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Arts Leadership

25+ years leadership, management, and program direction for arts and education organizations

  • Integrating arts, education, community development, and social justice

  • Building individual and collective capacity through transformational projects and mentorship

  • Facilitating and strengthening communication between individuals, teams, and organizations

  • Bridge-building for relational, culturally responsible community connections

  • Visioning action for equity and inclusion in organizational growth and direct programming

  • Innovative curriculum and project development

  • Agile, interdisciplinary strategist

  • Seasoned non-profit leader

  • Award-winning theater director and published writer

  • Experienced K-12+ and adult educator

  • Youth and Family Advocate and Mentor

ARTISTIC ASSOCIATE, Education & Engagement - ACT Contemporary Theatre March 2022 - Present

Ideating, implementing, and managing a newly conceived education and engagement effort at ACT, centering the mission of connecting artistic ambition to civic engagement. Working with the Artistic Director and Core Company to make bold theater and build community.

  • ACT Young Core Company - launch and artistic direction of an ensemble of youth artistic collaborators, innovators, creators, and performers who act both as producing artists as well as an artistic advisory council

  • Community Engagement - working in authentic relationship with cultural communities to produce events and touchpoints connecting arts disciplines and cross-sector collaborations.

  • Student Matinees and Classroom Workshops - engaging those furthest from opportunity in meaningful theatrical experiences

  • Career Development - igniting imaginations, creating access, and developing pipelines for professional development

  • Artistic Support - working closely with Artistic Director in literary and artist management, season selection, and production.

FULBRIGHT SPECIALIST - Fulbright Association | January 2021 – 2025

The Fulbright Specialist Program pairs highly qualified U.S. academics and professionals with host institutions abroad to share their expertise, strengthen institutional linkages, hone their skills, gain international experience, and learn about other cultures while building capacity at their overseas host institutions. 4-year roster term. Collaborations in inter- and cross-disciplinary education about climate and environmental justice through theater; strengthening collaboration between scholars and cultural institutions concerned with interconnections between theater, literary studies, environmental humanities, and societal groups concerned with climate change. click here for more details

PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR - PENGUIN PRODUCTIONS Jan 2017 - Present

Leadership, management, and creative direction for non-profit community arts organization, co-creating possible futures through theater and youth leadership www.penguinproductionsseattle.org

Penguin Productions envisions a healthy and equitable community, with empowered, confident, thoughtful youth leaders and equitable access to healthy environments. Penguin works to make theater a more diverse and equitable space through youth development and leadership, professional art and mentorship development, accessible programming, and cross-sector partnerships.

  • Youth Artist Leadership - mentor and facilitate cohorts of teens as they apply an equity lens towards building leadership skills, with real power to guide and frame the organization. Curriculum development with BIPOC and cross-sector colleagues and mentors.

  • Finding Trails - Innovative theater+trails festival bringing together environmental and arts professionals in collaboration with community members. Penguin commissions new scripts and partners with BIPOC theater organizations and environmental groups to communicate stories exploring our connection to public lands.

  • Theater Productions and Workshops– year-round season of 4-6 classic and contemporary plays for youth ensembles designed to build community and capacity, and centering youth voice in all aspects of production.

  • Creative Advantage – partnering with Seattle Public Schools to bring arts education to all students. Teaching tools for creative expression of ideas and stories, and building creative and critical thinkers who can collaborate to solve problems and are engaged with their communities.

ARTISTIC AND EDUCATION DIRECTOR – Seattle Public Theater Seattle | Jan 2001- Dec 2017

Transformational growth of a community theater into a nationally recognized non-profit arts and education organization through bold vision, galvanizing leadership, balanced risk-taking, and deep community development

  • Executive Direction: Convened Managing Director, Technical Director, Marketing and Development Staff, and Board to develop and execute artistic vision for 16 seasons. Commitment to balancing artistic risk with fiscal responsibility demonstrated by consistently balanced budgets and no debt. Leadership, management, and creative direction for professional and youth seasons. Provided strategic leadership, collaborated with management, staff, and board to establish program goals, oversaw development of annual programming in collaboration with key teaching artists, community partners, families, and youth, and utilized feedback in ongoing evaluation and advisory committee processes. Recruited and oversaw talent and staff, provided compassionate and goal-oriented leadership to resolve HR disputes. Mentorship and Intern program creator and manager.

