Ryan Stubbs
Senior Director of Research
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
Ryan Stubbs directs NASAA’s research team to provide high-quality information for the benefit of state arts agencies and the arts and culture field. His areas of expertise include public funding for the arts, state policy and the creative economy as well as state arts agency funding, services, operations and grant making. He oversees a research portfolio that includes dynamic data visualization tools, field surveys and research customized to the needs of state arts agencies. Stubbs also represents state arts agencies and NASAA at state, regional and NASAA research forums and serves as NASAA’s primary research liaison to federal agencies, foundations, consultants and scholars conducting research on public support for the arts.
Stubbs has more than 10 years of professional experience in the field of arts research. Prior to joining NASAA, he served as the director of research for the Western States Arts Federation, where he specialized in analyzing state and local creative economy data, implemented web based research technology and launched an initiative aimed at supporting independent music. Stubbs has experience in state government as a capital construction analyst for the Colorado Department of Higher Education and in economic development as a business manager for Adams County, Colorado. He holds master’s degrees in public administration and urban and regional planning with an emphasis in economic development planning from the University of Colorado, Denver.
David Holland
Director of Public Policy
WESTAF
David Holland is the director of impact and public policy at Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF). He joined WESTAF in 2019 to lead its advocacy and public policy programs and services and serve as the primary liaison with federal agencies, regional arts organizations, state and local arts agencies, and state arts advocacy groups. His role has evolved to also drive the impact of WESTAF’s leadership and professional development programming, grantmaking, and technical assistance and consulting services across teams. Holland previously served as associate director of the Arts and Business Council of Greater Boston, where he oversaw programs and services, operations and fund development. Holland’s prior roles include leadership and senior management positions with Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) da Vinci Center for Innovation, VCU School of the Arts, ART 180, Arts & Business and the UK innovation foundation Nesta. Holland began his career with BOP Consulting, a global consulting firm focused on cultural policy, leading projects for government departments, public agencies and international organizations as a senior consultant. For more than 11 years, he has served as an independent management consultant working primarily with clients in the arts and culture field both nationally and internationally. He serves as a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and Colorado’s Arts in Society. He is also an elected member of the Americans for the Arts Private Sector Network Advisory Council and serves on an advisory committee for the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and on the national Cultural Advocacy Group. His writings have been published by Arts Council England, the British Council, the Routledge International Handbook of Creative Learning and others. He was selected as a Salzburg Global Seminar Young Cultural Innovator in 2014 and is a Salzburg Global Fellow, an Evan Carroll Commager Fellow and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Holland holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Amherst College and master’s degrees in international studies and diplomacy and the history of art from the University of London, SOAS.
Karen Mittelman
Executive Director
Vermont Arts Council
Karen Mittelman began her role as executive director of the Vermont Arts Council on October 16, 2017. She was previously director of the Division of Public Programs at the National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington, D.C. Mittelman brings to the Arts Council more than 30 years of experience in the public sector and the federal cultural arena. She held a senior position at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia and served as curator at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. Mittelman received a bachelor’s degree in American civilization and a doctorate in U.S. history from the University of Pennsylvania. She taught at the University of Pennsylvania and American University, and is a published author.
Doug Noonan
Professor of Public and Environmental Affairs
O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Doug Noonan is the Paul H. O’Neill Professor at the O’Neill School at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. His research focuses on a variety of policy and economics issues related to the cultural affairs, urban environments, neighborhood dynamics and quality of life. His research has been sponsored by a variety of organizations (e.g., National Science Foundation, Environmental Protection Agency, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, National Endowment for the Arts) on topics like policy adoption, environmental risks, energy, air quality, spatial modeling, green urban revitalizations and cultural economics. He joined the O’Neill School in 2013 after spending more than a decade on the faculty at the School of Public Policy at Georgia Tech. He is currently the coeditor-in-chief of the Journal of Cultural Economics, cofounder and faculty director Indiana University Center for Cultural Affairs, and codirector of the Arts, Entrepreneurship and Innovation Lab.
George Tzougros
Executive Director
Wisconsin Arts Board
George Tzougros is the executive director of the Wisconsin Arts Board, the state agency that nurtures creativity, cultivates expression, promotes the arts, supports the arts in education, stimulates community and economic development, and serves as a resource for people of every culture and heritage. Tzougros works with the creative industries, Wisconsin Arts Board members and staff, the governor, and state legislature to create funding programs and services to meet the needs of the people of Wisconsin.
