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2024 Cohort

afrikah selah Headshot
afrikah selah Headshot

afrikah selah

afrikah selah (they/them) is a Boston-based cultural worker specializing in dramaturgy, new work development, and arts journalism. With a passion for dialogue and a desire to explore new ideas in innovative ways, they value creative collaboration that strives to build community towards a more equitable world. Currently they are the NNPN New Work Producer in Residence at Company One Theatre and 2023-24 TCG Rising Leader of Color, where they are striving to make change.

itsafrikah.com

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Celina Fernando Headshot
Celina Fernando Headshot

Celina Fernando

Celina Fernando (she/hers) is a youth worker and educator based in Boston, MA. Her work with young people in Malden and Boston’s Chinatown has been grounded in long-term spatial justice and youth-led, creative place-keeping efforts. She is passionate about building immigrant and working-class power, designing for social change, and celebrating the power and capability of youth.

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Desiré Graham Headshot
Desiré Graham Headshot

Desiré Graham

Desiré Graham is an Artist In-Practice. She is a performer, director, and arts administrator. She sings to connect to a past that is hers and a history of many. She writes to reconcile the shade and the sun. She collaborates, in a constant search for those who also feel the tug to be elsewhere. From 2019 to 2022, she was based in Tuscany, Italy, as a company member at the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards. Currently based in the US, Graham commits to the cultivation of artistic spaces that foster transparency, active listening, and anti-oppressive practices as a requirement. In alignment with these values, she curates residency spaces such as The Black Residency and On the Table. Additionally, Desiré works with Double Edge Theatre, VLA Dance, and Wender Collective as a recurring artistic collaborator. Graham also hosts a workshop series entitled Somewhere in Between, an invitation for BIPOC and ALAANA peoples to discover the use of communal singing, give weight to their vibrational soul, activate, and call on others to join in. She is freely in-process; if you have any questions about what she’s done or where she’s been, please ask about it to be about it.

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Dorian Block Headshot
Dorian Block Headshot

Dorian Block

Dorian Block (he/him/his) is a trans-masculine performing arts leader of Hispanic and Native American heritage. He grew up attending, performing in, and eventually marketing for The Santa Fe Opera, contributing to multiple publications including the 2017 Season program book and the Grammy Award-winning The Revolution of Steve Jobs CD booklet. Dorian defined the role of Digital Marketing and Social Media Manager at The Dallas Opera, serving two seasons and strategically planning content through 2023. He sits on the Alumni Board of Directors for McMurry University, where he holds a BA in English and Arts Administration. Dorian is a member of the fifth SphinxLEAD cohort for Black and Latinx Arts Administrators, the 2022‒2023 OPERA America Mentorship Program for Opera Leaders of Color, and serves on the Opera Canada Board of Directors. He recently co-founded a directory of gender-diverse operatic professionals at OperaMODO. Dorian is dedicated to increasing representation of intersectional diversity on both sides of the operatic stage.

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Jaime Sharp Headshot
Jaime Sharp Headshot

Jaime Sharp

Jaime Sharp (she/they) is a Black queer nonprofit leader, social impact strategist, and arts and culture innovator residing on the stolen territory of the Three Fires People and members of the Kickapoo, Peoria, and Myaamia tribes. She is the Program Manager for Grantmakers in the Arts, a national association for arts and culture funders. Jaime is on the steering committee for the LGBTQ+ Network (OPERA America) and the Chicago Chapter of Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy. They also serve on associate boards for Chicago’s Young Nonprofit Professional Network, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Symphony, and Chicago Philharmonic.

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Jeremy Whitehead Headshot
Jeremy Whitehead Headshot

Jeremy Whitehead

Jeremy Whitehead was born in Roxbury, MA. Jeremy found an interest in drawing at an early age and eventually got a scholarship to Mass College of Art at age 11. He started his first job at Boston University at 19 years of age, where he became a cook. During that time, Jeremy was interested in fine dining at first, but eventually lost interest. Now, he works in a retirement home and focuses on taking that same skill to create a great dining experience for the elderly residents. His experience working with the elderly has changed the way he sees life and death, it’s also had an impact in how he looks at art and culture. Now, Jeremy is pursuing learning the arts and hopes to discover something new.

