Karen A. Fischer founded Pasifika Artists Network in 2009, the only agency in Hawai‘i promoting national and international touring for the performing arts of Hawai‘i and the Pacific. The Pasifika roster reflects traditional and contemporary performing arts in music, dance, and spoken word. Prior to launching her agency, she was President & CEO of the Maui Arts & Cultural Center (MACC), a multi-disciplinary presenting and arts education organization, having previously served as its managing director (1998-2009); among other accomplishments, she created and directed the MACC’s presenting program for 10 years. With over 30 years of national arts management experience, Karen’s background ranges from presenting and community-based organizations to fundraising, finance, strategic planning, and marketing. Before joining the MACC, she was at Cal Performances, University of California, Berkeley, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, The Joffrey Ballet in New York/Los Angeles, and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. She is active in the field, serving on boards (Academy of Hawaiian Music, and previously, Maui Academy of Performing Arts, Western Arts Alliance, Performing Arts Presenters of Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i Association of Music Societies) and peer review panels (National Endowment for the Arts, State Foundation for Culture and the Arts, Hawai‘i Tourism Authority). Her career included dancing with Aman Folk Ensemble in Los Angeles.

Laura Colby formed Elsie Management in 1995 specifically to provide representation to dance colleagues and peers at the annual Association of Performing Arts Presenters conference. She has represented over twenty-five performing arts touring companies from five continents, coordinating tours to over 200 global venues. Colby has served as project manager, forming presenter and funding consortiums to support the development, creation, and touring of new works. Currently, Elsie Management has a global roster of performing arts companies, including the world renowned Australia’s Strange Fruit, the Limón Dance Company (now celebrating its 70th anniversary), and the 2015 Doris Duke Artist Awardee choreographer Ann Carlson.
Colby served on the board of NAPAMA (North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents) for six years and as its president in 2007 and 2008. In 2001, she founded Dance/USA’s Agents and Artist Representation Council, serving as the Council’s founding chair for three years and on the board of Dance/USA for four years. Colby has been an invited speaker and panelist at industry convenings around the globe, conducting the first NAPAMA educational session down under at the 2010 Australian Performing Arts Market. She graduated with a BFA in dance from The Juilliard School and performed with the Limón Dance Company, Seán Curran Company and with choreographers Ann Carlson and Sara Rudner, among many others. An avid cyclist, Colby has ridden her road bike for AIDS charities and served as bike support for the New York City Marathon. She lives in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Park Slope.

Jean Cook is a musician, producer and Program Associate for the Internet Freedom Initiative at the Ford Foundation. From 2005-2015, Jean directed research, education, and advocacy initiatives for Future of Music Coalition. Her portfolio for FMC mapped some significant impacts of emerging digital structures on marginalized segments of the music industry; key areas of work included jazz and classical music metadata, jazz radio playlist composition (and how to improve data collection), and understanding how copyright impacts indigenous artists in places like Ethiopia, Tajikistan and Australia. She served as Interim Executive Director of FMC from 2009-2010. Most recently, she was the co-director of FMC’s Artist Revenue Streams research project, assembling one of the broadest and most ambitious existing data sets on US-based musician income and copyright. Jean served on the founding Steering Committee for the Cultural Research Network (USA), and is a member of BMI, American Federation of Musicians Local 802, and National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (the Grammys). As a musician, she has performed on over 75 albums, including two Grammy nominations, and has toured over 700 dates on four continents with various groups including Jon Langford, Beauty Pill, and Ida/Elizabeth Mitchell. Other recent appearances include projects by free jazz artist William Parker, Barbez, and the UK-based band Pulp. In addition to APAP, she currently serves on the Boards of Directors for Anthony Braxton’s Tri-Centric Foundation, Future of Music Coalition, and on New Music USA’s Program Council.

The James Lumber Center plans and manages a vibrant season of 15 professional touring adult and family events, plus a daytime series of 4-6 shows with a total of 16-20 performances for elementary school students. In addition, the JLC supports approximately 60 annual college performances and programs, and 30 or more performances sponsored by various Lake County arts organizations. Currently, the JLC serves more than 40,000 patrons and facility users each year with a budget of just under $1 million. The organization enjoys membership in a variety of industry organizations, including the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, Arts Alliance Illinois, INTIX, and the Illinois Presenters Network, where Bronner serves as a board member. In 2009, Bronner was honored for her efforts with the 2009 Woman of Achievement Award for Arts and Culture from the YWCA Lake County.

