. Bradley
Krista R. Bradley is the director of programs and resources at APAP. She most recently led BlackRock Center for the Arts, a $1.5M nonprofit multidisciplinary arts center in Germantown, Maryland. As Executive and Artistic Director, she was responsible for programming the performing arts season and overseeing the day-to-day execution of fundraising, marketing, education, gallery programming, and operations of the organization. During her tenure, BlackRock expanded and refreshed its programming, increased and diversified audiences, and secured its first NEA grants. Prior to BlackRock, Krista served for six years as Program Officer of Performing Arts for Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, where she managed performing arts touring and funding programs for a nine-state region. She brings more than twenty years of experience working in the nonprofit, performing arts, and philanthropy sectors as a funder, curator, arts administrator and consultant. Over her career she has worked for and with such organizations as the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, the Walker Arts Center, Washington Performing Arts, Houston Grand Opera, OPERA America and the Wallace Funds. She serves on the board of the Maryland Citizens for the Arts. Krista holds a B.A. degree in Literature and Society from Brown University and has been a choral and a cappella singer for most of her life. She currently makes music as an alto member of The Thomas Circle Singers, a DC- based chamber choral ensemble.

Rika Iino

Rika Iino, is Founder and President of Sozo Artists Inc., discovering and developing the next generation artist with global reach, a deep commitment to arts advocacy, and a seamless connection to the worlds of advertising, design, technology and other industries. Sozo works with arts presenters, brand managers and content marketers across the globe to provide artistic work that resonates with today’s diverse audiences. Rika began her creative career at a young age with classical piano, traversing from her native Japan to the Mozarteum Conservatory in Austria, and graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia University with a degree in music.

Ben Johnson

Ben Johnson, is the Director of Performing Arts for the City of Los Angeles, Department of Cultural Affairs. Previously he was the Program Manager at the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA (CAP-UCLA), Director of Programs at United States Artists (Los Angeles), the Director of Northrop Concerts and Lectures at the University of Minnesota –Minneapolis, and the Directo rof Education and Audience Development at the University Musical Society at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. He has also worked at the Ordway Music Theater, and interned at the American Dance Festival and Walker Art Center. He is affiliated with many artists, foundations, funders, and national and international peer institutions.

Georgiana Pickett

Georgiana Pickett, has been Executive Director of BAC since August 2011. In this role, she is responsible for all facets of planning and operations, including fundraising, budget oversight, and general management of staff and facilities. Prior to her appointment at BAC, she served from 2004-2011 as the Executive Director of 651 ARTS, a performing arts institution dedicated to contemporary artists and art forms of the African Diaspora, based in Brooklyn’s BAM Harvey Theater.

Sixto Wagan

Sixto Wagan, is the director for the Center for Arts Leadership at the University of Houston. Prior to this role, he led DiverseWorks Artspace as Artistic Director, Co-Executive Director and Performing Arts Curator. During his tenure, he nurtured artists, communities and emerging arts organizations through commissions, professional development programs, and place-based initiatives. Wagan is known for collaborating with performers whose works tackle prescient cultural, social, and political issues. He currently serves on the boards of Dance/USA and Dance Source Houston. He previously served as a Hub Site for the National Dance Project, on the boards of the National Performance Network, QFest, and The MacDowell Colony.

Madeline Bell

Madeline Bell is the Programming Manager at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in Burlington, Vermont. She has been with the Flynn since 2011 and has over ten years of experience in the presenting field. Previously, Madeline was the Artist Services Coordinator at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland. She participated in the Association of Performing Arts Presenter's Emerging Leadership Institute in 2011 and in the Leadership Champlain program through the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce in 2013-2014. Madeline received her B.A. in Theatre from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Celeste Chan

Celeste Chan is a queer artist, organizer, writer, and filmmaker, schooled by DIY and immigrant parents from Malaysia and the Bronx, NY. A Hedgebrook, Lambda, and VONA alumna, her writing can be found in AWAY, cream city review, Feminist Wire, Hyphen, Writing the Walls Down, Glitter & Grit Anthology, and beyond. In collaboration with Elliat Graney-Saucke, she is creating an experimental documentary called ART Heart: Children of Riot Grrrl and Beyond. In addition to her own practice, Chan curates, collaborates, and creates platforms to amplify fellow artists. She Co-Directs Queer Rebels, a queer and trans people of color arts project. She’s screened experimental film programs in the SF Bay Area, NYC, Montreal, Tijuana, Seoul, Glasgow, Amsterdam, Berlin, and beyond. Chan is a current contributing editor to Foglifter, a new literary journal of queer form & content.

