Presenters
Christy Bolingbroke | Executive/Artistic Director, National Center for Choreography-Akron (Akron, OH)
Kate Bowen | Executive Director, ACRE (Chicago, IL)
Xan Burley | Choreographer; Assistant. Professor of Contemporary Dance, University of Florida (Gainsville, FL)
Mario Caro, PhD | Director, MFA in Studio Arts, Institute of American Indian Arts (Santa Fe, NM)
Aaron Cesar | Founding Director, Delfina Foundation (London, UK)
Burak Mert Çiloğlugil | Director, Gate 27 (Istanbul, Turkey)
Stuart Chase | Principal, S.A. Chase & Associates (Chimayo, NM)
Solana Chehtman | Director of Artist Programs, Joan Mitchell Foundation (New York, NY)
Lauren Conrad | Senior Consultant, ConnectUS (Grand Rapids, MI)
Alison Dennis | Executive Director, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology (Otis, OR)
Maria Elting | Program Manager, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology (Otis, OR)
Carina Evangelista | Director, Zane Bennett Contemporary Art (Santa Fe, NM)
Lisa Funderburke | President + CEO, Artist Communities Alliance (Oakland, CA)
Adrienne Garbini | Coordinator, San Luis Valley Colcha Embroidery Project (Saguache, CO)
Eugene Gloria | Poet; Chair of English Department and Professor of Creative Writing, DePauw University (Greencastle, IN)
Leslie Hirst | Visual Artist; Professor of Experimental + Foundation Studies, Rhode Island School of Design (Providence, RI)
Elsie Kagan | Founder and Director, Interlude Artist Residency (Hudson, NY)
Elly Weisenberg Kelly | Manager of Public Programs and Residencies, The Pocantico Center (Tarrytown, NY)
Kimba D. King | Senior Director of Human Resources, Adrienne Arsht Center (Miami, FL)
Joseph Kunkel | Principal and Director, Sustainable Native Communities Design Lab, MASS Design Group (Boston, MA)
Colette LaBouff | Executive Director, Black Mountain Institute, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV)
Aurora Martinez | Teaching Artist, San Luis Valley Colcha Embroidery Project (Monte Vista, CO)
Roger Montoya | Creative Director and Co-Founder, Moving Arts Espanola (Ohkay Owingeh, NM)
Chrissie Orr | Artist and Founder, SeedBroadcast Collective (Anton Chico, NM)
Megha Ralapati | Independent Curator (Chicago, IL)
Meaghan Ritchey | Co-Founder and Director, Parts and Labor San Antonio (San Antonio, TX)
Steff Rosalez | CEO, Grandville Arts & Humanities (Grand Rapids, MI)
Trent Segura | Coordinator, San Luis Valley Colcha Embroidery Project (Denver, CO)
Sanjit Sethi | Artist and Cultural Academic Leader (Bali, Indonesia)
Kelly Sicat | Director, Lucas Artists Programs, Montalvo Arts Center (Saratoga, CA)
Henry J. Simonds | Founder, Pedantic Residency (Pittsburgh, PA)
Alex Springer | Choreographer; Assistant Professor of Contemporary Dance, University of Florida (Gainsville, FL)
Thaddeus Squire | Chief Commons Steward, Social Impact Commons (Philadelphia, PA)
Jennifer Stein | Team Leader/Account Executive, Commercial Lines, Risk Strategies (New York, NY)
Hope Sullivan | Executive Director, Vermont Studio Center (Johnson, VT)
Adam Swanson | Literary Arts Fellow, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology (Otis, OR)
Natalie Sweet | Executive Director, Brew House Arts (Pittsburgh, PA)
J. Matthew Thomas | Executive Director, The Paseo Project (Taos, NM)
Toccarra Thomas | Executive Director, Santa Fe Art Institute (Santa Fe, NM)
Guy Thorne | Arts Residency Programs Coordinator, Division of the Arts, University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison, WI)
Hannah Turpin | Managing Director, Casey Droege Cultural Productions/Pedantic Residency (Pittsburgh, PA)
Sharon Ullman | Strategy and Execution Specialist (New York, NY)
Carlie Waganer | Residency Program Coordinator, Bemis Center For Contemporary Arts (Omaha, NE)
Emily Weiss Schaffer | Vice President and Team Leader, Fine Arts Practice, Risk Strategies (New York, NY)
Marisa Williamson | Board Member, NOON Organization (Charlottesville, VA)
Mark Woltman | Managing Director, ConnectUS (Grand Rapids, MI)
Jenni Wu | Chief of Staff, MacDowell (Peterborough, NH)
Charlotte Wyatt | Associate Director of Programs, Black Mountain Institute (Las Vegas, NV)
Kibra A Yohannes | Senior Program Associate, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (New York, NY)
And more to come!