Prior to her current position, Bronner served as artistic director and program coordinator of Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre in Evanston, IL, a municipal program of the city’s Recreation Department. Providing artistic oversight of the annual four-show season, her management responsibilities included budget development, identification and contracting of season productions, hiring production staff (directors, designers and other support staff), coordinating advertising and audience development efforts, managing the box office, and occasionally directing or performing in FJT productions such as Sophisticated Ladies, Guys and Dolls and The Amen Corner. Related work experience includes 12 years as a project director for Analytical Computer Services, a firm specializing in data processing for marketing research and two years with Leo Burnett Advertising (media accounting).

A professional actress with AFTRA and SAG, Bronner has performed numerous roles on stage, in voiceovers, commercials and industrial films. Her academic training includes a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL as a theater major and a master’s degree in arts administration from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Jennifer Johnson is the Director of Programming at Arts Commons in Calgary, Alberta, Canada where she has been since 2003. “Arts Commons Presents” includes multiple music series, speaker, youth and variety presentations alongside a robust education department featuring the ‘Hub for Inspired Learning’, a school campus location. In addition to the performing arts Jennifer represents a portfolio of visual and media arts focused on growing local artists and partnerships which includes exhibitions, residencies, an experimental studio, media and sound galleries and found space initiatives. Lastly, Arts Commons community collaborations are focused on ‘bringing the arts to life’ through free and accessible creative experiences for all.

Prior to this role she held the title of Director of Booking and Event Services for Arts Commons where she worked closely with professional and community arts organizations and business. It is the symbiotic relationship of the arts and community that fuels her dedication to the field.

Expression, Identity, Connection and Belonging are at the heart of Jennifer’s curation and she firmly believes in a balance of business acumen, analytics and long term strategy for a diverse, healthy and sustainable arts eco-system.
Arts Commons is home to six performance venues, seven resident companies, approximately three-hundred annual collaborators and community users and facilitates approximately twelve hundred events annually.

Alicia B. Adams is the Vice President of International Programming and Dance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She joined the Kennedy Center in 1992.

Adams curated the Center’s major international festivals: IRELAND 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts and Culture (2016), IBERIAN SUITE: Global Arts Remix (2015), Nordic Cool (20130, maximumINDIA (2011), ARABESQUE: Arts of the Arab World (2009), JAPAN! Culture + Hyperculture (2008), the Festival of China (2005), African Odyssey (1997-2000), AmericArtes (2000-2003) among others. Additionally, she curates the World Stages Series and Contemporary Dance series.

Adams has worked in the field of arts management for arts institutions including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Belafonte Enterprises, Inc., New York City Center Theatre, Harlem School of the Arts and International Production Associates (NYC).

She serves as a Trustee of the Williamstown Theater Festival, International Society for the Performing Arts(ISPA), Founding Council of the Caine Prize for African Writing (UK), Africa 95 (UK), and on the Advisory Council for Lab Think Tank, Global Performance and Politics Georgetown University. She is a member of the Conference Committee for Association of Performing Arts Presenters(APAP); Advisory Council, American Dance Abroad and Advisory Committee for Harlem School of the Arts. Adams has also served as a Trustee of the All Roads Film Festival, National Geographic and; as a panelist for National Dance Panel, and Center Stage, New England Foundation on the Arts(NEFA). In 2017 she co-hosted the ISPA Congress(NYC) and curated the American Dance Platform, the Joyce Theater(NYC).

Adams has an MA from Columbia University, a BS from New York University and a Certificate in Arts Administration from Harvard University’s School of Business Administration. Adams was the APAP recipient of the Fan Taylor Award in 2012. In 2014, she was decorated by Sweden with the Royal Order of The Polar Star and by Finland with Knight, First Class, of the Order of the Lion.

T. Lulani Arquette is Native Hawaiian and the President/CEO of the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation (NACF); a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting the diversity of artistic expression in American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian communities.