  • Community Growth and Development: Grew patron base by 2500%. Anchored a culture of powerful, responsible citizenship, empowering youth, families, artists, educators, and patrons with ownership and responsibility.

  • Production & Project Management: Produced 30 shows/year, oversaw staff of 3-5FT, 50-80PT

  • Equity, Inclusion, and Outreach Direction: Addressed systemic inequities at board and staff levels. Led community discussions of race and equity issues. Created apprenticeship positions for emerging artists. Spearheaded community bridge work, forging long-term relationships with community partners as well as unique project-specific collaborations. Consistently sought out and hired women and BIPOC playwrights and educators. Established and maintained no-audition youth production policy and made tuition assistance available for all in need.

  • Artistic Direction: Established SPT nationally through rigorous commitment to new plays and diverse voices, strong literary management, relationships with playwrights, producers, literary managers, agents, and publishers, membership in National New Play Network. Directed 6-10 professional productions/year.

  • Education Direction: Established SPT's youth program as a powerful space for diverse youth. Provided innovative, robust, challenging programming, equipped students with professional resources, maximized ownership and responsibility, and approached each project with a focus on inclusion and youth voice. Tailored curriculum development to diverse learning styles and experience levels. Directed 6-10 youth productions/year. Taught master classes, worked with teen leadership and youth mentors, developed and ran Youth Advisory Board with youth ages 9-18.

  • Literary Management: Brought regional and world premieres to SPT, with a rigorous focus on women and BIPOC representation. Commissioned local playwrights and created Playwright-in-Residence programs. Worked closely with national and international award-winning playwrights, independent agents, and major publishing houses. Streamlined Shakespeare scripts for 20, 40, 60, and 90 minute productions. Edited original scripts. Researched scripts and wrote play guides.

  • Donor Relations and Grants Specialist: Identified and wrote funding proposals; cultivated government, private, and business contacts. Engaged board, volunteers, and youth in culture of fundraising, and used development activities as an opportunity to pursue learning objectives and community development.

LEADERSHIP TOMORROW Seattle | Sep 2020 – June 2021

Joining a deep network of leaders from the private, nonprofit, and public sectors. Alumni graduate with a powerful understanding of the issues that shape the PNW region, work across differences, use their voice and position to advocate for positive systemic change, and are effectively engaged in and with the community.

  • Curriculum development with members of LT in partnership with the Associated Recreation Council and Seattle Parks&Recreation, for a multi-tiered equity training to be used across the organization as both onboarding and continuing education for board, staff, and volunteers

LEADERSHIP FOR SOCIAL CHANGE – ArtEquity Seattle | 2016-17

Building a base of individuals and organizations with a shared analysis in order to contribute effectively to organizational culture change, sector change, and social change.

Leadership Program Facilitation, Curriculum Development, and Guest Speaking |

Cultivating belonging, resilience, and knowledge at the intersections of arts, outdoors, personal growth, and gender identity

  • 2024 Arts Leadership Symposium, Seattle University – The Role of Mentorship in Cultivating a Thriving Arts Ecosystem, session leader

  • 2023 American Alliance for Theater Education National Conference - Activating New Audiences by Activating New Spaces, sesssion leader

  • In My Backyard – arts specialist with conservation leadership development and youth outreach program based at Seattle Area National Park Sites

  • The Shattered Glass Project – consultant for program amplifying women's voices in the theatre by providing unique opportunities to create and grow professionally

  • The Service Board – development and implementation of culturally-relevant programming for youth from traditionally marginalized communities

  • “Stage Sisterhood” - featured in Seattle Times profile of professional women theater directors

Arts Program Manager | Guest Lecturer/Director | Professional Development Specialist K-12, Higher Education, Non-Profit, Business Seattle/Chicago/Washington State/International | 1994-Present

  • Program Development, Launch, and Management: Identifying markets and launching sustainable, continuing programs and projects. Convening stakeholders, community members, and participants in rigorous feedback loops.

  • Curriculum Development: Integrating literature, science, arts, engineering, social justice, team-building and presentation skills to meet education targets.

