We are the staff that sustains ACA's vision for the residency field.
Mary-Kim Arnold | Chief of Staff
A resident of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Mary-Kim is a writer and artist with an active practice and more than two decades of administrative leadership experience in the arts, humanities, and education. Most recently, Mary-Kim served as Dean of the Faculty & Academic Affairs at Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA), overseeing the college’s six graduate programs. For six years prior, she taught creative and critical writing in the Nonfiction Writing Program at Brown University. With experience in creative nonfiction, poetry, and cultural criticism, Mary-Kim has also taught at Wheaton College, Temple University, Rhode Island School of Design, and in the Newport MFA at Salve Regina University.
mkarnold [at] artistcommunities.org
pronouns: she/her
Ellena Basada | Communications Coordinator
Ellena Basada is a writer and editor from Oregon based in New York City. A 2024 Periplus Fellow and 2019 Fulbright Scholar in Berlin, she holds an MA in Critical Studies from the Pacific Northwest College of Art. Her work has supported a range of nonprofit arts organizations, including the Oregon Institute for Creative Research, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Vermont Studio Center, and Hopscotch Reading Room. In addition to editing books for Fonograf Editions, she writes criticism for publications such as BOMB and the Los Angeles Review of Books and practices yoga daily.
ebasada [at] artistcommunities.org
pronouns: she/her
Quinn Casey | Director, Membership + Engagement
Quinn Casey is a graduate of Maine College of Art & Design with a BFA in Art History & Curatorial Practice; professionally Quinn has experience in galleries, cataloging private collections and re-engineering + scaling artist-run businesses. Quinn currently lives in Memphis, TN.
qcasey [at] artistcommunities.org
pronouns: she/her
Lisa Funderburke | President + CEO
Lisa Funderburke is the president and CEO of the Artists Communities Alliance (ACA), the international service organization of artist residency programs. An analytical arts leader and a pioneer in helping organizations build their capacity, Funderburke is a sought-after advisor and public speaker who helps nonprofits worldwide grow in a just, equitable, and joyful manner for their employees and communities. She is known as a dynamic public speaker and coach who moves people and organizations to adopt transformational ideas. A scientist by training who began her career as a National Science Foundation Fellow, Funderburke was appointed by President Barack Obama to the National Museum and Library Services Board. Funderburke received a Bachelor of Science in Botany and a Master of Science in Biology from Howard University. Read Funderburke's complete bio
*On sabbatical
Candice Hemphill | Operations Manager
Candice is a Chicago-based art-lover who joined ACA in 2021. With a concentration on minority-owned businesses, her past roles have included office administration, advertising, event production, and hospitality. She is an alumna of Columbia College Chicago with a B.A. in Art History and a minor in Visual Arts Management. Before joining Artist Communities, she held positions with SOFA Chicago and Richard Gray Gallery, yet it was her time spent volunteering at Arts of Life (Chicago) that inspired her to explore the nonprofit sector. In her free time, Candice enjoys fiber arts, kickboxing, and thrifting.
chemphill [at] artistcommunities.org
pronouns: she/her
Antonio Necuze | Managing Director of Finance + Operations
A resident of Miami, Antonio comes to ACA as a Finance executive with more than 17 years-experience leading high performance teams in the non-profit + arts communities. Antonio opened the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts where he served as their Accounting Director. After a decade in that role, he moved to the New World Symphony, where as their Financial Controller. He also worked as the Senior Vice President at Big Brothers Big Sisters overseeing Finance, HR, and Operations. Currently, Antonio serves as President of A&M Business Consultants, a consulting company that helps small to mid-size non-profits with their financial and operational needs. Antonio holds a Master’s Degree in Accounting from Florida International University.
anecuze [at] artistcommunities.org
pronouns: he/him
Claudia Nolan | Grantmaking Coordinator
Claudia is a dramaturg, producer, and arts administrator who focuses on new play development, cross-cultural fairytales and mythology, and sustainable theater-making. She is a co-founder of the Re/Emergence Collective, which creates community-centered, devised theater in western Massachusetts. Claudia received her MFA at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and has worked at Geva Theatre, HERE, McCarter Theatre, MuCCC, New Georges, and Premiere Stages. She currently resides in Rochester, NY.
clnolan [at] artistcommunities.org
pronouns: she/her
Flannery Patton | Strategic Initiatives Manager + Board Liaison
Flannery joined the Alliance in 2011. She worked previously as a Development Associate at Rhode Island Public Radio, as a Research Coordinator in the Center for the Study of Human Development at Brown University, as a Life Skills and Computer Literacy Teacher at the Rhode Island International Institute, as a public programs producer for the National Park Service, and as an English teacher and Curriculum Developer at Open Book in Denver, CO. Flannery also worked as Program Coordinator for Greater Kennedy Plaza, a non-profit offering art and culture programming in downtown Providence; and coordinated monthly art activities for The Hive Archive, a feminist art collective. Originally from Colorado, she came to Providence in 2003 for college; she has a BA in psychology and a BA in art history from Brown University.
fpatton [at] artistcommunities.org
pronouns: she/her
Dani Prados | Director of Programs
Born in Washington DC and originally destined to be a marine biologist, Dani instead fell enthralled to the power of story and has designed, directed, devised, and produced programs, theatre, film, tv, performance, themed festivals, community art, multi-sensory art installations, and interactive transmedia for over twenty years in locations across the USA and around the globe. At the heart of her work is an evolving quest to harness art in service of justice, connection and community.
dprados [at] artistcommunities.org
pronouns: she/her
Crystal Sasaki | Programs Coordinator
Crystal is a movement artist and arts administrator living in Los Angeles, California. They are a champion of community spaces and experimental art. They previously co-ran a non-hierarchically-structured non-profit theater, The Headwaters/WitD, and have worked for cultural hubs such as Danspace, Portland Institute of Contemporary Art and CounterPulse. They are a somatic facilitator, certified Deep Listener and hold a BA in Dance and Performance Studies from UC Berkeley.
csasaki [at] artistcommunities.org
pronouns: they/she
Maya Suess | Grantmaking Manager
Maya Suess is an arts administrator, writer, performer and programmer. She has worked with arts nonprofits in various capacities, serving as Director of Fellowship and Public Programs at apexart in lower Manhattan, the Managing Director of Flux Factory Artist-in-Residence in Queens, NY, and as Program Manager for the Fire Island Artist Residency. She is currently on the board of Allied Productions and held the presidency of the Long Island City Cultural Alliance from 2019 - 2021.
msuess [at] artistcommunities.org
pronouns: she / her
Consultants
Kimba King | Human Resources
Kimba King is the Senior Director of Human Resources at the Adrienne Arsht Center, one of the largest performing arts centers in the country. Joining the Center in 2005, Kimba manages employee relations, workers' compensation, and benefits for more than 100 full-time staff. She is also responsible for recruiting talent for a variety of positions at the Arsht Center, from administrative, customer service, and marketing to specialized production staff and fundraising. Kimba has served as the Arsht Center's liaison with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami, leading the School-to-Work program since its inception in 2011. She also co-developed the first registered Technical Theatre Apprentice program in Florida. Before joining the Center, Kimba's experience included working at the Collins Center for Public Policy and the Box Music Network. Kimba is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management and the National Performing Arts Center Consortium – Human Resources Group.
hr [at] artistcommunities.org
pronouns: she/her