Under her leadership the foundation launched in 2009 and has been successfully operating since that time providing support to artists, organizations, and communities. Arquette brings over 30 years of professional experience leading organizations to their highest creativity and potential through strategic visioning and planning, innovative program development, building valuable relationships in community and developing funding partnerships across sectors.

Before coming to the Foundation, Arquette worked in Hawai`i with Native Hawaiian organizations in the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. She was instrumental in developing the first for-profit subsidiary of ALU LIKE, Inc., the largest multi-service organization in Hawai`i serving Native Hawaiians. With a strong interest in leadership development, she created the Hawai`i Leadership Center, a unique leadership program for executives and managers, that looked at leadership through the lens of three distinct ethnic groups – Hawaiian, Asian and Caucasian. She earned a master’s degree in political science and has been an advocate for Native self-determination and social justice.

Holding a second degree in drama and theatre from the University of Hawai`i, she has performed and participated in stage productions, television shows, and film projects. Arts and cultures has always played a strong role in her personal life and professional development, and she greatly admires her grandmother who was an accomplished musician and singer.

Public service and giving back are part of Arquette’s passion. She is currently a board member for Grantmakers In the Arts, and past board service includes the National Insight Center for Community Economic Development, Hawai`i Capitol Culture District, Organization of Women Leaders and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement.

Eddie Cota is an arts and cultural strategist in Los Angeles, and founder of creative marketing agency Champion City. Over the past 12 years, he has developed some of the most innovative programs with brands, nonprofits, and festivals that have shaped the cultural landscape of the city.

His career started in radio marketing for pop station 102.7 KIIS-FM in 2006, and was later recruited by the first bilingual radio station on the West Coast, Mega 96.3. Mega represented a new frontier of marketing to a bilingual audience, which paved the way for several new media networks that wanted to reach the crossover Latino demographic.

In 2008, he became Artistic Director of the Levitt Pavilion for the Performing Arts in Pasadena, a non-profit dedicated to providing free access to the arts in underserved communities through a summer concert series. He also acquired programming responsibilities for sister organization the Levitt Pavilion MacArthur Park in 2010. Over the course of six seasons, Cota programmed 500 total concerts that served an audience of more than 600,000. The LA Times profiled Cota in both 2011 and 2012 for his innovative multicultural programming that made both Pasadena and MacArthur Park cultural destinations in Los Angeles. The program was recognized nationally as a musical tastemaker for breaking emerging talent and giving international artists their U.S. debuts. To this day, several artists that were seen at the Levitt Pavilion first are being discovered by major festivals and PAC’s, and winning Grammy Awards.

His work at the Levitt Pavilion led to energy drink Red Bull hiring Cota as a consultant to lead their new Hispanic marketing initiatives and develop more music programs. In 2013, he became the Cultural Programmer of creative agency Imprint Projects, where he developed cutting-edge programs and content platforms for clients such as Sonos, Levi’s, Virgin, Moog, Google and more.

In the Fall of 2015, Cota founded creative marketing agency Champion City to focus on clients that are interested in making a cultural, social, or creative impact through the arts. In 2017, he was recognized as one of CSQ Magazine’s NextGen Top 10 leaders in the category of “philanthropy, arts and culture.”

A leader and innovator in the profession for over 30 years, Jamie is the President and CEO of the Ordway Center in Saint Paul, MN. Since arriving in 2016, he has focused on planning, fine tuning the business model, audience development, a renewed commitment to producing and presenting Broadway musicals and a new concert series.

Prior to arriving in the Twin Cities, Jamie was the President and CEO of the Long Center in Austin, TX. He was hired following an international search to develop a sustainable operating plan for the performing arts center. Highlights during his tenure include steady growth in annual attendance, earned revenue, activity and community interest.

For 13 years Jamie was the general manager of the Centre in the Square in Kitchener (CITS), Ontario, an award winning multi-purpose performing arts center with a main hall of 2000 seats, plus and art gallery and studio. During his tenure at CITS the venue became and remained debt and deficit-free, with working capital and an endowment fund.

