We are pleased to announce the 2025-2026 cohort of AAAE’s Mentorship Program. Thanks to funding from The Wallace Foundation, AAAE is able to offer this program for the third year in a row. Ten mentees were selected after a rigorous evaluation process and have been paired with established arts administration educators and practitioners.
ASTERILLA MONTEIRO
Asterilla Joanne Monteiro is an Instructor with a focus on Arts Management. She also serves as the Business and Operations Manager for the Department of Theatre and Dance and the General Manager for the New Voices Theatre Festival. Before joining the department, she worked as a company manager and patron loyalty associate at TheatreSquared in Fayetteville, AR. She is a member of the Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE) and serves on the Board Development Committee. Asterilla holds an MFA in Theatre with a concentration in Arts Management and an MBA from The University of Alabama and a BA in English from the University of Pune, India.
BEX FERRELL
Dr. Rebecca A. Ferrell (they/she) is a dance advocate, artist, educator, and researcher advancing equity in the arts. With a BFA in Dance and Choreography, an MFA in Dance, and a PhD in Arts Administration, their work champions labor rights, pay equity, and performing arts unions. Currently an Assistant Professor of Arts Management at the College of Charleston, Rebecca is a passionate arts advocate who has served on influential advisory and grant panels, including the National Endowment for the Arts, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, United States Artists, and Virginians for the Arts’ Legislative Committee.
LIZZIE LEOPOLD
Lizzie Leopold is an Assistant Professor of Arts Administration & Policy at the School of the Art Institute Chicago. She served previously as the Executive Director of the Dance Studies Association and as a Lecturer in Theater & Performance Studies at the University of Chicago. Having been a dancer/choreographer before turning to academia, Leopold holds an Interdisciplinary PhD in Theatre and Drama from Northwestern University, an MA in Performance Studies from New York University, and a BFA in Dance from the University of Michigan. Her published works include “Staging Stars and Stripes: (Re)choreographing the American Flag” (University Press of Florida, 2018), “The Merchant of Venice’s Missing Masque: Absence, Touch, and Religious Residues” (Oxford University Press, 2019), and “The Choreographic Commodity: Assigning Value and Policing Class for Nite Moves and William Forsythe” (University of Wisconsin Press, 2020). She is the co-editor of the two-volume anthology Dancing on the Third Coast: Chicago Dance Histories (eds. Leopold and Susan Manning, University of Illinois Press, 2026). Broadly, Leopold’s research is interested in the intersections of dance and the political economy of its production and circulation – asking questions about cultural and financial value for live art. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Dancemakers Forum and the Morrison-Shearer Foundation. Lizzie was the director of Chicago-based modern dance company the Leopold Group from 2006-2018.
LILAC P. FAMERONAG
Lilac Palanca-Fameronag is passionate about bringing art to the people. Primarily a student organizer and advocate for free and quality education, they were the former Director of the National Union of Students of the Philippines’ Edgar Jopson Education and Training Center for Student Leaders, through which they taught graphic design to student councils around the country. Currently, they study Arts Management at De La Salle College of Saint Benilde, where they serve as Benilde Art Management’s Vice President for Externals, steering it towards politically active leadership and forging partnerships with progressive offices. They also work as stage manager for the university’s Dance program and have interned for the Benilde Open and Museum of Contemporary Art and Design.
SANKRITI KRISHNAN
Sankriti (she/her) is an arts administrator and Indian classical dancer, with a background in engineering and a Master’s in Arts and Cultural Management from King’s College, London. She has worked in both India and the UK across arts programming, event coordination, artist liaison, cultural strategy and marketing. A strong advocate for the power of the arts, she has helped curate arts and cultural programming in healthcare and special education settings, deepening her belief in the arts as a force for connection, healing and dialogue. She is particularly interested in the intersection of cultural policy, arts and international relations and creative health initiatives. As a performer and teacher of Indian classical dance, Sankriti hopes to continue building bridges through the arts, creating accessible and inclusive programs that empower people, foster connection and inspire lasting engagement.
PAUL GABBARD
Paul Gabbard is an arts leader, theatre maker, and grants administrator. He works for the State of Florida Division of Arts and Culture as an Arts Consultant, where he helps community and professional theatres facilitate the state granting system. He is the former artistic director of Y-Not Theatre, an organization committed to producing, presenting, promoting, and developing new American plays in North Central Florida. Before beginning this PhD program, he was the associate director of development for Theatre Aspen. He holds a B.A. in General Theatre from Florida State University and an M.A. in Arts Administration from the Savannah College of Art and Design. He trained at the prestigious Eugene O’Neill National Theater Institute’s Advanced Directing Program and Hollins University’s New Play Lab. He is active in the Southeastern Theatre Conference’s Strategic Planning Committee, FSU’s Innovation Hub, and FSU’s Graduate Teaching Development Program. Paul’s areas of interest are American nonprofit theatres, Arts In Health, creativity and play, healthy work environments, and leadership development.