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Jessica Wong Camhi Headshot
Jessica Wong Camhi Headshot

Jessica Wong Camhi

Jessica Wong Camhi is a Boston-based arts administrator with a focus on public art and collections management. Jess is currently the Interim Program Manager for Public Art at the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) and has previously worked at the City of Boston’s Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture and the Chinese Historical Society of New England (CHSNE).

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Kandyce Whittingham Headshot
Kandyce Whittingham Headshot

Kandyce Whittingham

Kandyce Whittingham (she/they) is a queer first-generation Jamaican-American actor, director, teaching artist, and arts administrator. A recent graduate of Emerson College’s Acting program, she currently works at Lyric Stage Boston as the Marketing and Development Associate and has freelanced as an actor with Central Square Theater, The Theater Offensive, Front Porch Arts Collective, Actors’ Shakespeare Project, and Apollinaire Theatre Company. With a passion for collaborative and community-centered work, Kandyce believes that artistic storytelling, expression, and development is the cornerstone of equity and liberation for all.

kandycewhittingham.com

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Katiana Rodriguez Headshot
Katiana Rodriguez Headshot

Katiana Rodriguez

Katiana Rodriguez is a queer, Afro-Latinx artist born and raised in New York City. She currently works as a content administrator at American Public Television. Katiana received a BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Illustration, and her artistic influence can be seen throughout the city of Boston. Most notably, she was the featured artist for the Boston Celtic’s Noche Latina poster. Additionally, she was a member of The Fenway’s inaugural cohort, where she oversaw the planning of Violet Neighborhood, an art event centered around queer BIPOC creators. She has facilitated multiple workshops focused on art, identity, and portraiture with various groups, including students at Beaver Country Day School and Youth on Fire. As an artist of color, Katiana is focused on bringing diversity and awareness to visual art spaces through mural work, equity and inclusion initiatives, gallery curation, and event planning.

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Kelsey Fonise Headshot
Kelsey Fonise Headshot

Kelsey Fonise

Kelsey Fonise (she/her) is a first-generation Haitian American actress, director, producer and writer. She is the founder of The Nou Collective, a digital community centered around amplifying the voices and stories of Haitians in theater, television, and film. As an actress and director she has won multiple Elliot Norton Awards for BLKS with Speakeasy Stage and K-I-S-S-I-N-G with The Huntington. She has produced across Boston and New York and recently had a debut of her pilot script at The Tank theater in Manhattan. Her next show will be at Feinstein’s 54 Below this June in New York.

kelseyfonise.com

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Kenny Mascary Headshot
Kenny Mascary Headshot

Kenny Mascary

Kenny Mascary (he/him), originally from Haiti, first arrived in Boston for college in 2004. Kenny then cut his teeth at mission-driven organizations like the West End House, Boys and Girls Club, Cambridge Youth Programs, the Cambridge Public Library, and more recently Now + There, before joining the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture as Chief of Staff. As a DJ, therapeutic mentor, film photographer, board-certified basketball referee, and plant dad, Kenny is passionate about connecting with communities and individuals that share a passion and excitement around conversations and experiences that open minds and help co-create spaces to celebrate the creative diversity of Boston’s dynamic and ever-changing cultural fabric.

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Kira Troilo Headshot
Kira Troilo Headshot

Kira Troilo

Kira Troilo (she/her) is a Boston-based creative, the CEO and founder of Art & Soul Consulting, and the creator and founder of Inclusive Stages®. A BFA graduate of Emerson College, Kira also holds an HR Essentials certificate. She was also recently awarded the distinguished Community Impact Award at SpeakEasy Stage Company’s 2024 Gala. Kira’s groundbreaking EDI work was recently featured in American Theatre magazine. Kira’s consulting work to dozens of organizations has taken her across the country and abroad. In the summer of 2023, she provided tailored support for the world premiere of Summer Stock: The Musical at Goodspeed Opera House, starring Corbin Bleu. In the winter of 2024, she provided tailored support for Something Rotten! at Stratford Festival in Canada.

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Letta Neely Headshot
Letta Neely Headshot

Letta Neely

Letta Neely, originally from Indianapolis, IN, is Black lesbian parent, playwright, performer, poet, teacher, and activist. She is the story-weaver-in-residence at the Elma Lewis Center in the Social Justice Collaborative at Emerson College, a co-artistic director for Fort Point Theatre Channel, and co-director (along with Greg Allen) of the Revolution of Values Theatre Project. She is the Executive Director of Apprentice Learning. No matter where she’s planted or is planting, all of her work is rooted in love and focused on liberation.