A founding member of Canada’s National Theatre Festival - Magnetic North Theatre Festival, and served as Chairman of the Board; he helped to found eye-GO to the Arts, a program designed to encourage youth to attend the performing arts and was the founding Chair (eye-GO, which began in Kitchener-Waterloo has now become a national program in Canada and is also a success in many States in the US); he helped to found the organization that became the Atlantic Presenters Association (APA); he is Past-President of CAPACOA (Canadian Arts Presenting Association) and Ontario Presents; he is the founding Chairman of the Board of the Alliance for a Grand Community (a unique multi-disciplinary alliance of the leading arts organizations in the KW area); and he was instrumental in developing a block booking model which is used throughout North America today.

Jamie has made a career of opening new performing arts centers, including: Imperial Theatre in Saint John, NB, Heritage Theatre in Brampton, ON, Skylight Theatre in Toronto and was the founder and Producer of Theatre Malton.

Christopher J. Heacox is the Executive Director of the Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center at Auburn University, opening in August 2019. As Executive Director, Mr. Heacox has overseen the construction of the performing arts center since groundbreaking. He leads the artistic and administrative direction of the Gogue Center in bringing world-class performances and educational experiences to Auburn University and the surrounding communities. Prior to his appointment at Auburn University, Mr. Heacox served as the Executive Director of Opening Nights Performing Arts at Florida State University.

Mr. Heacox is the Immediate Past President of the Florida Professional Presenters Consortium. This fifty-plus member organization is charged with elevating the professional performing arts in the State of Florida. His board and organizational service includes the Council on Arts and Culture (Tallahassee/Leon County) Board of Directors, Tallahassee/Leon County Cultural Plan Review Committee, STAGE Committee for the Capital City Amphitheater, State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs Strategic Planning, Leadership Jacksonville (class of 2011), and Opportunity Tallahassee. Mr. Heacox is a graduate of Florida State University (B.A. in Music) and the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester (M.M. in Jazz and Contemporary Media, Performance).

Kendra Whitlock Ingram currently serves as the Executive Director for the Newman Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Denver. Previously, she served as Vice President of Programming and Education for Omaha Performing Arts, overseeing the artistic direction of OPA’s season as well as all education and community engagement initiatives. Ingram has held senior leadership positions with several major performing arts institutions including: Managing Director of Shenandoah Conservatory at Shenandoah University, Vice President and General Manager of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Director of Pops and Special Programming for The Detroit Symphony.

Ingram holds a Master in Business Administration from University of Nebraska Omaha and a Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Duquesne University. She is also an alumna of the League of American Orchestras’ Orchestra Management Fellowship Program. She has served as an adjunct faculty member at Wayne State University in its Music Management Program and has been a guest lecturer for the University of New Orleans Arts Administration program. Ingram has also served as a grant review panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, The Broadway League and Colorado Creative Industries.

Ingram’s volunteer work currently includes membership on the board of Denver School of the Arts Friends Foundation, Western Arts Alliance Conference Committee, Denver Arts and Venues-Denver Music Strategy Advisory Panel and the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation’s Arts and Diversity Taskforce. Previously, Ingram served as board chair for the nonprofit organization Hear Nebraska, and as a member of the Women’s Fund of Omaha Circles, and The Broadway League’s diversity committee.

Amy Lam is the Artistic Programmer of the Celebrity Series of Boston. In this capacity, Ms. Lam curates and programs over sixty diverse events each season, ranging from orchestras, chamber music and recitals, to contemporary dance, jazz, pop and world music. Under Ms. Lam’s direction, the programming palette of the Celebrity Series expanded beyond the tradition of presenting the world’s finest classical artists to include a variety of disciplines such as new music, contemporary folk music, speakers, theater and interdisciplinary productions. Ms. Lam’s creative and skillful introduction of new artistic voices and initiatives have led to a steady growth of the organization over the past two decades, and the eclectic mix of events has become the signature brand of the Celebrity Series today.

In addition to her work at the Celebrity Series, Ms. Lam also consults for a wide range of cultural institutions. Recent projects include guest curation for American Dance Platform at the Joyce Theatre, NYC, project management and international relations for New England Conservatory, artistic planning for Milton Academy, strategic planning for Boston University Tanglewood Institute, among others.

Prior to joining the Celebrity Series in 1991, Ms. Lam held positions at Aaron Concert Management in Boston, MidAmerica Productions in New York City, and the Anderson Center for the Arts in Binghamton, NY.