MARCELA “XELA” GARCIA
Marcela “Xela” Garcia is a Xicana artist, innovator and cultural warrior who currently serves as the Executive Director at Walker’s Point Center for the Arts in Milwaukee, WI. A double graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she holds a Masters of Art in Business: Arts and Creative Enterprise Leadership, and a Bachelors of Art in English Literature and Chicanx/Latinx studies. Xela was awarded Board Sources’ National Emerging Non-Profit Leader Award in 2012, was recognized as one of Wisconsin’s Most Powerful Latinos in 2018, was selected to the 2020 class of the Milwaukee Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award and the 2020 Arts + Culture Leaders of Color Fellowship with Americans for the Arts. She was named a 2024-2025 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Research Fellow finalist with Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE). She also served one term as an elected official to the Milwaukee Public Schools Board of Directors. She currently serves as a mayoral appointee to the City of Milwaukee Arts Board, a Gubernatorial Appointee to the Wisconsin Arts Board, and represents Wisconsin on the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies board of directors. She co-founded Raíces Revolucionarias, an arts-based collective of Latinx mujerxs that through collective power disrupt cultural displacement and build intentional partnerships to unify, ignite, and empower their barrios. With diverse experience in arts administration, education, and philanthropy, Xela embodies transformative, purpose-driven leadership, striving for a more just world.
KENIA LAMARR
Being surrounded by family members who are artists in their own right, I found my love for creating art at a young age. I sketched clothes and portraits of women I found ideal as a child. My formal training at a performing arts school in my hometown of Dayton, OH, influenced me to create healing, process art through portraiture present day. My portraits are vibrant and colorful, rarely using the traditional ideas of skin color; to explore the beliefs of identity and normative views to convey the concept of self while contradicting conventional notions of race. The creation process of my art is healing for me. I hope it is for the viewers; even if that feeling is momentary. As a black portraitist, I desire to create dialogue around the layers of humanity and strive to gain a more profound perception of humankind. I am currently pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Arts Policy and Administration at The Ohio State University, building upon her Bachelor of Arts in Public Affairs with a specialization in Public Leadership, Management, and Policy. With a background that includes a congressional internship and engagement in political activism, I also contribute significantly to my local community as an artist. As a committed community art activist, My focuses my efforts on leveraging creative expression for community healing. My contributions span various initiatives, including serving as an artist in residence at the Grange Audubon Insurance Center and Sanctuary Night, a shelter supporting women at risk of sex exploitation. Notably, within the neighborhood of Linden, I spearheaded The Coloring Linden Project, aimed at fostering creativity, enhancing community aesthetics, and uplifting my community through art. My professional and artistic passions align with advocating for the integration of creative spaces and arts into urban infrastructure, particularly within underserved communities, advocating for their recognition and support in city planning efforts.
DR. ANNE LEFTER
Anne M. Lefter, PhD, is Director of the Goldfarb Center for Performing Arts at Western Illinois University, and head of Arts Leadership. She was previously Director of the Arts at Community College of Baltimore County, where she oversaw programming, facilities, fundraising, marketing, and staff development in Music, Theatre, Dance, and the Art Galleries. Under her leadership, CCBC established a collaborative theatre program for deaf and hearing artists; commissioned original works in dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts; and garnered regional and national funding for the arts. Her teaching experience includes CCBC, Stevenson University, Macalester College, University of Minnesota-Morris, and the United States Naval Academy. She holds her MA and PhD from Cornell University, with a focus on community-based performance.
ERIN LEIGH
Erin Leigh is a contemporary dance artist, dance educator, and arts administrator with diverse experience in arts education and community engagement. Originally from Northeastern Ohio, she has an MFA in Dance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and is a Certified Laban Movement Analyst. She is pursuing the Core Certificate in Arts Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and teaches Arts Education, Community Engagement, and Advocacy at the College of Charleston for the Graduate Certificate in Arts and Cultural Management program. Erin has taught dance in higher education at the College of Charleston, Coker College (now Coker University), and the University of Southern Mississippi. In 2017, she created Dance Matters Charleston, a contemporary dance company dedicated to cross-disciplinary work tailored for dance integrated residencies and addressing issues specific to the Lowcountry. She has presented dance integration workshops for classroom teachers and teaching artists in multiple venues including the Gaillard Performing Arts Center, the Creative Teaching Institute at the College of Charleston, KnowItAll.org, and others. She serves as a Development and Communications Specialist for Inlet Dance Theatre and is a teaching artist with the Center for Arts Inspired Learning.