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Malia‘Kekia Nicolini Headshot
Malia‘Kekia Nicolini Headshot

Malia‘Kekia Nicolini

Malia‘Kekia Nicolini (‘o ia) is a Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) teaching artist, internationally touring performer, choreographer, artistic director, speaker, and a gratitude enthusiast. Malia’Kekia is the Co-Founder of B4 The Other Creations, which travels throughout the US and internationally offering Pedagogy of Play. Malia’Kekia is the Northeast Lead Trainer for Narrative 4, teaching empathy through storytelling. ‘O ia co-facilitated the Black and Indigenous Futures Convening with Howlround Theatre Commons and ArtsEmerson. As an interdisciplinary artist, ‘o ia weaves all their experience together to empower dreams and create beauty. BFA in Music Theater, MBA in Mindfulness in Business Practices, BIPOC Leadership at ArtEquity.

b4theother.com

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Olga Khvan Headshot
Olga Khvan Headshot

Olga Khvan

Olga Khvan is the Senior Manager of Public Relations and Content Marketing at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Prior to joining the MFA in 2016, she worked as an assistant editor and photographer covering arts and culture for Boston magazine. She graduated from Boston University, where she studied journalism and the history of art and architecture.

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Rene Dongo Headshot
Rene Dongo Headshot

Rene Dongo

Rene Dongo is a Roslindale native who works as a media maker and teaching artist and has spent the past ten years in youth arts education. He strives to better understand the issues within his communities by facilitating and creating meaningful media. Currently, he works at ZUMIX as the Radio Station Manager where he supports community and youth-produced radio programming.

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Robert Davis Awkward Headshot
Robert Davis Awkward Headshot

Robert Davis Awkward

Robert Davis Awkward (he/him) is an arts worker who is relentlessly dedicated to creating space for artists to do their best work. He is a bilingual Black leader who has a deep investment in seeing individuals and teams succeed. Robert is currently Company Manager at ArtsEmerson, where he collaborates to produce mainstage shows, film series, residencies, and other special projects. As Project Manager for ArtsEmerson’s Black & Indigenous Initiative, Robert serves as program lead for the rollout of a multi-year leadership risk capital grant from the Barr Foundation. He also collaborated with peers from HowlRound Theatre Commons to put on a first-ever, in-person convening for Black and Indigenous leaders from around the country, and supported the commissioning of seven internationally recognized artists. Outside of the arts, Robert also leads media initiatives as a member of the Stewardship Circle of Black Men Run, Boston. With the support of his family and the BMR community, he ran his first Boston Marathon in 2024.

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Victoria Lynn Awkward Headshot
Victoria Lynn Awkward Headshot

Victoria Lynn Awkward

Victoria Lynn Awkward is a multi-hyphenate creator, administrator, educator, and the Director of VLA DANCE. Through her work she aims to inspire people to pause and reflect on their actions towards themselves, their community, and their environment. She pursued her multiple interests at Goucher College and graduated with high honors in Dance, Visual Art, and Secondary Education. Alongside directing VLA DANCE, Victoria is a freelance artist, who most recently choreographed for Huntington Theatre, Company One Theatre, Boston Lyric Opera, and Commonwealth Shakespeare. Victoria is also an educator, having worked at Salem State University, Brown University, West End House, Middlesex School, and Urbanity Dance. She continues to deepen her teaching practices as a mentee with Midday Movement Series. Victoria is currently a Brother Thomas Fellow and recipient of the Next Steps for Boston Grant Program, as well as a recipient of the Queer (Re)public Theater Offensive Residency.

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Yuko Okabe Headshot
Yuko Okabe Headshot

Yuko Okabe

Yuko Okabe is an illustrator and community artist. Select clients include: Big Cartel, Hester Street, City of Boston, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, The New York Times, Agncy Design, The Experience Alchemists, Utile Architecture & Planning, American Ancestors by the New England Genealogical Society, Ciampa Creative, Mass MoCA, Punto Urban Art Museum, and Urbano Project. Select exhibits include: Call and Response: Illustration in Uncertain Times, Pao Arts Center; Illustrators 64 (2022), Illustrators 65 (2023), Society of Illustrators; The End is Nigh (2021), Light Grey Art Lab; Pinpoint Boston (2022), Institute of Contemporary Art; Thirst 2021 (2021), Artists for Humanitarian Aid. Education: BFA in Illustration from Rhode Island School of Design.

