Ipinapaalam at bubuo ni Anika Tené ang isang hanay ng mga karanasan sa pag-aaral na nakasentro sa equity na nag-uugnay at nagbibigay-inspirasyon sa mga lider at komunidad na bumuo ng isang mas inklusibong sektor ng sining at kultura. Sumali siya sa Creative West mula sa kanyang posisyon bilang tagapamahala ng mga inisyatiba sa pambansang edukasyon sa John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts kung saan tiniyak niya na ang mga propesyonal sa sining ay nilagyan ng may-katuturang propesyonal na pag-aaral at suporta habang hinahangad nilang magbigay ng pantay na pag-access sa sining sa publiko. mga mag-aaral sa paaralan. Nakipagtulungan si Kwinana sa ilang organisasyon ng sining bilang stage manager, producer, gallery coordinator, at subscriptions sales associate. Nagsilbi rin siya bilang assistant director ng national college fairs, programs at services para sa National Association for College Admission Counseling kung saan siya ay nag-pilot at nag-scale ng STEM college at career fairs na umabot sa mahigit 20,000 attendees taun-taon. Si Tené ay isang miyembro ng lupon sa George Mason University's College of Visual and Performing Arts, ang dating tagapangulo ng Arlington County Commission for the Arts at co-founder ng Arlington for Justice; nakaraang chair ng Arts Administrators of Color Network at at isang alum ng BIPOC Leadership Circle ng artEquity, na nakikipagtulungan sa iba pang mga pinuno ng sining mula sa buong bansa upang bumuo ng mga modelo ng pamumuno ng hustisya sa lipunan. Nakuha ni Tené ang kanyang bachelor's degree sa political science mula sa Howard University at master's degree sa arts management mula sa George Mason University, kung saan nakatutok ang kanyang capstone sa pangangailangan para sa pagkakaiba-iba sa arts organizational leadership. Mayroon din siyang master's degree sa public anthropology mula sa American University at postgraduate degree sa management mula sa University of Stellenbosch sa South Africa.

Si Josh Ellis ay gumaganap ng isang mahalagang papel sa pagpapadali at pamamahala ng mga programa at inisyatiba ng Creative West ng BIPOC gamit ang mga kasanayan sa paggawa ng grant na nakabatay sa equity upang pasiglahin ang pambansang epekto. Kasama sa kanyang mga nakaraang tungkulin ang pagiging isang orchestra manager sa maraming organisasyon, kung saan pinamahalaan niya ang mga orkestra ng kabataan na may mahigit 500 estudyante, pinangangasiwaan ang mga kontrata ng faculty at guest artist, at gumawa at nagpatupad ng mga iskedyul ng programming. Naghawak din siya ng mga posisyon sa John F. Kennedy Center para sa Performing Arts sa Patron Services at sa Wolf Trap Foundation para sa Performing Arts bilang isang intern sa administrasyon ng opera arts, kung saan nakabuo siya ng impormasyon ng artist para sa season ng programa at nagsagawa ng pananaliksik sa opera artist. kaluwagan sa panahon ng tagsibol ng 2020. Ang boluntaryong gawain ni Ellis ay sumasalamin sa kanyang pangako sa adbokasiya ng sining at pagkakapantay-pantay. Naging aktibong miyembro siya ng Arlington Commission for the Arts, na nag-aambag sa pagtaas ng pagpopondo sa sining para sa county at pag-lobby sa lehislatura ng VA. Bukod pa rito, nakakuha siya ng pondo at nag-co-host ng mga seremonya ng parangal para sa Prince William County Arts Council. Kamakailan lamang, inalok siya ng posisyon na maging sa Planning Committee para sa Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) Conference – ang nangungunang pagtitipon sa mundo ng pagtatanghal ng sining ng pagtatanghal, pagpapareserba, at industriya ng paglilibot. Si Ellis ay mayroong Master of Arts in Arts Management at Bachelor of Arts in Music mula sa George Mason University.

Si Marcelina ay isang batikang propesyonal na may magkakaibang background na sumasaklaw sa pangangasiwa ng mas mataas na edukasyon, adbokasiya sa sining, at pakikipag-ugnayan sa komunidad. Sa karanasan bilang dating administrator ng mas mataas na edukasyon sa Unibersidad ng Colorado, Colorado Springs, nagdadala si Ramirez ng madiskarteng pananaw at pamumuno na nakatuon sa komunidad sa kanyang trabaho. Bilang inaugural artist-in-residence para sa Colorado College, may mahalagang papel si Ramirez sa pagtuturo sa Southern Colorado sa mga kritikal na isyu gaya ng Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP) at ang epekto ng pandemya sa Women of Color. Binibigyang-diin ng kanyang mga inisyatiba ang kanyang pangako sa paggamit ng sining bilang kasangkapan para sa pagbabago sa lipunan at edukasyon. Isang magaling na Latin na mananayaw, si Ramirez ay isang iginagalang na miyembro ng kumpanya ng Latisha Hardy Dance, na nag-aambag sa sigla at pagkakaiba-iba ng komunidad ng sayaw. Sa pamamagitan ng kanyang pamumuno, pinalalakas niya ang isang nakakaengganyo at napapabilang na espasyo para sa pagpapahayag ng kultura at pakikipagtulungan. Sa mundo ng teatro, aktibong kasangkot si Ramirez sa mga inisyatiba ng equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) (pinakabago sa isang advisory board para sa PHAMALY theater company para sa mas magkakaibang accessibility space) habang gumaganap sa mga sinehan sa buong Rocky Mountains. Si Ramirez ay isa ring nai-publish na makata, na may pagtuon sa mga tema ng pag-ibig, mahika, at pamilya. Ang kanyang pagsulat ay sumasalamin sa kanyang Indigenous Latina na pagkakakilanlan at nagsisilbing isang makapangyarihang midyum para sa pagkukuwento at koneksyon.

