Northwest Film Forum and SEATTLE are showing up for National Arts Strategies and their Executive Leadership Program, which pulls in a 50-person cohort from around the WORLD!

Congrats to Betsey Brock of On the Boards, Tim Lennon of Langston Seattle, Becky Witmer of ACT Theatre, and our very own Vivian Hua!!!

Super thanks to Michael Seiwerath of Capitol Hill Housing for putting Vivian’s name in the hat.

—

Alexandria, VA – NAS is pleased to announce the exceptional leaders selected to its fifth class of the Chief Executive Program. At a time when many arts and culture executives feel increasingly isolated and under-supported, the Chief Executive Program connects an international cohort of CEOs to explore leadership and strengthen their efforts to drive change in their organizations, communities and in the cultural field.

Over the next ten months, the cohort of selected executives will learn new frameworks with industry-leading faculty, engage in one-on-one reflective exercises with NAS-trained coaches and collaborate with one another. Convenings at Harvard Business School and a learning retreat location will support the cohort in building a community of practice they will call on for the rest of their careers. At the program’s conclusion, participants will join an international community of nearly 250 program alumni.

Begun in 2011, the Chief Executive Program is a blended education program for artistic and executive leaders who are leading change across the world. Participants are selected through a highly competitive application process to identify leaders from outstanding institutions of all sizes and disciplines. From placing professional writers in schools to increase students’ reading and writing skills through an infusion of language, poetry and multi-media arts experiences, to a choral ensemble which sings together with the community to foster healthier and more vibrant connections and so much more, each executive seeks to challenge the status quo through the vital role their organizations play in their communities.

“These leaders are integral parts of their communities, driving positive change in challenging times,” said Gail Crider, President and CEO of NAS. “Together with our partners at Harvard Business School, we look forward to supporting this amazing group as they learn and share knowledge across a diverse and cross-disciplinary network.”

The Chief Executive Program is supported by The Kresge Foundation, with backing for regional leaders by the Barr Foundation, The Educational Foundation of America and the Australia Council for the Arts.

The following leaders were chosen to participate in the Chief Executive Program for the effective, innovative, collaborative and curious work their organizations engage in:

• Paula Arrigoni, Bay Area Video Coalition
  San Francisco, California
• Stephen Beaudoin, The Washington Chorus
  Arlington, Virginia
• Elysia Borowy-Reeder, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit
  Detroit, Michigan
• Caroline Bowditch, Arts Access Victoria
  South Melbourne, Australia
• Betsey Brock, On the Boards
  Seattle, Washington
• Raymond Caldwell, Theater Alliance
  Washington, District of Columbia
• Jackie Clay, Coleman Center for the Arts
  York, Alabama
• Teresa Coleman Wash, Bishop Arts Theatre Center
  Dallas, Texas
• Damien Crutcher, Crescendo Detroit
  Detroit, Michigan
• Elise DeMarzo, City of Palo Alto Public Art Program
  Palo Alto, California
• Peter DiMuro, The Dance Complex
  Cambridge, Massachusetts
• David Durante, Sno-Isle Libraries
  Marysville, Washington
• Christopher Edwards, Actors Shakespeare Project
  Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
• Casandra Hernández Faham, CALA Alliance
  Phoenix, Arizona
• Molly Fannon, Museum for the United Nations – UN Live
  Alexandria, Virginia
• Pamela Franks, Williams College Museum of Art
  Williamstown, Massachusetts
• Kaye Glamuzina, City of Melbourne
  Carlton, Victoria
• Jennifer Green-Flint, Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy
  Winchester, Virginia
• Deana Haggag, United States Artists
  Chicago, Illinois
• Akilah Halley, Marwen
  Chicago, Illinois
• Vivian Hua, Northwest Film Forum
  Seattle, Washington
• Anne Kraybill, The Westmoreland Museum of American Art
  Greensburg, Pennsylvania
• Shawn LaCount, Company One Theatre
  Boston, Massachusetts
• Tim Lennon, LANGSTON
  Seattle, Washington
• Michael Luria, University of Arizona College of Science
  Tucson, Arizona
• Kristin Makholm, Minnesota Museum of American Art
  St. Paul, Minnesota
• Robert Massey, Louisville Orchestra
  Louisville, Kentucky
• Paloma McGregor, BAX | Brooklyn Arts Exchange
  Brooklyn, New York
• Lori McKinney, The RiffRaff Arts Collective
  Princeton, West Virginia
• Alice Nash, Back to Back Theatre
  Geelong, Australia
• Brian Parkes, JamFactory Contemporary Craft and Design
  Adelaide, Australia
• Roberta Pereira, The Playwrights Realm
  New York, New York
• Joshua Preston, Ballet Hispanico of New York
  New York, New York
• Steinunn Ragnarsdottir, Icelandic Opera
  Reykjavik, Iceland
• Michelle Ramos, Alternate ROOTS
  New Orleans, Louisiana
• Mariah Rankine-Landers, Studio Pathways
  Oakland, California
• Claire Rice, Arts Alliance Illinois
  Chicago, Illinois
• Suma Karaman Rosen, InsideOut Literary Arts
  Detroit, Michigan
• Jeffrey Sharp, Independent Filmmaker Project
  Brooklyn, New York
• Tony Sias, Karamu House
  Cleveland, Ohio
• Janice Sinden, Denver Center for the Performing Arts
  Denver, Colorado
• Chandra Stephens-Albright, Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre Company
  Atlanta, Georgia
• Sunny Sumter, DC Jazz Festival
  Washington, District of Columbia
• Melia Tourangeau, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Terri Trotter, Midland Center for the Arts
  Midland, Michigan
• Christina Vassallo, SPACES
  Cleveland, Ohio
• Kasandra VerBrugghen, Spy Hop Productions
  Salt Lake City, Utah
• Philip Watkins, Desart
  Alice Springs, Australia
• Roger Weitz, Opera Omaha
  Omaha, Nebraska
• Becky Witmer, ACT Theatre
  Seattle, Washington
• Fionn Yeung, Leisure & Cultural Services Department, HKSAR
  Hong Kong, China
• Edward Yim, American Composers Orchestra
  New York, New York

About NAS
NAS strengthens the arts and culture sector by creating meaningful and useful educational experiences for leaders at all levels of the ecosystem – from boards and CEOs to entrepreneurs and artists – giving them the tools, connections and support to transform their leadership, their organizations and their communities.

Over our 30-year history, we have worked with thousands of people to build management and leadership capacities. Our model is to build connections that have a high level of trust and that are both deep and broad: we work closely with individual communities and connect local leaders with a broad and diverse network of likely and unlikely allies from across the globe.

Our approach brings concepts and frameworks from outside the sector to bear on the seemingly intractable problems that arts leaders face every day. We partner with faculty from top-tier universities who excel in both researching and teaching to deliver programs such as the Chief Executive Program, Creative Community Fellows and the Executive Program in Arts and Culture Strategy. Learn more at www.artstrategies.org.