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2023 Cohort

Adriana Zuñiga headshot
Adriana Zuñiga headshot

Adriana Zuñiga

Adriana Zuñiga (she/her) is a marketing professional in the theater industry. She holds a BA in Theatre from Suffolk University. Her past experiences include working at The Huntington, American Repertory Theater, and Commonwealth Shakespeare Company. Her current role is the Marketing Manager at Broadway In Boston. Adriana is also a bookworm who loves new and upcoming fiction written by local authors.

LinkedIn

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Alexis Peart headshot
Alexis Peart headshot

Alexis Peart

Alexis Peart is a multifaceted operatic mezzo-soprano, music educator, and arts administrator based in Boston, MA, with degrees in Vocal Performance, Music Education, and a certificate in Non-Profit Finance and Fundraising. Alexis is the Executive Director of Boston Opera Collaborative and a Teaching Artist with Castle of our Skins.

AlexisPeart.com
LinkedIn

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Alison Yueming Qu headshot
Alison Yueming Qu headshot

Alison Yueming Qu 曲悦鸣

Alison Yueming Qu 曲悦鸣 (she/they) is a creative producer, director, and dramaturg. Alison is the Co-Founder & Executive Director of CHUANG Stage—the first Mandarin bilingual, bicultural theater company nationwide. Concurrently, Alison works at HowlRound Theatre Commons as the Associate Producer. She served as the Connectivity Producer at Company One Theatre in Boston, MA, emerging from their previous role with C1 as the Associate Producer of the Boston Chinatown musical project by Kit Yan & Melissa Li. Alison and CHUANG Stage are a recipient of the The Boston Foundation “Live Arts Boston” grant, the New England Foundation of the Arts “Public Arts for Spatial Justice” grant, a 2021-22 National Arts Strategies New England Creative Community Fellow, and numerous Boston Cultural Council support to make Boston a better city for AAPI artists. Alison graduated from Emerson College with a BFA in Theatre (Directing and Dramaturgy).

AlisonYuemingQu.com

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Audrey Seraphin headshot
Audrey Seraphin headshot

Audrey Seraphin

Audrey Seraphin (she/her) is director, actor, civil servant, and lifelong Massachusetts resident. She most recently worked at Boston City Hall as the Director of SPARK Boston, Mayor Wu’s volunteer civic engagement council for 20- to 35-year-old Bostonians. She is getting ready to return to the arts administration world as the new Program Manager, Regional Grants & Initiatives at New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA). She is a proud founding member of the Network of Arts Administrators of Color (NAAC) Boston. Other recent projects include Dance Nation with Westford Academy Theatre Arts; The Ghost of Keelung, a radio play; Company with Clark Musical Theatre; Muthaland, an online production from Samuel-Lancaster Productions; and The Rooster & The Magnet, Episode 5 of Camp Strangewood, a live streamed anthology from Sparkhaven Theatre.

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Brittany Thomas headshot
Brittany Thomas headshot

Brittany Thomas

Brittany Thomas serves as Director of Creative Media + Technology at ZUMIX, working alongside young film, audio and radio creators. As a LocaloreLIVE and NEFA Creative City grantee, Brittany designed the collaborative narrative project Constelación de Historias, a live storytelling event series and letter writing project documenting neighbors’ work for housing stability in East Boston.

ConstelacionDeHistorias.org

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Cailin Marcel Manson headshot
Cailin Marcel Manson headshot

Cailin Marcel Manson

Cailin Marcel Manson, baritone and conductor, is currently Associate Professor of Practice in Music and Head of the Music Program at Clark University, Music Director of Barn Opera in Vermont, Music Director of The Keene Chorale in New Hampshire, and Artistic Director and CEO of the New England Repertory Orchestra in Massachusetts.

CailinMarcelManson.com

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Carla Mirabal Rodríguez headshot
Carla Mirabal Rodríguez headshot

Carla Mirabal Rodríguez

Carla Mirabal Rodríguez (she/her) is a director, actor, and producer from San Juan, Puerto Rico. She’s the Artistic Assistant at The Huntington and has worked with various local theater companies including Teatro Chelsea, Central Square Theatre, and Speakeasy Stage. Most recently she directed In the Time of the Butterflies at Newton Theatre Company.