Bios
 | Christy Bolingbroke | Executive/Artistic Director, National Center for Choreography-Akron (Akron, OH)Christy Bolingbroke, the Founding Executive/Artistic Director for the National Center for Choreography at The University of Akron (NCCAkron), is responsible for setting the curatorial vision and sustainable business model to foster research and development in dance. Previously, she served as the Deputy Director for Advancement at ODC in San Francisco, overseeing curation and performance programming as well as marketing and development organization-wide. A key aspect of her position included managing a unique three-year artist-in-residence program for dance artists, guiding and advising them in all aspects of creative development and administration. Prior to ODC, she was the Director of Marketing at the Mark Morris Dance Group in Brooklyn, NY. | ||
 | Kate Bowen | Executive Director | ACRE (Chicago, IL)Kate Bowen is an artist, curator, and teacher living and working in Chicago. She is the Acting Executive Director at ACRE (Artists' Cooperative Residency & Exhibitions) and the Video Programming Coordinator at the Museum of Contemporary Photography. She received her MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago in 2011. | ||
 | Xan Burley | Choreographer; Assistant. Professor of Contemporary Dance, University of Florida (Gainsville, FL) | ||
 | Mario Caro, PhD | Director, MFA in Studio Arts, Institute of American Indian Arts (Santa Fe, NM)Mario Caro, PhD, is a researcher, curator, and critic of contemporary art, having published widely on the history, theory, and criticism of contemporary Indigenous arts. He is the Institute of American Indian Arts, MFA Studio Arts Director. | ||
 | Aaron Cesar | Founding Director, Delfina Foundation (London, UK)Aaron is a Strategic Advisor to Asymmetry Art Foundation and Kunsthalle Praha. He has been appointed to numerous boards and committees, currently including All Change Arts, Caribbean Art Initiative, Dhaka Art Summit, and Alserkal Avenue. He is a member of the jury for the 2023 Korea Art Prize and has served on other juries including the Turner Prize (2021), Samdani Artist Award (2012-2023), Oskár Čepan Award (2022), LIVE WORKS Performance Art Award (2016), Jarman Award (2012), MOP CAP (2018), and the Absolut Creative Competition (2019), to name a few. | ||
 | Stuart Chase | Principal, S.A. Chase & Associates (Chimayo, NM)Stuart Chase’s 40-year career in museum leadership has been marked by his commitment to engaging the public through accessible initiatives, supporting artists, and building collections that foster enduring legacies. His overarching objective is to ensure that deserving artists receive the recognition they merit, establishing a lasting digital presence and legacy within diverse organizational and private collections, while also providing expertise to private collections in organizing, conserving, and making their collections accessible. | ||
 | Solana Chehtman | Director of Artist Programs, Joan Mitchell Foundation (New York, NY)Solana Chehtman is a curator and cultural producer based in New York, originally from Argentina. Her work expands across performing and visual arts, and is driven by values of cultural self-determination, civic agency, and intersectional justice. As the Joan Mitchell Foundation's Director of Artist Programs, Chehtman creates and executes a programmatic vision centering artists as creative leaders and change agents. Before joining the Foundation, Chehtman was the inaugural Director of Creative Practice and Social Impact at The Shed and Vice President of Public Engagement at Friends of the High Line. She has collaborated with a range of cultural institutions, including Creative Time, the New Museum, the Queens Museum, and the Tribeca Film Institute. | ||
 | Burak Mert Çiloğlugil | Director, Gate 27 (Istanbul, Turkey)Burak Mert Çiloğlugil lives in Istanbul and has been the Director of the Gate 27 international artist residency program since December 2022. A member of AICA and Social Value International, he previously held a ten-year tenure at Borusan Contemporary. His work spans audience engagement, exhibition production, and institutional communication. He moderated numerous artist talks, including Tim Flach, Mairi Pardalaki, and Nathalie Rey, and coordinated catalogs for Borusan Contemporary’s Water Reverie and Axel Hütte: Chronostasis exhibitions. | ||
 | Lauren Conrad | Senior Consultant, ConnectUS (Grand Rapids, MI)Lauren is the Senior Consultant at ConnectUS. She leads cross-sector projects focused on shifting and aligning systems to create equitable outcomes. Lauren has led the Arts and Culture Collective Grand Rapids (ACCGR) in collecting data to shape a comprehensive community-wide arts and culture planning effort. | ||