Raymond Codrington

Raymond Codrington holds substantive experience in museums, policy analysis and applied research. Prior to Hi-ARTS he was a Senior Research Associate at the Aspen Institute. He was also Co-Director of the Hip-Hop Education Center at New York University. Raymond has served as a curator and consultant with the Department of Cultura lAffairs, and Office of the Mayor (City of Los Angeles) and NYSCI. He was the Founding Director of the Julian C. Dixon Institute for Cultural Studies and Curator at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Raymond was also the Sandy Boyd Postdoctoral Fellow at the Field Museum.

Eddie Cota

Eddie Cota is the founder of Champion City, a creative agency that works with brands, nonprofits and venues to develop impactful cultural programming and marketing strategy. He has worked with companies such as Sonos, Levi’s, Absolut and Red Bull to create platforms that provide opportunities for cultural discovery, meaningful dialogues and unique experiences. As the former Artistic Director of the Levitt Pavilion in both Pasadena and MacArthur Park, he programmed a total of 500 concerts, making these communities destinations for cutting-edge multicultural music. He is also a freelance journalist profiling emerging music artists and communities for the LA Weekly.

Matt Cox

Matt Cox is Director of Operations for University of Florida Performing Arts. Previously a production manager for Opera Philadelphia and the Arden Theatre Company, Matt has taught theatre production at Drexel University and University for the Arts, and worked as a flying director for Foy Inventerprises. He received his MFA from Temple University, and BA from University of Pennsylvania.

Ashley Walden Davis

Ashley Walden Davis is an arts administrator, mommy and wife with an affinity for working with community. Ashley is the Programs Director at Alternate ROOTS, a Southern based arts service organization for artists and cultural organizers who seek to champion social and economic justice. Ashley currently serves on the Board of Directors for Appalshop, and is a founding leader of the Next Generation National Arts Network. She holds a MFA in Producing from California Institute of the Arts and a BA in Theatre from Old Dominion University. Honors include TCG New Generations: Future Leaders Grant, fellowships with Cornerstone Theater, LA Stage Alliance Ovations and Arena Stage.

Elizabeth Duffell

Elizabeth Duffell has served as the Director of Campus and Community Engagement for the Meany Center for eight years. In that time she has created a wide range of interdisciplinary outreach programs for audiences of all ages, helping to deepen their experience with the performing arts. Elizabeth works across disciplines and in partnership with community organizations and campus constituents to curate programs and experiences with visiting artists that serve to connect communities and address the important issues of our time. With a Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction, Elizabeth has also designed educational curriculum for organizations throughout the Puget Sound region.

Abby Eddy

Abby Eddy is originally from Springfield, Illinois and has loved marketing since second grade when she came up with a winning marketing plan to sell Girl Scout cookies. Fast-forward a few years, and she has been fortunate enough to work in the marketing department for several great arts organizations including the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, the Bloomington (Ill.) Center for the Performing Arts and Purdue Convocations — the performing arts presenter at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., where she is currently the director of marketing. Abby is an alumni of the APAP Emerging Leadership Institute, serves as the marketing chair for the Tippecanoe Chamber Music Society, has a cello studio and performs cello in several ensembles in Lafayette, Indiana.

Melecio Estrella

Melecio Estrella is a dance artist in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is currently the Assistant Artistic Director of BANDALOOP, an internationally touring site reactive vertical dance company. He has been a member of Bandaloop since 2003. Melecio is also a longtime member of the dance theater company, Joe Goode Performance Group. He is also co-founder of Fog Beast, an educational and performance organization in the bay area. He has taught at numerous Universities in the US and abroad. Melecio's choreography has been commissioned by the San Francisco Opera Center, University of San Francisco, Sacramento State University among others.

Dani Fecko

Dani Fecko is Principal of Fascinator Management and has roots working in contemporary theatre. She was Managing Producer of Boca del Lupo and Associate Curator of the PuSh Festival. She Stage Managed for multiple companies locally and Theatre Replacement, Neworld Theatre, and more across Canada and Europe. She tour managed across North America, Mexico and Europe with Rimini Protokoll and Company 605. She was on the Vancouver planning committee for WAA, and is amember of the development committee of ISPA. Dani is a graduate of Studio 58 and lives in Vancouver with her husband and their pet fish, Dot.

Danielle Hahn

Danielle Hahn is the head of music programs at the National Gallery of Art. She curates and oversees a season of more than 50 unique performances in the longest-running free concert series in Washington, DC. Trained as a classical pianist, she spent the first ten years of her career as a collaborative pianist, specializing in opera. She has performed with opera companies and in chamber ensembles throughout the United States and continues to freelance as a pianist in addition to her work at the National Gallery of Art. Originally from Southern California, she holds a Bachelor of Music from UCSB and a Master's degree from the University of Michigan.