CarlaMirabalRodriguez.com

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Charmaine Santiago Galdón headshot
Charmaine Santiago Galdón headshot

Charmaine Santiago Galdón

Charmaine Santiago Galdón (she/her) is a resident of Boston. Charmaineʼs parents are from Puerto Rico. She attended José Julián Acosta, a high school specializing in theater in Old San Juan. During her time there she was trained by teachers who were trained in different forms of theater. Charmaine started working as a teaching artist at age 14. Charmaine then went on to receive her Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from UMass Amherst. During her time at UMass, she was cast in many plays. Charmaine later became a cast member and subsequently the co-director of Body Politics. After college she gained an internship at the Puerto Rican theater company Pregones Theater. Charmaine then founded an Afro Puerto Rican Folkloric Bomba group and named it Bomba Sankofa due to her journey of understanding her identity. The group was unique by mixing storytelling through spoken word and hip hop elements. In 2019, she co-produced with her father, Jorge Arce, who also directed, a musical called Esto es Puerto Rico. Charmaine was also the playwright, funded by the Boston Foundation.

CharmaineSantiagoG.com

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Chloe Swindler headshot
Chloe Swindler headshot

Chloe Swindler, D.M.A.

Chloe Swindler, D.M.A. (she/her) is a musician, educator, and DEI professional who specializes in helping individuals and organizations understand the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion and how to integrate these values into their individual practices and larger systems of operation. Since 2019, Chloe has worked closely with higher education institutions including the Yale School of Music, UCLA School of Music, Berklee College of Music, and Boston Conservatory at Berklee to navigate complex conversations and bridge gaps between different cultures and generations. Her specialties include “calling in” culture, inclusive practices, and navigating intercultural communications. As a performer, Chloe’s recent career highlights include performing with Harry Styles at Coachella in 2022 and with Lizzo at the 2022 BET Awards. As a professional musician with degrees from Boston University (B.M.), Yale University (M.M.), and UCLA (D.M.A.), she enjoys performing a variety of genres including classical, jazz, pop, soul, funk, folk, and more. Chloe currently works at Berklee College of Music (Assistant Director of Engagement and Programming, Diversity and Inclusion Office) and Longy School of Music (Trumpet Faculty).

ChloeSwindler.com

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Des Bennett headshot
Des Bennett headshot

Des Bennett

Des Bennett (they/them) is a director, dramaturg, facilitator, maker, and arts administrator. They are the Programs Manager at The Theater Offensive, and a facilitator with Gender Explosion, leading trans* inclusion workshops. Des holds a BA in Theater and a minor in Psychology from Northeastern University.

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Edwin Cabrera headshot
Edwin Cabrera headshot

Edwin Cabrera

Edwin Cabrera (he/him) is multimedia artist from Lynn, Massachusetts. Among being one of the co-founders of the Lynn Music Foundation, Edwin is the co-creator of Grind House Recordings, a Hip Hop media company that promotes local musicians from Lynn and surrounding areas. Through his work with Grind House Recordings, Edwin created the community engagement project the Lynn Hip Hop Wall of Fame, a way for the community to engage in community art celebrating the cultures that make the city unique. With the Lynn Music Foundation Edwin hopes to develop the music scene in Lynn through community driven development.

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Jamison Cloud headshot
Jamison Cloud headshot

Jamison Cloud

Jamison Cloud (he/him) is a Boston-based interdisciplinary artist. He has exhibited his work throughout the Greater Boston Area and has worked in the local arts community for over 1more than ten years. He was an artist in residence at Gallery 263 and recently completed The Network for Arts Administrators of Color Boston Mentorship & Sponsorship Program 2.0.

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Kathy Eow headshot
Kathy Eow headshot

Kathy Eow

Kathy Eow (she/her) is Foundation Relations Manager at ArtsEmerson, board member of Boston Korean Adoptees, outreach coordinator for the Boston Asian American Film Festival (BAAFF), and a former steering committee/active member of Boston’s Queer Asians and Pacific Islanders Alliance (QAPA). She also is a writer and producer whose credits include works exploring the reclamation of Korean identity through an adoptee lens.