 | Alison Dennis | Executive Director, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology (Otis, OR)Alison Dennis is Executive Director of the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology, where artists, scientists and communities explore creativity and the natural world. Her passion for Sitka flows from a lifelong belief in the power of art and nature to inspire collective action. With a collaborative spirit and deep experience helping place-based organizations grow, Alison champions innovative residencies and programs. She holds a BA from Bennington College and an MBA from Portland State University. | ||
 | Maria Elting | Program Manager, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology (Otis, OR)Maria Elting has worked in public programming, arts education, and medicinal and ornamental agriculture throughout Hawai'i and the West Coast. Her love of site reactive work and belief in the importance of place based experiences informs her approach to managing the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology's Residency, Workshop and Fellowship programs. She grew up on the island of O’ahu and has a BA in Art History from Hawai’i Pacific University. | ||
 | Carina Evangelista | Director, Zane Bennett Contemporary Art (Santa Fe, NM)Carina Evangelista, Director at Zane Bennett Contemporary Art (Santa Fe, NM), has three decades of curatorial and publishing experience with a focus on contemporary art at institutions in the U.S. including Asia Society and its Global Artistic Programs, Cahiers d’Art Institute, Delaware Contemporary, The Museum of Modern Art, and Oklahoma Contemporary, as well as universities and museums in the Philippines. Also an artist, her creative practice includes work in film, theater, and the visual arts. | ||
 | Lisa Funderburke | President + CEO, Artist Communities Alliance (Oakland, CA)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. | ||
 | Adrienne Garbini | Coordinator, San Luis Valley Colcha Embroidery Project (Saguache, CO)Adrienne Garbini is an artist, writer, curator, and researcher living in Saguache. She is the Executive Director of NOON Organization and a coordinator of the San Luis Valley Colcha Embroidery Project and The Range art space in Saguache. | ||
 | Eugene Gloria | Poet; Chair of English Department and Professor of Creative Writing, DePauw University (Greencastle, IN)Eugene Gloria is the author of four books of poems—Sightseer in This Killing City (Penguin Random House, 2019), winner of an Indiana Authors Award; My Favorite Warlord (Penguin, 2012), winner of an Anisfield-Wolf Book Award; Hoodlum Birds (Penguin, 2006); and Drivers at the Short-Time Motel (Penguin, 2000), a National Poetry Series selection and winner of an Asian American Literary Award. His honors include a Fulbright Research Grant, a Pushcart Prize, a Poetry Society of America award, and a Fulbright Senior Visiting Fellowship, among others. He is the chair of the English Department and a professor of Creative Writing at DePauw University. | ||
 | Leslie Hirst | Visual Artist; Professor of Experimental + Foundation Studies, Rhode Island School of Design (Providence, RI)Leslie Hirst is a visual artist working across disciplines to examine the forces that shape social histories and place. Hirst’s solo exhibitions include Museo del Merletto at the 56th Internazionale Biennale di Venezia, (Italy); Kunstverein Baden (Austria); and Pavel Zoubok Gallery (NY). Her work has been presented in group exhibitions internationally and is in public and private collections. Hirst received an Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship at the RISD Museum, the Rhode Island Foundation's MacColl Johnson Fellowship, and two Fellowships in Drawing and Printmaking from the Rhode Island Council on the Arts. | ||
 | Elsie Kagan | Founder and Director, Interlude Artist Residency (Hudson, NY)Elsie Kagan is the Founder and Director of Interlude Artist Residency, a groundbreaking non-profit program in Upstate New York that serves the needs of artist parents. Identifying a critical gap in accessibility and opportunity for artists who are caregivers, Kagan created this essential resource to address an under-served community in the arts. Interlude operates year-round, providing nurturing and fully funded residency sessions to about 20 artists and their families per year. | ||
 | Elly Weisenberg Kelly | Manager of Public Programs and Residencies, The Pocantico Center (Tarrytown, NY)Elly Weisenberg Kelly (she/her) is manager of public programs and residencies at The Pocantico Center of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. She is responsible for the production and curation of public programming, the artist-in-residence program, and community engagement. Prior to RBF, Elly enjoyed a career in public relations, communications and non-profit management. Elly is passionate about community building, supporting artists in the creative process, and making the arts inclusive and accessible for all. | ||