Since 2013, Ms. Lam has been a member of the Artistic Committee for Music Accord, a national consortium of performing arts presenters dedicated to new music commissioning. She was a board member of Dance/USA and served as the organization’s Treasurer. She also served as a director on the boards of Dover Cultural Council, Soldiers Field Park Children’s Center at Harvard Business School, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts in Massachusetts and Boston Dance Alliance.

Ms. Lam holds an MBA in Arts Administration from Binghamton University of New York, and graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong with a BA in Music.

Beth Macmillan joined Artown as Festival Manager in February 2001 and was promoted to Executive Director in November of 2003. Macmillan, formerly a professional dancer and actress expanded into arts administration through various roles such as Production Company Manager, Public Relations Manager, Assistant Stage Manager, Founder and Owner/Director of a small, highly successful arts education business, Executive Director of a major dance organization and business owner and distributor.

Macmillan thrives in a fast paced work environment while managing a wide range of responsibilities. As Executive Director she has produced Artown events, created “out of the box” approaches and strategic partnerships to presentations, co-presentations and future Artown commissions. Currently, Beth has expanded her commitment to the Arts with a recent two-year appointment as President of the Western Arts Alliance (WAA), a membership association of performing arts professionals throughout the western states and provinces.

Macmillan was awarded Woman of Distinction and Woman of Achievement in 2009. She has made several presentations about Artown regionally and nationally including Arts Presenters, California Travel & Tourism Commission, Nevada Travel and Tourism, World Choir Games, and several regional service organizations. In 2016 Beth was presented an award from The Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN) for exceptional leadership.

Renae Williams Niles has worked in the arts and non-profit sector for over 25 years including roles such as dance company manager, grantmaker, presenter, educator, moderator, consultant and guest curator. She has served as Director of Grant Programs for the Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Vice President of Programming for The Music Center, Chief Operating Officer/Associate Dean of Administration for the USC Kaufman School of Dance and Executive Director for an education foundation. Recently, Renae served as an advisor to the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project. She is an adjunct professor teaching the Performing Arts Management and Presenting course for Claremont Graduate University. As a leader in the field, she has served as an advisor, grant review panelist and anonymous nominator for regional and national foundations and also for government agencies.

Renae served in several capacities during her 13 year tenure on the Western Arts Alliance (WAA) Board of Directors including chairing the conference and governance committees as well as various officer positions including Treasurer, Vice President and President. She was also previously on the Dance/USA Board of Trustees and is a current board member of American Dance Movement. Renae has been an active member of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals since 1995 and also served on their Innovation Lab team as well as the Board’s Executive, Governance, Conference and Finance committees. She is the recipient of the 2017 Service to WAA and the field Award.

Michael Reed has worked with ASU Gammage since retiring in 1995 from an international dance career. Mr. Reed oversees programming for ASU Gammage and ASU’s Kerr Cultural Center Kerr, cultural participation/education programs, as well as all fiscal, artistic, marketing, administrative, personnel, and physical plant for the Kerr Center. Recently awarded the Western Arts Alliance’s Leadership Award, Michael has served as a board member for Western Arts Alliance, co-chair for the Association of Performing Arts Presenters annual conference (APAP), a Hubsite and Advisor for the National Dance Project, a British Council showcase delegate – Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and a panel speaker for The Australian Council for the Arts, The Canada Council for the Arts, Association of Performing Arts Presenters, The Broadway League and Dance/USA. Mr. Reed is an active member of the Broadway League and serves on that organizations conference planning committee. Michael has presented Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, Philip Glass, Bill T. Jones, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Mexico, The Bolshoi Ballet, Anne Bogart/SITI Company, Eiko & Koma, Batsheva Dance Company, Chekhov International Theater Festival, The Israel Camerata, Daniel Bernard Roumain, The Apple Hill String Quartet, El Teatro Campesino (Luis Valdez), and many other artists. In his work at ASU Gammage he has also commissioned original scores by Kareem Roustom, Quetzal Guerrero, Daniel Bernard Roumain, and Paul Dresher. His programs have been the recipient of awards from The Met Life Foundation, 100 Black Men, and The Arizona Department of Commerce.