LinkedIn

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Kendrick Terrell Evans headshot
Kendrick Terrell Evans headshot

Kendrick Terrell Evans

Kendrick Terrell Evans is a Roxbury native who has spent the past ten years working as an arts administrator in the non-profit theater and television scene in Boston. Kendrick has dedicated their time spreading and uplifting the voices of BIPOC and Queer people in the theater community.

LinkedIn

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Kevin Becerra headshot
Kevin Becerra headshot

Kevin Becerra

Kevin Becerra (he/him/his) creates containers for conversation, connection and impact. He currently works as a Creative Producer at ArtsEmerson. He has been fortunate enough to be in brilliant cohorts including the Festival Academy’s Atelier for Young Festival Managers and APAP’s Emerging Leader Institute. He also consults and facilitates with Kimzin Creative in California’s Bay Area.

LinkedIn

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Leslie Anne Condon headshot
Leslie Anne Condon headshot

Leslie Anne Condon

Leslie Condon (she/her) is a Boston-area artist scholar, independent curator, and cultural worker. As an artist scholar and researcher, Leslie is interested in Critical Race Art History and issues of representation within the arts. Since 2022, Leslie has served as the Visual Arts Manager at Pao Arts Center, uplifting contemporary Boston-area AAPI artists while contributing to culturally affirming arts programming within the immigrant neighborhood of Boston Chinatown.

LeslieAnneCondon.com
LinkedIn

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Pascale Florestal headshot
Pascale Florestal headshot

Pascale Florestal

Pascale Florestal (she/her) is a first generation Haitian American Queer Woman. She is an Elliot Norton-nominated director, educator, dramaturg, writer, and collaborator based in Boston, MA. Recent directing credits: Fairview with SpeakEasy Stage; Spring Awakening at Brandeis University; The Colored Museum with The Umbrella Performing Arts Center; Once On This Island with SpeakEasy Stage; This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing with Emerson Stage; Everybody with Boston Conservatory. As an Assistant to the Director she has worked with Timothy Douglas, Liesl Tommy, Billy Porter, Paul Daigneault and M. Bevin O’Gara. Pascale served as the Associate Director to Gil Rose on X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X with Odyssey Opera and Kimberly Senior on Our Daughters, Like Pillars at The Huntington Theatre. Pascale also serves as the Associate Director for the North American Broadway National Tour of Jagged Little Pill. Pascale was named one of the WBUR ARTery’s 25 Artists of Color Transforming the Cultural Landscape in Boston. In 2020 she won the Inaugural Greg Ferrell Award for her excellence in teaching and supporting young people. She serves as the Education Director and Associate Producer for The Front Porch Arts Collective and is an Assistant Professor of Theater at Boston Conservatory at Berklee College of Music. Pascale is also a full member of the SDC Union.

PascaleFlorestal.com

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Pedro Soto headshot
Pedro Soto headshot

Pedro Soto

Pedro Soto (he/him) is responsible for advancing TDI’s creative economy initiatives including TDI Creative Cities, TDI Creative Catalyst Grants, and incorporating this work into their broader programmatic areas in the department and division. He will be working closely with Alejandro Lopez and a position yet to be hired to amplify their data and storytelling work. Pedro will serve a leadership role with respect to arts, the cultural economy, and creative placemaking, as they launch their expanded TDI program. He received his Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts from Salem State University and a Masters of Regional Planning from UMass Amherst. Most recently Pedro served as Planning and Development Director with the City of Lawrence, where he administered the city’s land-use planning, oversaw the Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeal, and advanced planning and economic development initiatives on behalf of the city. Prior to his work in Lawrence, Pedro served as the Associate Director at Beyond Walls, Inc., headquartered in downtown Lynn. There, he managed local government relations and project management. Before serving at Beyond Walls, Pedro was a City Planner with the city of Peabody.

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Tarik Bartel headshot
Tarik Bartel headshot

Tarik Bartel

Tarik Bartel (they/them) is a Thai-American artist and community organizer based in Providence, RI. They have worked in the Greater Boston area as a youth worker and educator since 2014. They believe art centered in community can leverage social change and connect us more deeply to one another. They hope to pour into others what has been poured into them.