Eric Friedenwald-Fishman
Creative Director/Founder/CEO
Metropolitan Group
Eric Friedenwald-Fishman is a pioneer of social purpose innovation. He brings 30 years of experience helping large and complex mission-driven organizations (public agencies, large nonprofits and foundations) design and implement narrative and policy change initiatives. He has deep advocacy, policy and public funding experience and is expert at building coalitions and designing effective grass-tops and grass-roots advocacy efforts. Friedenwald-Fishman’s approach focuses on engaging internal and external stakeholders to inform development of powerful creative, effective strategies and winning campaigns so they are grounded in core values, are authentic and relevant, and are based in data. He is the principal author of the Public Will Building Model (a values based social and cultural change approach now utilized worldwide by advocates and long-term change strategists). He is cofounder of Creating Connection and a long-time volunteer advocate and board member of arts and arts support organizations.
Rob Sassor
Vice President
Metropolitan Group
Rob Sassor believes deeply in the power of stories and narratives to expand paradigms and influence what we prioritize and measure, along with the strategic planning and organizational development that brings clients’ stories to life. He brings 15 years of stakeholder engagement and communication, marketing, branding and organizational culture change experience, specializing in intersectional approaches to advance social and environmental causes. Sassor is a natural facilitator and technical assistance provider who helps coalitions and networks with wide-ranging dynamics hone a shared vision and a theory of change for accomplishing it. He has a passion for arts, culture and the humanities, and has provided technical assistance and capacity building (in partnership with Arts Midwest) to an array of arts organizations affiliated with the national Creating Connection initiative.
LaVon Bracy Davis
Chair
Florida Division of Cultural Affairs
LaVon Bracy Davis currently serves as the senior director of community programming for the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in Orlando, Florida. She has been with this nonprofit since 2008, starting with the design and community engagement teams prior to its opening in 2011. During her tenure, she has been part of significant milestones such as ground breaking, grand opening in 2014, ground breaking on phase 2 in 2017 and the pending opening of an acoustic hall in fall 2020. Davis’s key contributions there include leading the diversification of community programming and the production of free concerts, events and educational experiences. Davis is chair of the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs. She holds a bachelor of fine arts degree in theatre arts with a concentration in acting from Howard University and a juris doctor from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, College of Law.
Colleen Dilenschneider
Chief Market Engagement Officer
IMPACTS Experience
Colleen Dilenschneider oversees multiple audience engagement initiatives on behalf of clients in the nonprofit and cultural sectors. Dilenschneider uses data to both identify and predict emerging market opportunities, and helps nonprofit organizations maintain their relevance and secure their long-term financial futures by building affinity with their onsite and virtual audiences. Dilenschneider has worked with many of the most admired and successful entities in the nonprofit realm, including projects concerning the Monterey Bay Aquarium, California Academy of Sciences, Carnegie Museums, Stanford University, Bing Concert Hall, Exploratorium, National Park Service, Colonial Williamsburg, Phoenix Symphony, San Diego Zoo and many others. She also currently serves on the board of directors at the National Aquarium. Dilenschneider is the author and publisher of the popular website Know Your Own Bone, a data-informed resource for cultural organizations, and has been a featured expert in sources ranging from NPR’s Marketplace to The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. She has been prominently featured in many national museum publications and as required reading for museum studies and professional development programs globally. Dilenschneider earned her undergraduate degree from The University of Chicago and a master of public administration degree from the University of Southern California.
Jim Hekkers
Chief Strategy Officer
IMPACTS Experience
Jim Hekkers specializes in leveraging his extensive executive experience in the world of visitor-serving organizations to help leadership at nonprofit organizations improve strategic planning, management and market research. Hekkers served as the managing director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium from 2001 to 2015, where he oversaw the senior management team, day-to-day operations, and all strategic and exhibition planning. He simultaneously served on the boards of the National Steinbeck Center, the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Pacific Grove Museum Association. He also has served as president and chief executive officer of Colorado’s Ocean Journey in Denver and marketing director for the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga. Hekkers’s expertise with and fascination for robust market research help him facilitate strategic plans for IMPACTS clients by leveraging data-driven insights into charting more data-informed futures, including projects for Bing Concert Hall and Monterey Jazz Festival, among others. A popular speaker, Hekkers has presented at dozens of zoo, aquarium and museum conferences in the United States and abroad and has published more than 20 major articles, book chapters and professional papers. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Colorado State University, and a master of nonprofit management degree from Regis University.