Daniel Bernard Roumain’s acclaimed work as a composer and a performer has spanned more than two decades, and has been commissioned by venerable artists and institutions worldwide. Proving that he’s “about as omnivorous as a contemporary artist gets” (The New York Times), DBR is perhaps the only composer whose collaborations span the worlds of Philip Glass, Cassandra Wilson, Bill T. Jones, Savion Glover and Lady Gaga.

DBR made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2000 with the American Composers Orchestra performing his Harlem Essay for Orchestra, a Whitaker commission. He was the first artist to be awarded Arizona State University’s prestigious Gammage Residency, “a three-year commitment to an extraordinary performing artist that includes performance, creative time and resources, intensive training for ASU students and local artists and engagement with many of the local communities.” His outreach and residencies have garnered extravagant praise and long-term relationships with countless universities, orchestras, and performing arts centers including the Berklee School of Music (Boston), More Music @Moore (Seattle), The Academy – a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School and the Weill Music Institute, PACE University and the Tribeca Performing Arts Center (New York City), the University of North Carolina (Raleigh) and Vanderbilt University (Nashville).

DBR is currently working on We Shall Not Be Moved, a new chamber opera commissioned by Opera Philadelphia, Meditations for Raising Boys, a new oratorio commissioned by Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, and BOUNCE: A Basketball Opera in 4 Quarters, commissioned by Ardea Arts. DBR is represented by Sozo Artists and Opus3 Artists, and lives in Harlem, New York City.

Francine Sheffield started her dance career in New Jersey, where she was born and raised. She went to Montclair State University where she received her BFA in dance performance. Francine has performed with choreographers such as H.T. Chen, Wendy Perron, Amy Pivar, Marlies Yearby and Baraka De Soleil. She was a company member of Urban Bush Women under the leadership of Jawole Willa Jo Zollar for 6 years, where she traveled and performed all over the world. Francine pursued and received a MA in Performing Arts Administration from New York University, where she interned at IMG Artists as a Dance Division Representative in New York and ADAD (Association for Dance of the African Diaspora) as the Audience Development Specialist in London, England. She also studied abroad in Uganda, East Africa, for a cultural exchange of learning and teaching dance to underserved children. Francine then went on to work as Artist Representative for Pentacle, where she booked engagements for emerging dance companies. With her knowledge of dance and skills in arts administration, Francine decided to start her own arts management company, Sheffield Global Arts Management in 2014.

As an APAP exhibitor, Francine was selected for the Emerging Leadership Institute, class of 2013 and was a recipient of the inaugural scholarship, APAP|NYC Participation Assistance Fund for the 2016 conference.

Murielle Borst Tarrant is an author, playwright, director, producer, cultural artist, educator, and human rights activist. She studied acting at HB STUDIOS and is a graduate of Long Island University, Southampton College Theatre Program. Muriel studied and interned with Spiderwoman Theatre and is a second generation artist of that company that was founded by her mother Muriel Miguel. She also works on the deconstructing of methods of the arts in Native communities in urban areas across the country and in the New York City education system. Muriel consults with many urban and non-urban universities on the development on Native theater programming. She was nominated for the Rockefeller grant in 2001, has won a Native Heart Award and was the only Native American woman to have her work to be selected by the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia at the Sydney Opera House for her one woman show, “More than Feathers and Beads”. She served internationally as the Special Assistant to the North American Regional Representative to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. She has directed Muriel Miquel in “Red Mother” nationally and internationally. Muriel was the keynote speaker for the Indigenous Women’s Symposium at Trent University. She was selected to speak on Repetition, Tradition and Change: Native oral history and contemporary art practice in hostel post- colonial times at the International Conference at the Muthesius Academy of Art in Kiel Germany and the Norwegian Theater Academy. Named in American Theater Magazine as one of the most influential women in American Theater, she is the Artistic Director of Safe Harbor Indigenous Collective and Native consultant for Regional Tony award winner LaMaMa Experimental Theatre for their Indigenous Initiative. Muriel has recently produced, written and directed “Don’t Feed the Indians- A Divine Comedy Pageant!” at LaMaMa Theatre.