TarikBartel.com

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Tatiana Isabel Gil headshot
Tatiana Isabel Gil headshot

Tatiana Isabel Gil

Tatiana Isabel Gil (she/her) is a queer Panamanian and Colombian writer, dramaturg, and actor with a passion for new work development, art that moves people to take action, and decolonization as a form of healing and empowerment. All of the work Tatiana engages in across disciplines is in service of her vision of artivism in this world. This vision includes thousands of nuanced stories about LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and disabled folks sitting at every intersection being told consistently all over the world in an entertainment and cultural sector that is built on community and solidarity economy. It also includes art and political activism having a deep interdependent relationship, where theatrical experiences are being used to inspire, radicalize, incite action, and be the action in fighting for an anti-racist world. Systemically, it looks like a world that centers and deeply integrates decolonized artistic modalities into the fabric of society (education, justice systems, popular culture, food, workplaces, etc.) with a restorative justice approach to cultivating community, communication, and anti-racist work. Recently, her play, Lithosphere Heart was a semi-finalist at Playwrights Realm. She is currently at the University of New Mexico working on her MFA in Dramatic writing and is a City of Albuquerque Resident Artist creating a community centered project and play about Latine people’s relationship to their indigenous ancestors/identities called Sopita de Entropía. She is also the Co-Literary Director of Submissions and Operations at Fresh Ink Theatre based in Boston, MA.

TatianaIsabel.com

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​Taylor Lena McTootle headshot
​Taylor Lena McTootle headshot

​Taylor Lena McTootle

Taylor Lena McTootle (she/her) is an educator and writer from the Washington, DC area now living in Roxbury, MA. Living, working, and attending school in vibrant metropolises has afforded her access to artistic discourse that centers elements of the creative along with all of the ways they are used to express the human condition. In particular, rhythm has been central to her studies as, from a young age, she explored classical ballet, modern dance, and poetry. From this, she has become sensitive to the subtleties of meaning and emotion that are necessary for critical thinking and understanding in young people. Over the last ten years, Taylor Lena has worked with students of color ranging from elementary to high school.

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Todd McNeel, Jr. headshot
Todd McNeel, Jr. headshot

Todd McNeel, Jr.

Todd McNeel, Jr. (he/him/his) recently graduated with his Masters in Communications Management from Emerson College, where he was the recipient of the Communications Studies Graduate Dean Award for his academic performance and capstone project. He currently serves as the Manager of Marketing and Tourism at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, leading all marketing, tourism, and advertising strategies and initiatives. When he is not working on exhibition campaigns, you can catch him on stage performing with regional opera and theater companies nationwide. He is an Emerging Talent Award recipient of the Kurt Weill – Lotte Lenya Competition and has been praised by Theatre Mirror for his “tower of strength” presence and “powerful voice.” Prior to the MFA, Todd worked in Media and Publishing with Boston, Philadelphia, and Atlanta Magazines. He also has served as a Marketing and PR Specialist for Boston performing arts institutions such as ArtsEmerson, Boston Lyric Opera, and Bard College’s Longy School of Music. Todd holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from Ouachita Baptist University and attended Longy School of Music for his graduate studies in Opera Performance.

LinkedIn

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Vijay Mathew headshot
Vijay Mathew headshot

Vijay Mathew

Vijay Mathew is Co-Founder and Cultural Strategist of HowlRound Theatre Commons based at Emerson College in Boston, MA. He is especially interested in solidarity economy, accessibility for people with disabilities, and designing for social change.

HowlRound.com

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2021 Cohort

Abigail Vega

Akiba Abaka

Alessandra Panares

Anne Morse

Brian Lim

Carla Canales

Carmen Plazas

Cheyenne Cohn-Postell

Cheyenne Myrie

Colette Randall

Corey DePina

Dawn Meredith Simmons

Dayron J. Miles

Janice Amaya

Jasmine Garcia

Jason Talbot

Jazzmin Bonner

Jinyi Duan

John Ravenell, Jr. (Kind)

Jorge Abellas-Martin

Joseph Valenté

Julia Schachnik

Karthik Subramanian

Lisa Field-Coleman

Magdalena Abrego

Marika Hughes

Maurice Emmanuel Parent

Mazz Swift

Megan Bernard

Melinda Lopez

Nada Shaaban

Neo Gcabo

Nicole Agois Hurel

Olawumi (Ola) Akinwumi

Omar Sosa

Regine Vital

Rob Gibbs

Sophie Ancival

Tracy Keene