Laura S. Smith, CFRE
Chief Advancement Officer
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
Laura Smith joined the NASAA staff in 2002. As chief advancement officer, she oversees all fundraising undertaken on NASAA’s behalf. She works closely with the board of directors, the Development Committee and staff to identify opportunities for public agencies, individuals, foundations and companies to support NASAA’s mission. In addition to her fundraising responsibilities, Smith staffs the Nominating Committee, which identifies candidates for NASAA board and committee service, and the NASAA Leadership Awards Task Force. She also advises NASAA members and partners on development and governance issues, and represents NASAA and state arts agencies in key philanthropic forums and networks. She is a certified meditation teacher and has been introducing mindfulness as a leadership skill since 2015.
Before joining NASAA, Smith served with the National Mentoring Partnership, the American Architectural Foundation and the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis. She has served as a board member or advisor to various nonprofits, including Women in Film and Video, Skewed Visions (a Minneapolis-based theatre company), and the National Governors Association. She currently mentors new fundraisers through the AFP-DC Mentoring Program, and serves on the board of Minds, Inc., which teaches mindfulness and social emotional learning practices to D.C.-area teachers, students and parents. An avid knitter and birdwatcher, Smith’s arts background includes degrees in English (B.A.) and liberal studies (M.A.), training in piano and creative writing, and an abiding love of craft.
Chandra Boyd
Deputy Director
Oklahoma Arts Council
Chandra Boyd has more than 20 years’ experience in arts education and administration, having held positions with the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, Oklahoma City Community College, and the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Boyd holds master of business administration and master of liberal arts degrees from Oklahoma City University with an emphasis on marketing and art history. She also earned bachelor of arts degrees in art history and French from Oklahoma State University. As deputy director of the Oklahoma Arts Council she provides oversight of agency programs and operations, including human resources and policy development, and leads the creation and progress of the agency’s strategic plan.
Corey Oser
Vice President of Programs
Global Fund for Children
Corey Oser leads Global Fund for Children’s engagement with community based child and youth-centered organizations globally. Oser believes that social transformation is possible with collective care and action even in the most challenging environments. Her interest in well-being in the social sector stemmed from supporting teams of facilitators working with women in conflict-affected environments through roles with Women for Women International. It became clear that the personal journeys and environment of care for facilitators were critical parts of the mission to help foster confidence and solidarity among women experiencing trauma and loss. An important part of her journey across many years in the social sector and the work she supports with Global Fund for Children is helping organizations align internal practices with their missions and visions for social change. Within this effort, well-being shifts from individual behaviors to a core part of a collective movement toward a more just world.
Gayle Danley
CEO
Poetry Pros
After winning the International Poetry Slam in Heidelberg Germany in 1996, poet Gayle Danley entered America’s classrooms teaching thousands of children how to access their emotions through the force of words. She performed and taught her way from Maryland Young Audience’s Artist of the Year to National Young Audience’s Artist of the Year.
CBS’s 60 Minutes profiled Danley’s work with middle schoolers in Baltimore County, Maryland, and it has appeared in The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post and The New York Times. Recently, CareFirst included her and her Poetry Pros in a special presentation for its Equity and Inclusion Week. During the pandemic, Danley kept herself sane and healthy by curating three decades of her slam poetry work into “Lessons in Poetry,” an online course that builds emotional stamina and shares the secrets to writing your own spoken word piece. Danley was recently named Maryland Library Association Poet of the Year.
Eric Giles
Learning Services Director
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
Eric Giles directs leadership development programs that boost state arts agencies’ knowledge and skills and create a supportive and rewarding professional community for NASAA members. He oversees NASAA’s Assembly and Leadership Institute convenings, coordinates NASAA’s peer group networks, and manages NASAA’s webinars and other virtual learning services. Giles also serves as a resource for NASAA and state arts agencies on best practices in adult learning and instructional design.
Giles joined NASAA in 2008. He has two master’s degrees, in international policy and comparative religious studies, as well as two bachelor’s degrees, in history and fine arts. He taught drawing and design as an adjunct faculty member at the College of Southern Maryland for 10 years and is constantly evolving his own artistic practice in a variety of mediums.