 | Kimba D. King | Senior Director of Human Resources, Adrienne Arsht Center (Miami, FL)Kimba D. King is the Senior Director of Human Resources at the Adrienne Arsht Center (Miami, FL) and an experienced HR Consultant. She co-created Florida’s first state-certified Technical Theater Apprenticeship program, expanding opportunities for historically marginalized communities in the field of technical theater. A champion of holistic wellness, Kimba is passionate about building workplace cultures where people are truly heard, supported, and empowered to thrive. | ||
 | Joseph Kunkel | Principal and Director, Sustainable Native Communities Design Lab, MASS Design Group (Boston, MA)Joseph Kunkel, a citizen of the Northern Cheyenne Nation, is a community designer and educator focused on sustainable development practices for Indigenous communities. As a Principal at MASS Design Group, Joseph directs the Sustainable Native Communities Design Lab in O’ghe P’oghe (Santa Fe, NM). Joseph’s work includes exemplary Indian housing projects, such as the Wa-Di Housing Project, a 41-unit affordable housing development supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and ArtPlace America. His research on affordable housing was developed into emerging best practices, leading to an online Healthy Homes Road Map for tribal housing development, funded by HUD’s PD&R Office. | ||
 | Colette LaBouff | Executive Director, Black Mountain Institute, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV)Colette LaBouff is Executive Director at Black Mountain Institute. Prior to this, she was Executive Director at Taos Center for the Arts. From 2001–2011 she was Associate Director, and Interim Acting Director, International Center for Writing and Translation at UC Irvine. She is the author of Mean (U. of Chicago Press, 2008), prose poems, and “Holdings,” a text-object (Container Press, 2019). She has a PhD in English and MFA in Poetry from UC Irvine. | ||
 | Aurora Martinez | Teaching Artist, San Luis Valley Colcha Embroidery Project (Monte Vista, CO)Aurora Martinez is a Monte Vista based artist and teacher born in Center, Colorado. She is retired from a career in public school teaching. She came to colcha embroidery through the San Luis stitching group in 2017, and grew up around the women in Center who participated in the Artes del Valle group that worked at the San Juan Arts Center in La Garita in the 1970s and 80s. | ||
 | Roger Montoya | Creative Director and Co-Founder, Moving Arts Espanola (Ohkay Owingeh, NM)Roger Montoya is an American humanitarian recognized in 2019 as a CNN Hero for the visionary programming at Moving Arts Espanola. Montoya is an accomplished self-taught landscape painter, producer, choreographer, and founding member of Moving People Dance Santa Fe. From 1998–2007, he founded and coordinated the Arts in the Schools program for the Española Public School District that served 12 elementary schools and 3,000+ K–6 students. Montoya co-founded the La Tierra Montessori School for the Arts and Sciences Charter School in 2012. He serves as a guest teacher/lecturer at the New Mexico School for the Arts charter high school and the UNM dance department, as well as being an advisory board member at Moving Arts Española. | ||
 | Chrissie Orr | Artist and Founder, SeedBroadcast Collective (Anton Chico, NM)Chrissie Orr was born in Scotland, a descendant of the Picts (the painted ones). She is an artist, animateur, and creative investigator who has created innovative, provocative community-based art projects in diverse areas of the world and is recognized internationally for her pioneering work. She is the recipient of the Santa Fe Mayors Award for Excellence in the Arts and she is a founder of the SeedBroadcast Collective. She is the co-founder of the Academy for the Love of Learning’s EL Otro Lado Project and the Institute for Living Story and is presently the Academy’s Creative Practice Fellow. She has kept a journal for more years than she can remember, their broken worn spines line her bookshelves and contain her secret memory lines. One day she might share these. In her spare time she grows ancient varieties of corn and beans to learn new ways of being in this world and loves to instigate beautiful trouble. | ||
 | Megha Ralapati | Independent Curator (Chicago, IL)Megha Ralapati is an independent curator and arts leader in Chicago, who seeks to amplify artists’ practice through cultural exchange and transnational dialogue. In her current role as Program Director for CEC ArtsLink, a platform dedicated to international connection and mobility for artists, she oversees programs and fellowships, as well as leads the annually anticipated ArtsLink Assembly, a transnational convening of practitioners, which has taken place in New York, Warsaw, and Chicago in November 2023. | ||