Dr. Ivonne Chand O’Neal, Founder and Chief Research Officer at MUSE Research, is a researcher and cultural strategist specializing in arts impact evaluation with a focus on equity, access, and belonging. As Co-Founder of the Greater Good Group, she crafts data-driven boutique retreat experiences for marginalized contributors to the arts and culture sector. Trained as a Cognitive Psychologist, she has pioneered research platforms for prestigious organizations such as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, analyzing global arts impact. With strategic roles at Crayola and VSA: the International Organization on Arts and Disability, she chaired the Arts, Culture and Museums Division at the American Evaluation Association.

ivision at the American EDr. Chand O’Neal serves on board for the Minnesota Opera, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies, and the National Guild for Community Arts Education.. Additionally, she advises the University of Pennsylvania’s Human Flourishing Initiative and serves as a federally-appointed reviewer for institutions like the National Endowment for the Arts and the Corporation for National and Community Service, advocating for quality creative education. Her impactful work, recognized by media and government bodies, foreshadows her upcoming 3-book publication, “The Impact of Arts on Human Flourishing” (Springer, 2026).

Salvador Acevedo has over 20 years of experience helping organizations link their design and innovation strategies with various cultures within the U.S. Being bilingual and bicultural gives him the ability to recognize the cultural markers that signal inclusion, and he’s committed to open opportunities for all.

For the last 15 years, Acevedo has been professionally invested in helping organizations increase diversity, deepen inclusion, and advance equity, in a broad range of fields, from arts and culture to informal education and urban planning.

Acevedo is a founding faculty member of WESTAF’s Emerging Leaders of Color (ELC) program and Leaders of Color (LC) network, with the goal of increasing BIPOC leadership in policy and arts administration. He is invested in understanding the forces that shape the future of the arts field and how we can realize an inclusive and equitable one. Acevedo is a regular speaker at

conferences on DEI topics and is a TED Talk speaker with the talk I’m Mestizo.

Margie Johnson Reese is a founding faculty member of WESTAF’s ELC and current faculty of LoCF. She has a 40-year portfolio as an arts advocate and arts management professional. She received a B.A. from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington and an MFA in Theater from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. She is an adviser to the International Council of African Museums based in Nairobi, Kenya and is a Fellow at the Salzburg Global Seminar in Salzburg, Austria. She continues to serve as an advisor to the Wichita Falls Alliance for Arts and Culture in Wichita Falls, Texas, a local arts agency that seeded and developed under her guidance as its first Executive Director.

Her work in the local arts agency arena also includes a six-year tenure as Director of the Office of Cultural Affairs for the City of Dallas and General Manager for the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. She held that position under three mayoral administrations managing grant making, arts education, festival production, cultural facilities and public art staff teams. She is credited with launching the Los Angeles International Cultural Exchange Program leading artist delegations to represent the city in Italy, Germany, Greece, France and Brazil. Her visionary city-wide music education program, Music L.A.! continues to provide music instruction, instruments and performance opportunities for young people.

Margie continues to contribute to the field of Arts Administration as a consultant to national, regional and local arts agencies, helping them develop inclusive arts policies that respond to contemporary civic goals. Recent clients include The Houston Arts Alliance, The Sacramento Metro Arts Commission, One Columbia (South Carolina) Mid-America Arts Alliance and Americans for the Arts. She is an adjunct professor in the graduate school of arts administration at Goucher College. She currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

Madalena Salazar is a creative focused on issues of cultural equity with extensive experience as a nonprofit administrator, DEI consultant, educator/facilitator, organizer, and cultural producer. Currently, she serves as the Executive Director for Working Classroom, and the Principal of 3rd Space Vision LLC. She is also a faculty member for WESTAF’s LoCF and predecessor program, Emerging Leaders of Color (ELC). Madalena is community lead for Coffee + Creatives in Albuquerque. She values engaging creatively as one’s whole self, collaboratively, and intersectionally across generations, in relationship. Madalena was born, raised, and resides in Tiwa territory aka Albuquerque, New Mexico (after returning from several impactful years in Denver, CO). She loves music, cooking (and eating), tarot, nature, traveling, reading, gardening, and the healing arts. Madalena received a B.A. in Anthropology, and an M.A. in Art History from the University of New Mexico. Madalena is most proud of being a mother, and spends her remaining time with her children, partner, and her extended and chosen familix.