  • Education: Integrating arts programs and theater training for corporate teams, K-12+, Teacher Training workshops for K-12+ educators

  • Production & Project Management: Youth and Community Theater, Intern program development

  • Creative Direction: Producing and directing in-school, after-school, and community arts programs

  • Marketing and Media Management: Writing and designing marketing collateral, press releases, developed press and marketing contacts.

  • Partnership Building: Building capacity in underrepresented communities through authentic relationships and strategic partnerships

  • Grants Specialist: Identifying and writing funding proposals and cultivating government, private, and business contacts

Clients and Sites include: Amazon, Microsoft, University of Washington, Seattle University Executive Leadership Training Program, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle Central Community College, Bastyr University, Cornish College of the Arts, Centrum Center for the Arts and Creative Education, ArtsCorps, Seattle Repertory Theater, Rainier Valley Youth Theater, Washington State, King County, and Seattle Arts Commission Rosters, Seattle Public Schools, Chicago Public Schools, ACT Theater, Court Theater (Chicago), Seattle Children's Theater, Studio East, Village Theater, Book-It Repertory Theater, Seattle Shakespeare Company, NextBook, PNW Independent Schools.

ADDITIONAL LEADERSHIP AND EDUCATION POSITIONS

Founding Director, “Short Shakes”, Seattle Shakespeare Company 2000-2003

Developed and directed inclusive youth Shakespeare program focusing on theater pedagogy through production. Created strong culture of community and core family involvement. Responsible for literary management. Program continues to be the mainstay of SSC's in-house education programs.

Program Director, Cultural Heroes Residency Project - Seattle Public Schools 1997-2007

Developed, managed, and taught integrated history/social studies and arts education program. Secured consistent funding from government grants. Hired and trained additional teaching artists as program grew. Worked with predominately low-income, bi-lingual populations of 3-8th graders to address curriculum goals and essential learnings in the arts and humanities.

Founding Director, School Partnership Program, University of Chicago 1993-1996

Developed, managed, and taught drama programs for inner-city youth. Included both production-oriented residencies and summer creative drama camps. Worked in partnership with graduate student projects in culturally relevant arts programming. Used theater programs to connect University community and Southeast Chicago. Secured funding from previously untapped University budgets. Program has continue to grow, expand, and thrive and is a featured program in University recruitment.

Creative Coach – individuals and groups

Writing, presentation, and performance coaching for youth and adults. Client roster includes fiction writers, parents processing trauma, and youth developing creative voice.

Teaching Artist 1986-2013

Workshops and classes for grades K-12: Seattle Public Schools, Chicago Public Schools, ACT Theater, Court Theater (Chicago), Seattle Children's Theater, Rainier Valley Youth Theater, Studio East, Village Theater, Book-It Repertory Theater, Seattle Shakespeare Company

Classroom Teacher 1996-2004

Lakeside School, Bush School, University Preparatory, Puget Sound Community School, Meridian School, Holy Names Academy, St. Joseph Academy, and Evergreen School. Various subjects, including history, language arts, English, music, and drama

Dance/Choreography 1984-present

International folk dance performer and teacher. Allegro and Folklife Festivals; Northwest Girlchoir, intergenerational community groups.

Recognition - Publications - Volunteer Work

  • Featured Panelist: Intiman Theater, “Diversity in the Arts”; Freehold Theater, “Directing”; Seattle Times, “Women in Leadership”

  • Evergrey Leadership Lab 2017

  • Gregory Award Nominee: Theater of the Year ('13, '14, '16), Outstanding Director ('14)

  • Seattle Times Footlight Award: 2003-2014

  • Lifetime Achievement Award: Youththeatre Northwest

  • Gypsy Rose Lee Award: Outstanding Director and Ensemble nominee ('14)

  • Parent Map, Edutopia, Encore Magazine, Contributor

  • Site Reviewer – 4Culture

  • Guest Director - NextBook at Benaroya Hall - Dramaturg and director for staged reading with radio personality Susan Stamberg

Education

University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 1992-1996

  • Bachelor of Arts in History (Honors, Dean’s List)

  • BA Thesis: Alternative Student Theater in Poland, 1953-1968

  • Francis X. Kinahan Prize for most significant contribution to University Theater

  • Merit Scholarship for academic excellence