 | Meaghan Ritchey | Co-Founder and Director, Parts and Labor San Antonio (San Antonio, TX)Meaghan Ritchey helps build arts organizations and their potential audiences. She is the co-founder and director of the Parts & Labor artist residency in San Antonio, Texas. She also works with the Foundation for Spirituality and the Arts, Mockingbird, and the HEB Foundation. She has directed communications and programming for Bridge Projects, Image Journal, Commonweal, Baylor University, and the International Arts Movement. | ||
 | Steff Rosalez | CEO, Grandville Arts & Humanities (Grand Rapids, MI)Steff Rosalez is the CEO of Grandville Avenue Arts & Humanities and a Co-Chair for ACCGR. She brings deep experience in youth development, arts equity, and community-driven programming, and is a key voice in shaping the region’s arts and culture strategy. | ||
 | Trent Segura | Coordinator, San Luis Valley Colcha Embroidery Project (Denver, CO)Trent Segura is an artist, researcher, and writer based in Denver and Saguache, Colorado. Trent coordinates the San Luis Valley Colcha Embroidery Project and NOON Organization programs. Trent came to colcha embroidery through his great aunt Tiva Trujillo who lived and worked in Saguache. He is a member of the contemporary art collective M12 Studio. | ||
 | Sanjit Sethi | Artist and Cultural Academic Leader (Bali, Indonesia)Sanjit Sethi has two decades of experience as an artist and cultural academic leader. Sanjit served as the first Director of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design at George Washington University, where he oversaw the reestablishment of the historic art and design college as it integrated with the University, and served as the President of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design from 2019-2025. His previous positions include serving as Director of the MFA program at the Memphis College of Art; Director of the Center for Art and Public Life, Barclay Simpson Professor, and Chair of Community Arts at the California College of the Arts; and Executive Director of the Santa Fe Art Institute. Additionally, Sanjit has lectured and taught at the Srishti School of Art, Design, and Technology in Bangalore; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; School of the Art Institute of Chicago; and Saint Mary’s College in London. | ||
 | Kelly Sicat | Director, Lucas Artists Programs, Montalvo Arts Center (Saratoga, CA)Kelly Sicat sets vision, direction, and programming priorities for the Lucas Artists Residency Program and Montalvo Arts Center’s artistic programming. Since joining Montalvo in 2007, she has curated sixteen major thematic artistic programs, commissioning over sixty-five new works in multiple disciplines and engaging hundreds of local, national, and international artists with the LAP. During her tenure, she has built dozens of strategic partnerships throughout Silicon Valley for the program. | ||
 | Henry J. Simonds | Founder, Pedantic Residency (Pittsburgh, PA)Henry J. Simonds is an artist, curator, and filmmaker. He has shown in Pittsburgh, PA, Vermont, and New York, and has written, edited, and produced both feature films and documentaries for the screen and television. Simonds is a graduate of Middlebury College (Middlebury, VT) and received his MFA in Visual Art from the Vermont College of Fine Art (Montpelier, VT) in 2020. He is the co-founder and co-director of the Pedantic Arts Residency. | ||
 | Thaddeus Squire | Chief Commons Steward, Social Impact Commons (Philadelphia, PA)Thaddeus Squire, Chief Commons Steward at Social Impact Commons, has more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit management field, focusing on arts and cultural heritage. He founded Peregrine Arts in 2004, a multi-arts producer, followed by Hidden City Philadelphia, among other curatorial projects. In 2010 he shifted his practice to focus on shared nonprofit infrastructure, founding CultureWorks Greater Philadelphia in 2010, the first comprehensive fiscal sponsor focusing on arts and heritage in the country. In 2020, he co-founded Social Impact Commons, the first nonprofit supporting organization and field builder for the national fiscal sponsorship community. | ||
 | Jennifer Stein | Team Leader/Account Executive, Commercial Lines, Risk Strategies (New York, NY)Jennifer Stein joined Risk Strategies in 2023. She is an account executive with more than two decades of experience in commercial insurance. She has handled countless mid-large sized business accounts, managing every aspect of their insurance needs. Prior to Risk Strategies, Jen held the roles of commercial lines manager and senior account manager at other brokerages. | ||