Ally Haynes-Hamblen

Ally Haynes-Hamblen is the Director of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. She joined the Center in 2004 serving as the Center’s theater manager and in 2010 was promoted to assistant director. Previously, Haynes-Hamblen was general manager and associate producer for NY-based Entertainment Events, Inc. Originally from Boulder, Colo., Haynes-Hamblen earned her M.B.A. from Regis University and B.A. in theater from University of Denver. She is the current president of the Arizona Presenters Alliance; treasurer of VSA Arizona; and mentorship programs coordinator for California Presenters and was a member of the Expedia Corporate Travel Advisory Board for Expedia, Inc.

Mark Jacobson

Mark Jacobson is Senior Programming Manager at the University Musical Society (UMS) at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. As the principal curator of jazz, global, and contemporary/art-rock presentations for UMS, he has produced unique performance events. Before assuming his current position, Mr. Jacobson learned record company operations at Chesky Records and Knitting Factory Works —two New York City-based record labels. Mr. Jacobson currently maintains and develops UMS relationships in jazz, global, and contemporary programming and represents the organization at national and international festivals and conferences. He has served as a grant review panelist for USArtists International and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.

Kaisha Johnson

Kaisha Johnson is the Co-Founder/Founding Director of Women of Color in the Arts (WOCA), a national service organization dedicated to creating equity in the performing arts. Kaisha co-founded WOCA with intent to cultivate a field varied in voice and perspective. Concurrently, Kaisha serves as Director of Artist Management at Center for Traditional Music and Dance, a non-profit dedicated to building cross-cultural awareness by presenting traditions found in NYC’s immigrant communities. As a staunch advocate for diversity on and off the stage, Kaisha helps to affirm the value of cultural diversity as an essential component of our national identity.

Laura Kendall

Laura Kendall is the Director of Visual and Performing Arts at Millersville University, responsible for all aspects of facility and organizational management of the Ware Center and Winter Center venues. The Arts at Millersville, a program developed under her leadership, oversees more than 100 performing arts events and 400 rentals, conferences and special events each year. Laura received her Master of Arts in Marketing, Communication and Advertising and a B.A. in Theatre and Film from the University of Nebraska, and a certificate in Curatorial Practice in Performance from Wesleyan University. She currently serves as the Vice President of the Pennsylvania Presenters Board. She is a 2007 graduate of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters Emerging Leader Institute and participated in the 2010 Leadership Development Initiative.

Sarah McCarthy

Sarah McCarthy founded Dandelion Artists in 2013 as a boutique booking agency based in Los Angeles, CA to represent the best in independent family music. Her award-winning roster includes the Okee Dokee Brothers, Justin Roberts, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, Recess Monkey, Danny Weinkauf, Jazzy Ash and the brand new musical production, Hansel & Gretel by Justin Roberts and Ernie Nolan. Prior to opening her own agency, she was an arts presenter in the Public Programs Department at the J. Paul Getty Museum where she produced performing arts events for more than ten years. She has also worked with the Los Angeles County Arts Commission at the Ford Amphitheater, the Philadelphia International Children’s Theater Festival, and London’s Shakespeare’s Globe Theater.

Amy Miller

Amy Miller is Director of Programming and Education at The Gogue Performing Arts Center of Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama. Previously, she worked at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center as Director of Engagement, where she oversaw ArtPlay education programming, university and community initiatives, and curated educational, family, and global music performances and residencies. She has served on the Professional Development Committees of Western Arts Alliance and Arts Midwest, and has facilitated numerous professional development sessions. She completed Association of Performing Arts Professionals’ Leadership Fellows Program (Cohort 2), and currently serves as a Group Leader for Cohort 4.

Previously, she was an agent at Pentacle, an NYC-based arts service organization, where she represented a roster of national and international dance artists. Prior to that, she completed her MA in Performance Studies at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Originally from Minneapolis/Saint Paul, she held the position of Community Programs Manager at Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, and served the local refugee community through work in refugee resettlement, and as Co-Founder of Twin Cities World Refugee Day. She has a background in West African dance, a variety of social dance forms, and holds a BA in Global Studies, Music Performance, and Women’s Studies from Hamline University.

Lynn Neuman

Lynn Neuman is a choreographer, director, teacher, performer, and environmental activist who directs Artichoke Dance Company. She pursues arts’ intersection with dailylife and addresses pressing ecological issues with stark physicality, humor and wit. Currently a Marion International Fellow for the Visual and Performing Arts, she is conducting research nationwide examining the psychology of consumerism and waste for TOSS. Lynn spearheads The Construction Company Dance Portfolio, enabling small to mid-sized companies to participate in a larger arts marketplace. She is sought as an educator for addressing innovation in the creative process and has taught at universities across the country.