Joy Young, Ph.D. has more than 25 years of experience in the arts as an entrepreneurial performing artist, arts administrator, and academic. Joy’s work as a performing artist included owning a successful music studio and performing as a recitalist, sanctuary soloist, studio and background vocalist. Her 14-year tenure with the South Carolina Arts Commission was highlighted by serving on the executive leadership team as the agency Director of Administration, Human Resources, and Operations. Joy also implemented a variety of programs at the South Carolina Arts Commission to include arts/artist entrepreneurship; nonprofit leadership and organizational development; cultural tourism; statewide conferences and convening; and the AIR Institute. Joy’s contributions to the arts at the national level include service as a grant reviewer for the National Endowment for the Arts, member of the Committee for Individual Artists with Grantmakers in the Arts, and a mentor for the NASAA DEI Mentorship Program. She is also a Faculty member in LoCF and emphasizes leadership strategies.

Most recently, Joy served as the Executive Director of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville. Her work saw her committed to a team who worked together implementing innovative programs, developing and executing proactive and quantifiable arts and culture initiatives, and broadening relationships with new networks and stakeholders. Joy found tremendous success capitalizing on the power of public-private partnerships as a strategy to significantly increase the Cultural Council’s earned revenue.

Joy enjoys sharing her experiences from the field in the classroom by preparing the next generation of arts administrators in the Master of Arts in Arts Administration at Winthrop University to be adaptive leaders. Joy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music, Master of Arts in Voice Performance, and the Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership. Her research interests include arts leadership, program assessment and evaluation, and organization and leadership adaptations amid dynamic environmental paradigms.

Dinadala ni David ang mahigit 20 taong karanasan bilang isang consultant ng diskarte at pinuno sa sining, kultura, at malikhaing ekonomiya para sa mga nonprofit, institusyong mas mataas na edukasyon, pagkakawanggawa, at mga negosyo sa buong mundo. Bilang Deputy Director sa Creative West, ginagabayan niya ang mga programa ng adbokasiya at pampublikong patakaran; namumuno sa mga panlabas na relasyon at pangangalap ng pondo; at nangunguna sa mga serbisyo sa pagkonsulta sa mga organisasyon sa buong rehiyon ng 16 na estado at hurisdiksyon at sa buong bansa. Mula nang sumali sa Creative West, kasama niyang binuo ang Pacific Initiative ng Creative West; co-designed Creative West's Arts at ang Rural West na pagtitipon; co-directed ang pagbuo ng estado ng Washington's Creative Economy Strategic Plan; inilunsad at pinanatili ang Creative Vitality™ Summit, isang pandaigdigang kumperensya sa malikhaing ekonomiya; nag-akda ng ulat ng Creative Economies and Economic Recovery sa pakikipagtulungan ng National Assembly of State Arts Agencies; itinatag ang Western Arts Advocacy Network; nakabuo ng kaluwagan, katatagan, at iba pang mga espesyal na programa sa paggawa ng mga gawad para sa mga artista at organisasyon sa Kanluran at Pasipiko; sumali sa faculty ng National Leaders of Color Fellowship; at nakakuha ng multi-milyong dolyar na pribado at pampublikong pamumuhunan para sa mga programa ng Creative West. Si David ay nagsisilbi rin bilang Co-Chair ng Creative States Coalition, isang pambansang koalisyon ng mga grupo ng adbokasiya ng mamamayan at kanilang mga kasosyo. Dati nang nagsilbi si Holland bilang associate director ng Arts and Business Council ng Greater Boston. Kasama sa iba pang mga naunang tungkulin ang mga posisyon sa pamumuno at senior management kasama ang VCU da Vinci Center for Innovation, VCU School of the Arts, ART 180, ang Latin Ballet of Virginia, Arts & Business, at ang UK innovation foundation na Nesta. Nagsilbi rin si Holland bilang senior consultant sa BOP Consulting, isang pandaigdigang pananaliksik at pagsasanay sa pagkonsulta para sa kultura at malikhaing ekonomiya, at nagtrabaho bilang opisyal ng mga kampanya para sa Pambansang Kampanya para sa Sining ng UK. Sa loob ng higit sa 13 taon, nagsilbi siya bilang isang independent management consultant para sa mga kliyente mula sa Salzburg Global Seminar at Inter-American Development Bank sa United States Artists and Think of Us, isang research at design lab sa child welfare. Siya ay kasalukuyang nasa faculty ng MA in Arts Administration program sa Goucher College. Naglingkod siya bilang panelist at sa mga steering committee para sa National Endowment for the Arts, Colorado Creative Industries, at Oregon Arts Commission bukod sa iba pa. Siya ay isang Salzburg Global Fellow, Evan Carroll Commager Fellow, at isang fellow ng Royal Society of Arts. Ang Holland ay mayroong bachelor's degree sa economics at Asian studies mula sa Amherst College at masters degree sa international studies at diplomacy at ang kasaysayan ng sining mula sa University of London, SOAS.