 | Hope Sullivan | Executive Director, Vermont Studio Center (Johnson, VT)Hope Sullivan is the Executive Director of Vermont Studio Center, where she champions creativity as a force for community, connection, and global exchange. Since joining VSC in 2023, she has advanced its vision of expanding access and deepening impact for artists and writers worldwide. Her career blends leadership in fundraising, program development, and the arts, following roles at Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Berkshire Arts Center, Sharpe Partners, and Goldman Sachs. | ||
 | Adam Swanson | Literary Arts Fellow, Sitka Center for Art and Ecology (Otis, OR)Adam Swanson is a writer and suicidologist. His work has appeared in Oprah Daily, The Washington Post, Khôra, and elsewhere. He’s received fellowships from Emerson College, Lambda Literary, and Writing by Writers. In 2024, he was named the inaugural Literary Arts Fellow at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology. Adam is the Senior Technical Assistance and State Partnerships Advisor for the Suicide Prevention Resource Center at EDC, a global nonprofit dedicated to health and education initiatives. | ||
 | Natalie Sweet | Executive Director, Brew House Arts (Pittsburgh, PA)Natalie Sweet is a cultural worker and curator based in Pittsburgh, PA, whose work primarily explores socially engaged artistic practices. She currently serves as Executive Director of Brew House Arts, a non-profit art center that hosts community driven fine art exhibitions, artist studios, and residency programs. Natalie earned a B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh and has been involved in collaborations with various organizations including Contemporary Craft, the Andy Warhol Museum, and the Equity Impact Center. | ||
 | J. Matthew Thomas | Executive Director, The Paseo Project (Taos, NM)J. Matthew Thomas is an artist, architect, and community organizer based in Taos, New Mexico. As Executive Director of The Paseo Project, he leads an immersive, place-based arts festival and year-round programs that activate community, culture, and landscape. Drawing on his background in architecture and urban design, Thomas creates ecosystems of support for artists and audiences alike, fostering connection through public art, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and community transformation. | ||
 | Toccarra Thomas | Executive Director, Santa Fe Art Institute (Santa Fe, NM)Toccarra Thomas, originally from New Haven, CT, is a media and performance artist, film programmer, and arts administrator with extensive experience in leading and innovating within the arts and cultural sector. She has held prominent leadership roles, including Director of the Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans, a program of the Joan Mitchell Foundation. As the inaugural general manager of Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, NY, and the inaugural managing director of SPACE in Portland, ME, she played a pivotal role in strengthening operations and administration, expanding community engagement, and aligning organizational missions with artistic values.In addition to her professional roles, Toccarra serves as an advisory member for Indigo Arts Alliance, a BIPOC-run residency program dedicated to supporting Black and Brown artists. She has also curated and produced numerous cultural projects, including film series and multidisciplinary art events that elevate diverse voices and address pressing societal issues. | ||
 | Guy Thorne | Arts Residency Programs Coordinator, Division of the Arts, University of Wisconsin-Madison (Madison, WI)Guy Thorne, MBA, is an award-winning dancer, choreographer, and multi-media artist. Known for his work with Garth Fagan Dance and as the co-creator of FuturPointe Dance, he blends Caribbean movement and classical techniques. Thorne currently manages Arts Residency Programs at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of the Arts. With an international career as a performer and facilitator, he brings a unique blend of embodied inquiry, movement, and creative strategy for artists and administrators alike. | ||
 | Hannah Turpin | Managing Director, Casey Droege Cultural Productions/Pedantic Residency (Pittsburgh, PA)Hannah Turpin is a Pittsburgh-based arts worker and independent curator. Through Casey Droege Cultural Productions, Turpin serves as Program Manager for Pedantic Arts Residency leading program planning and day-to-day operations. Their curatorial practice examines art history through a queer lens, seen in their recent project, When the Lights Come On: Queer Nightlife as Emergent Space (2025). Turpin holds an MA in Art History from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York, and previously worked at the Carnegie Museum of Art and Leslie Lohman Museum. | ||