Gabriella Kahan-Rodriguez
Land & Sea Yoga
Gabriella is a Central Jersey native living in Westchester, New York. Her yoga classes offer a unique experience of mindfulness and deep breath-integration alongside the physical yoga practice. She has been teaching yoga since 2014 and dance since 2010. She uses both styles to inform one another on and off of the mat. Her yoga classes typically focus on a theme and sequence that advances throughout the month. This method offers each yogi to experience their mental and physical growth. She teaches Vinyasa Yoga, Chair Yoga and Stand Up Paddleboard Yoga.
Patricia Mullaney-Loss
Research Manager
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
Patricia Mullaney-Loss joined NASAA in 2016. She collects information on state arts agency funding levels and sources through the State Arts Agency Revenues survey, and manages NASAA’s historical funding database. Mullaney-Loss also designs and conducts many of NASAA’s online surveys, including the Staffing and Compensation Survey and Membership Opinion Poll. She leads the Research Department’s engaging and informative data visualization work and coordinates member requests.
Mullaney-Loss previously worked at International Arts & Artists conducting research and creating new programming. She graduated with a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Maryland, after completing bachelor’s degrees in government and dance at the same institution. While studying, she worked at the U.S. Department of State and the Office of Congressman Keith Ellison (MN). Fluent in Italian and proficient in German, she was a business manager and counselor at Concordia Language Villages, which offers programs in language and cultural immersion. Mullaney-Loss dances professionally in the D.C. area and has recently had the privilege of performing at Dance Place, the Kennedy Center, American Dance Institute and the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.
Lisa Hoffman
Executive Director
Alliance of Artists Communities
As the executive director of the Alliance of Artists Communities, Lisa Hoffman leads an international association of more than 400 artist residency programs and artist-centered organizations. She is the former associate director of the McColl Center for Art + Innovation, where she oversaw programs and strategic initiatives, community engagement, and the flagship Environmental Program. Prior to McColl Center, Hoffman served as director of Charlotte Nature Museum, and held positions as a science educator and mentor with the District of Columbia and Prince George’s County (Maryland) Public Schools. Hoffman has served on the boards of North Carolina Association of Environmental Education Centers, North Carolina Play Alliance, Jazz Arts Initiative and Lakewood Trolley. In 2015, she was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the National Museum and Library Services Board. Hoffman holds an M.S. in biology and a B.S. in botany from Howard University in Washington, D.C. She regularly speaks and contributes to publications regarding equity, accessibility and inclusion in the arts, as well as the intersection of arts and sciences.
Adriana Gallego
Executive Director
Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona
As an artist at the service of other artists, Adriana Gallego’s work in arts administration and education is motivated by social justice, where she seeks to connect people with meaningful resources that grow personal and organizational capacity, build community, foster collaboration and bridge cultural understanding. Leading from this perspective, she has developed programs, grants, partnerships and services in support of artists and arts organizations at a state and national level. She serves on the national board of directors of Grantmakers in the Arts and MAP Fund and is a member of the Projecting All Voices Design Integration Team through Arizona State University. Prior to joining the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona, Gallego was the first chief operating officer of the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures, director of strategic initiatives with the Arizona Commission on the Arts, educational assistant at the Norton Simon Museum, and an arts educator throughout the Southwest, including Tucson Pima Arts Council’s Rural Arts Program and as a founding member of Raíces Taller 222 Gallery and Workshop.
Her panel and committee service include the National Endowment for the Arts, Arizona Mexico Commission, Arizona Public Art Network, Transportation Enhancement Review Committee, Community Foundation Southern AZ, Tucson Pima Arts Council, Asset Building for Artists of Color Advisory Board, Flagstaff Cultural Partners Arts Advisory Board, Dance USA Fellowship, Nevada Arts Council Visual Arts Fellowship, New Mexico Public Art Program, Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Tempe Arts and Culture, Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture Public Art Program, Alternate Roots, New York Foundation for the Arts Immigrant Artist Program, and Smithsonian Latino Center Young Ambassadors Program.
Christine Kuan
President and Executive Director
Creative Capital
Before joining Creative Capital, Christine Kuan was CEO/director of Sotheby’s Institute of Art-New York. With 20 years of experience in both the nonprofit and the commercial sectors of the art world, Kuan has expertise in art education, museums, and digital strategy across cultural institutions and the art market. She was formerly chief curator and director of strategic partnerships at Artsy, where she oversaw the organization’s museum and institutional partnerships, digital collection strategy, open access policy, educational initiatives and auctions. Prior to Artsy, Kuan was chief curatorial officer and vice president of external affairs at Artstor, a nonprofit image library founded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and editor-in-chief of Oxford Art Online/Grove Art Online at Oxford University Press, where she significantly expanded access to scholarly information on women artists and artists of color. Kuan also has worked at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and has taught at the University of Iowa, Peking University, Rutgers University and Stanford University’s pilot program of Arts Leadership.