Beatrice Thomas is an arts equity consultant, multi-disciplinary artist, and creative producer whose social practice lies at the intersection of arts, equity and accountability. Thomas nationally advances the work of queer, trans and POC artists. And for nearly a decade, she has worked in a number of arts sectors in from Austin, TX to the San Francisco Bay, dedicating her career to philanthropy and professional development for individual artists. Previously she held senior and senior consulting positions at San Francisco Arts Commission, foolsFURY Theatre, and SAFEhouse Arts. She was an inaugural APAP Leadership Fellow, is an 2020 APAP conference co-chair and received her MFA from the University of Texas.

Lisa Richards Toney became President and CEO of APAP on July 1, 2020. She will work with the APAP board of directors and staff to address both the strategic vision of the organization and the immediate and emerging needs of the performing arts field in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Richards Toney brings more than 20 years of experience leading a range of small and large arts and humanities organizations, managing change and building stability. Read more about Lisa here.

Toby Tumarkin is the SVP and Global Head of Artists & Attractions at IMG Artists where he directs the growth and management of IMGA’s international shows, attractions, world music, jazz and Folk/Americana roster from the company’s New York office. He also manages the development, co-production and representation of new projects under the IMG Artists Presents banner. Prior to joining IMG Artists in February 2016 Toby enjoyed a 17-year career at Columbia Artists Management and CAMI Music where he served as Executive Vice President.

Toby has represented more than a dozen Grammy®-winning and nominated artists and has been instrumental in introducing and expanding the reach of diverse musical genres to many theatres across the United States. Toby is one of the founders of NextGen (now WAA 35 Below), the Western Arts Alliance’s program designed to foster relationships between young professionals in the performing arts. He is also a member of the inaugural class of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters’ Emerging Leaders Institute. A native of New York City, Toby holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Vassar College and a Post-Graduate diploma in voice from Trinity College London.

In 2013, Cristina Vázquez founded Contenidos Artisticos, Produccion y Difusion A.C. in Mexico. Working in partnership with other performing arts and culture producers, she facilitates events and performances. To-date, these have included: the Jose Alfredo Jiménez International Festival (2012 & 2013); operas for the Teatro del Bicentenario (2011-2016); and performing arts programming for the State Institute of Culture of Guanajuato (Since 2013). Vázquez developed and staged the concept of the Urban Encounter: Todo sobre Ruelas (Everything of Ruelas) in the city of Zacatecas; and the Anniversary Parade of Leon, Guanajuato (2018). Since 2013, Vazquez has worked as a producer for the National Institute of Fine Arts and the National Dance Company, and since 2015 for the National Opera Company and the National Theater Coordination. Currently Vázquez is the acting producer of the international piano festival “en Blanco y Negro” at the National Center of the Arts (CENART).

Cristina Vázquez is a specialist in Cultural Management, certified by institutions such as the Secretary of Mexican Culture and the 17 Institute of Critical Studies. She received certification in Critical Thinking in Cultural Management (2013) and Cultural Management in Latin America (2005) from the 17 Institute of Critical Studies. Vazquez’ achievements in arts and culture include: consultant for the Municipality of Zacatecas in the preparation of its cultural development plan (2010); National Book Fair (FeNaL) Coordinator (2006 – 2009); consultant for Hay (literary festival, 2009) Zacatecas; programmer of the Teatro del Bicentenario, Leon, Guanajuato (2010). In 2006 Vázquez graduated from the University UNIVER in her hometown of León, Guanajato with a BA of Arts, majoring in communication. She currently lives in Chicago.

Prior to his leadership role with APAP, Mr. Durham was at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) where he served as Director of Artist Communities & Presenting from 2004 – 2011. At the NEA, Mr. Durham contributed to programs such as the NEA Opera Honors and An Evening of Poetry, hosted by the President and Mrs. Obama. He inaugurated the NEA’s Artist Communities granting program and was the initiator of Live from Your Neighborhood, a groundbreaking study of the impact of outdoor arts festivals in the U.S. After holding numerous management positions and serving as artistic director at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in the 1990s, in 2000 he founded Yerba Buena Arts & Events, the producing organization of the annual Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. The outdoor event offers more than 100 free performances by the San Francisco Opera, the San Francisco Ballet and more for an audience of 100,000 attendees. Read more about Mario here.