 | Sharon Ullman | Strategy and Execution Specialist (New York, NY)Dynamic, innovative, and deeply collaborative, Sharon Ullman partners with creative organizations across the artistic, philanthropic, and nonprofit sectors. A forward thinker who offers a unique blend of strategic insight, hands-on implementation, and a far-reaching network that enables her to assemble the right mix of professionals to get the job done. From putting structures in place for start-ups to organizing the legal and financial details for estates, legacies, and philanthropic organizations to staff planning and recruitment for new programs, Ullman can be counted on to drive projects efficiently while maximizing resources and saving time. | ||
 | Carlie Waganer | Residency Program Coordinator, Bemis Center For Contemporary Arts (Omaha, NE)Carlie Waganer joined the Bemis team as Residency Program Coordinator in 2023. In her role, she oversees all administrative aspects of Bemis’s internationally renowned Residency Program and supports community building within the residency program and the greater public. Carlie considers herself an “artistic administrator,” where the support of artists and the realization of their goals are integral to her own artistic fulfillment. | ||
 | Emily Weiss Schaffer | Vice President and Team Leader, Fine Arts Practice, Risk Strategies (New York, NY)Emily Weiss Schaffer has over 14 years of experience providing insurance solutions for some of the largest and most complex collectors, galleries, dealers, artist studios, foundations, museum, auction houses and packer/shipper accounts at Risk Strategies. Emily was awarded Power Broker by Risk & Insurance magazine, which recognizes insurance brokers who stand out amongst their peers in industry knowledge, problem solving skills and exceptional client service in 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2023. She was recognized as one of the Top 40 Brokers under 40 for 2016, 2017 and 2020. Emily has also been featured in Fortune Magazine and the New York Times Vocations section. | ||
 | Marisa Williamson | Board Member, NOON Organization (Charlottesville, VA)Marisa Williamson is a project-based artist who works in video, image-making, installation, and performance around themes of history, race, feminism, and technology. She is an Assistant Professor of Visual Art at the University of Virginia with a research focus on Blackness. She is a NOON Organization board member and also serves on the board of New City Arts, a non-profit community arts organization supporting Charlottesville-area artists. | ||
 | Mark Woltman | Managing Director, ConnectUS (Grand Rapids, MI)Mark Woltman is the Managing Director with ConnectUS. With a background in policy analysis and impact measurement, Woltman supports collective movements in using data to drive decision-making and build narratives that shift power and resources. | ||
 | Jenni Wu | Chief of Staff, MacDowell (Peterborough, NH)Jenni Wu (she/her/hers) is the Chief of Staff at MacDowell. In this role, she leads HR functions, manages cross-departmental projects, and helps to maintain a healthy and inclusive workplace culture. Jenni studied art history and French at Grinnell College and has a master’s degree from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Artist Community Alliance and enjoys spending time with her dog Marvin, reading, and painting. | ||
 | Charlotte Wyatt | Associate Director, Programs, Black Mountain Institute, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV)Charlotte Wyatt is the Associate Director of programs for Black Mountain Institute. She has an MFA in fiction from the University of Houston, where she won an Inprint Donald Barthelme Prize. She worked for the Napa Valley Writers’ Conference for nine years, where she directed admissions and the fiction program. Her resume includes zookeeping, wine-country hospitality, and supernatural tourism. Her creative work can be found in Chautauqua, The Potomac Review, Joyland, and others. | ||
 | Kibra A Yohannes | Senior Program Associate, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (New York, NY)As the founding Executive Director, Kibra drove the programming, administration, and operations of AFRICA'SOUT!, a nonprofit organization that honors, supports and defends artists who radically change the narrative around Africa and its Diaspora, first and foremost, for themselves. Before joining AFRICA’SOUT! Kibra was the Director of the School of Professional and Continuing Studies at Long Island University, where she managed and designed children’s programs and accredited adult education, non-traditional and professional programs. Previously she served as Director of Operations and Director of Programs, respectively, at Arts Engine, Inc. a film production company producing social-issue documentaries of consequence, and programs such as the Media That Matters Film Festival, MediaRights and Filmmaker Services. Kibra holds a BA in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Virginia and is a candidate for an MA Social Science, with a Graduate Certificate in United Nations Studies, from Long Island University. | ||