Kuan holds an M.F.A. in creative writing poetry from the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and a B.A. in art history and English literature from Rutgers University. She serves on the History of Collecting Advisory Committee at the Frick Collection in New York and the Steering Committee of The Brooklyn Rail.
Reuben Tomás Roqueñi
Director of Transformative Change Programs
Native Arts and Cultures Foundation
Reuben Roqueñi is a nationally respected arts administrator with more than 20 years’ experience in progressive program development, management, artist-centric support systems and grant-making. As director of Transformative Change Programs at Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, his program serves Native American, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian artists, organizations and programs across the United States. Previously, Roqueñi was program officer in the Performing Arts Program at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation in the San Francisco Bay area, one the nation’s largest arts and culture funders, making grants that embraced a wide range of artistic disciplines, aesthetics and cultural traditions. Formerly, he served as grants program director at the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona.
Roqueñi is a board president at MAP Fund, supporting performing artists that question, disrupt, complicate and challenge inherited notions of social and cultural hierarchy across the current American landscape. He is also a member of Global First Nations Performance Network Advisory Committee, Advancing Indigenous Performance Steering Committee at Western Arts Alliance, National Dance Project Advisory Committee and Grantmakers in the Arts Support for Individual Artists Committee. He was previously a board member for Portland Institute of Contemporary Art, The Association of American Cultures, Right Brain Initiative at Regional Arts and Culture Council (Portland) and Access Tucson (public television), and was a founding Board member of the Tucson Musicians and Artists Health Alliance. He is a graduate of the Rockwood Leadership Institute, Stanford Impact Program for Arts Leaders, National Association of Latino Arts and Culture’s (NALAC) Leadership Training, and the first NALAC Arts Advocacy Institute in Washington, D.C.
Roqueñi received his B.F.A. from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, and is a multimedia artist. He began his career in arts administration at the after-school arts and business program, Old Pascua Youth Artists, serving Yaqui youth in Tucson, and as an artist educator in the public school system. He is of mixed Yaqui/Mayo/Chicanx ancestry.
Kelly Barsdate
Chief Program and Planning Officer
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies
Kelly Barsdate is the chief architect of NASAA’s strategic plan and oversees NASAA’s member service portfolio, including research activities, member education programs, communications, state technical assistance and special initiatives. She leads NASAA’s State Arts Agency Boot Camps, an intensive leadership development program designed for state arts agency executives. She draws on deep knowledge about the state arts agency field to advise and train state arts agency staff, council members and constituents on public value fundamentals, effective advocacy, strategic planning, program design and evaluation practices. Barsdate has managed collaborations with the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the National Center for Charitable Statistics, Grantmakers in the Arts, the National Endowment for the Arts and other policy partners.
Barsdate has authored numerous monographs on arts policy, including NASAA’s Practical Advocate series, Why Should Government Support the Arts?, A State Arts Agency Performance Measurement Toolkit and A State Arts Agency Strategic Planning Toolkit. She is the editor of NASAA’s Policy Briefs and is a contributing editor of the peer-reviewed Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society. She holds an Executive Certificate of Facilitation from Georgetown University, a Change Leader certification from the state of Utah, and a degree in English from Oberlin College. Prior to joining NASAA, Kelly was a researcher at Educational Research Services Inc., where she focused on school demographics, multicultural education and program evaluation.
Karl Blischke
Executive Director
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
Karl Blischke has held a variety of senior level, public positions and has more than 20 years of hands-on experience, and overall managerial responsibility, promoting vibrant and prosperous communities through cultural and economic development.
Before being named executive director of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, Blischke directed its Arts in Education and Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts programs, which provide unprecedented access to arts funding and technical assistance for the creative industry in the commonwealth’s 67 counties.
In Florida, Karl joined the Governor’s Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development, where he was responsible for promoting job creation and community development in the state’s rural communities, and directing programs aimed at increasing access to capital for small businesses. Following this work, Karl was named director of strategic business development for the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, focusing on the state’s efforts to diversify its economy and business attraction, expansion and retention.
Tamara Holmes Brothers, Ph.D.