Tiffany Rea-Fisher

Tiffany Rea-Fisher is the newly appointed Artistic Director of Elisa Monte Dance. Tiffany joined Elisa Monte Dance in 2004 where she was principal dancer until 2010. She was named Dance Magazine’s “On the Rise” person for their 2007 August issue and since then has been featured in nation and international publications for both her dancing and choreography. Currently she is on faculty at the Joffrey School of Ballet. Tiffany's current affiliations include Women of Color in the Arts Member, Dance/USA Member, Steps on Broadway (substitute teacher) and Purchase College (substitute teacher).

John Rich

John Rich is the Manager of Performance Programs at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. He earned an MFA in Writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a BFA in Painting from Grand Valley State University. He co-founded the collaborative theater group Attention Deficit Drama, served as company manager for Goat Island Performance Group, and has performed with Every House Has a Door. Prior to joining the staff at MCA, John was Director of the Guild Literary Complex, a cross-cultural presenting organization in Chicago,and founded the annual Chicago Book Expo in 2011.

Malik Robinson

Malik Robinson grew into his role at Cleo Parker Robinson Dance. After graduating with a Bachelor's in African Studies from Regis University, he officially began his tenure as Development Director winning national awards for the acclaimed Ensemble. Malik moved on to Booking Manager increasing the Ensemble's annual tours nationwide. Before being named Executive Director in 2014, Malik developed and directed evidenced-based after-school programming recognized for positive findings. Malik is active on several arts organization boards and initiatives as well as a member of the Denver Metro Chamber's Leadership Denver Class of 2015 and a Bonfils Stanton Foundation 2015 Livingston Fellow.

Max Rubino

Max Rubino is the Programming Manager and 21C Music Festival Producer at The Royal Conservatory of Music/KoernerHall in Toronto. He curates the Postlude concert series, which elevates local emerging artists, produces the annual 21C Music Festival, and coordinates creative collaborative partnerships. Max is also a composer and multi-instrumentalist, and as such has toured North America extensively, has been featured on numerous recordings and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in jazz performance from Concordia University in Montreal. He is an advocate of a culturally and economically inclusive arts model that amplifies the voices of local artists in their communities.

Celeste Smith

Celeste Smith is chief executive officer of 1Hood Media, a collective of conscious Hip Hop artists and activists. 1Hood Media utilizes Hip Hop as a means of raising awareness around issues effecting oppressed people around the world. Ms. Smith oversees 1Hood Media operations, finances, programming, communications and development for 1Hood Media. Ms. Smith received her bachelor’s degree in Arts Management and Film and Design Technology from Chatham University. Celeste’s arts and media tutorial focused on theories of black masculinity with a special focus on tropes and historical occurrences. She graduated cum laude, which is one of her proudest achievements.

David Wannen

David Wannen is a singer, actor, and Executive Director of New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, is thrilled to lead NAPAMA as president. David graduated from The Eastman School of Music in Vocal Performance. His early professional career included four seasons with Ohio Light Opera and national tours of "Beauty and the Beast" and "Camelot" with the late Robert Goulet. David was honored with a nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical by The Philadelphia Inquirer for his work as Lancelot in "Camelot" with Media Theater.

Stephanie Wong

Stephanie Wong moved to Houston, TX in 2008 after spending ten years in Washington, DC as a dancer, choreographer, dance teacher, and dance administrator. Wong holds a BA in Dance from Mercyhurst College, an MFA in Dance from George Mason University, and a Certificate with Distinction in Nonprofit Leadership from Rice University. In 2007, Stephanie served as the Interim Director for Dance/MetroDC. After moving to Houston, Stephanie began working for Dance Source Houston and was promoted to Executive Director in 2011. Most recently, Stephanie began working for Asia Society Texas Center as its Director of Performing Arts and Culture.

Chisa Yamaguchi

Chisa Yamaguchi graduated from UCLA with two bachelor's degrees in Asian American Studies and World Arts and Cultures. Ms. Yamaguchi is in her seventh season performing with DIAVOLO | Architecture in Motion®. She is a certified artist on the teaching roster through The Music Center of Los Angeles and has been the Tour Engagement Education Director for DIAVOLO for six years as well as the DIAVOLO Institute Co-Director for two seasons. In addition to her performance and teaching credentials, Ms. Yamaguchi is pioneering the position of Marketing Director for DIAVOLO, focusing primarily on product management and content creation. Ms. Yamaguchi was recently awarded membership to the At-Large Council for Emerging Arts Leaders in Los Angeles.

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LFP Cohort II (Jun 2016 - Jan 2018)

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