Deputy Director
North Carolina Arts Council
Tamara Holmes Brothers, Ph.D., was appointed deputy director of the North Carolina Arts Council in 2020. Dr. Brothers is charged with the design, development and implementation of agency programs; recommends policies that realize the agency’s mission of “arts for all citizens”; works with the staff and boards to create and execute strategic plans, and provides executive level support to the agency’s director. Dr. Brothers also leads the work of assessing the effectiveness of institutional equity, diversity goals and outreach efforts.
Dr. Brothers is a native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, and has earned a bachelor’s degree in art from Hampton University, a master’s degree in sport management from West Virginia University, a certificate in historic preservation from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, a certificate in art as an alternative investment from Sotheby’s Art Institute, a certificate in nonprofit management from Duke University, and a Ph.D. in educational management from Hampton University.
Todd Trebour
Organizations Program Director
Rhode Island State Council on the Arts
As organizations program director at the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts (RISCA), Todd Trebour manages and oversees the agency’s support for organizations, including grants, programs and services. A strong believer the power of partnerships and networks, Trebour has piloted several new initiatives at RISCA, including affinity group convenings of organizations; an Arts and Cultural Advocacy Workshop series with the United Way of Rhode Island, City of Providence Department of Art, Culture + Tourism, and Rhode Island Council for the Humanities; and an Advancing Cultural Equity Workshop and Technical Assistance Program in partnership with the Rhode Island Foundation. Since 2018, he has seen a more than 100% increase in the number of applications to the project grant program for nonprofit organizations thanks to intensive and continuous outreach to Rhode Island communities.
Trebour received his B.A. in music performance from Whitman College, his M.M. in voice from Rice University and his core certificate in arts management from the UMass Amherst Arts Extension Service. Currently, Trebour is an adjunct faculty member in Goucher College’s Masters in Arts Administration Program and is the Americans for the Arts state arts advocacy captain for Rhode Island.
Pablo Sanhueza and the Kansas City Latin Jazz Orchestra
Pablo Sanhueza has been deemed as “Kansas City’s Heart & Soul of Latin Music” by JAM Magazine, and recognized as the region’s premier salsa and Latin jazz percussionist and bandleader. Since his arrival to Kansas City from Santiago, Chile, in 1996, Pablo has dedicated the past 25 years of his distinguished career to the music of the Latin American experience as a percussionist, band leader and teaching artist who has worked with three generations of musicians and the historic 18th & Vine jazz district.
As a performer, Sanhueza brings the charisma and precision of the maestros of the mambo and Big Band era. In 2019 Sanhueza presented his apprentice musicians and veteran collaboration project to an audience reach of nearly 40,000, and notably has hosted the longest running salsa and Latin jazz nights in the Midwest at the Blue Room.
In 2018, Sanhueza cofounded the Kansas City Latin Jazz Orchestra (KCLJO). KCLJO is the first performance, apprentice and education nonprofit in the Midwestern United States dedicated to salsa, Latin jazz and the intersection of Latin American folkloric dance. KCLJO is an intercultural, intergenerational organization, bringing transnational experiences to the stage, the dance floor and diverse communities.
Representing Latino leadership in the arts, Sanhueza is a Missouri Arts Council touring artist, a Missouri Humanities Council Speakers Bureau member, and a collaborator with the U.S. Department of State cultural exchange initiatives in the United States and South America. In 2019, Sanhueza welcomed Pedrito Martinez to Kansas City for the historic Folly Jazz Series & Artist Talk. Sanhueza and KCLJO are endorsed by the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz for cultural and education outreach in Chile and the Midwestern United States. In 2021, Sanhueza’s orchestra received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support a commission and collaboration with NEA Jazz Master, pianist, composer and band leader Maestro Eddie Palmieri. Sanhueza is a master artist for the Missouri Traditional Arts Apprentice program, and was the featured presenter at the Missouri Bicentennial Celebration in August 2021 at Jesse Auditorium in Columbia.
Dana Walls
Dana Walls is excited to be connected with NASAA and is an admirer of NASAA’s powerful and important work in the arts and the communities it serves. A 2012 graduate of the Portland Community College interpreting program, he has completed specialized training in theatrical and musical interpreting. While enjoying all types of interpreting, performance remains his passion, and he is grateful for the opportunities that access in the arts provides for all. Special thanks to his invaluable mentors, all the lovely folks at NASAA and his wonderful wife.