JENNIFER NOVAK-LEONARD
Dr. Jennifer Novak-Leonard is the inaugural Lawrence and Isabel Barnett Distinguished Visiting Professor in Arts Policy and Administration in the Department of Arts Administration, Education & Policy at The Ohio State University. Novak-Leonard is visiting from her appointment as Research Associate Professor and Research Director of the Arts Impact Initiative in the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Her work focuses on the social roles of arts, artists, and creativity, how they impact people and communities, and implications for policy and practice. She specializes in the development and use of novel measurement systems to understand cultural participation and the personal and public values derived from these experiences to inform multiple domains of public and social policy. Her research examines racial, ethnic, and socio-economic inequities in outcomes and opportunities for arts, artists, and movements toward cultural democracy. Dr. Novak-Leonard has also led numerous applied research efforts, including those funded by the National Endowment for the Arts; The James Irvine Foundation; the American Academy of Arts & Sciences; the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation; and Creatives Rebuild New York, among others. Her scholarly publications span research on the public perceptions of artists; public funding; arts as a means of immigrant integration; and measuring the intrinsic impacts of arts experiences. From 2016-2020, Novak-Leonard was the Principal Investigator of one of the four inaugural National Endowment for the Arts’ Research Labs. She serves as the Board President of Social Theory, Politics and the Arts and served as the Board Vice President and Research Director for the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) through 2023. Novak-Leonard also serves on the editorial advisory boards of Cultural Trends, Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts, and The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society.
CAROLE ROSENSTEIN
Carole Rosenstein is Professor of Arts Management and affiliated Professor of Folklore at George Mason University in Virginia, USA. She studies cultural policy and the social life of the arts and culture with a focus on cultural democracy and cultural equity. Her most recent book is Understanding Cultural Policy, 2e (Routledge 2024). Dr. Rosenstein holds a PhD in cultural anthropology and employs qualitative approaches and interpretation as well as quantitative data and analysis in her work. From 2000-2007, she worked on the cultural policy portfolio at the Urban Institute, a policy research center or “think tank” in Washington, DC.She has led many large-scale research studies, including commissions from the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Currently, she is working with NEH, NEA, and AAAS to construct the National Inventory of Cultural Organizations.
DAVID MILCH
David Milch is a Distinguished Lecturer and Director of the MA in Arts Administration at Baruch College. Prior to this, David was the Director of NYIT’s graduate program in Leadership in the Arts and Entertainment Industries (LAEI) in association with Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment. During his nine-year tenure at Columbia University, David led a wide range of performing arts programs for undergraduates, including creating a residency program that hosted artists including Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company, Daniel Fish, Okwui Okpokwasili and The Assembly Theater. David also assisted in the creation of the groundbreaking Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance (ICPP) at Wesleyan University and served as its Program Coordinator for four years. Outside of higher education, David has worked with wide range of arts organizations including Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, The New York International Festival of the Arts, and Relatively Theater. As a freelance artist and producer, he worked with several companies, most notably as the Choreographer and Assistant Director for Bang on a Can’s “Lost Objects” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Among his presentations are several Arts and Federalism Briefing for the US State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program, Supporting Artists’ Identities at the NYU Student Affairs Conference and on Advancing Pedagogy Through Available Technology at the AAAE annual conference. He is a facilitator of the Inclusive Pedagogy Workshop and holds a BA in Theater from Wesleyan University and an MFA in Theater Directing from UCLA.
RACHEL SHANE
Dr. Rachel Shane is the Department Chair and a Professor of Arts Administration at the University of Kentucky. She oversees the department’s three degree programs, the BA, MA, and PhD in Arts Administration as well as the Graduate Certificate in Fundraising and Development and professional development offerings. She also teaches a variety of courses in the degree programs. Outside of UK, Dr. Shane is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society (JAMLS); the President of the Board of Director for Social Theory, Politics, and the Arts (STPA); and was a former Board Member for the Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE). Dr. Shane is the co-editor of the anthology, Arts and Cultural Management: Critical Sources to be published in 2018 by Bloomsbury Press. She has numerous published articles including “Resurgence or Deterioration: The State of Cultural Unions in the 21st Century”; “Inciting the Rank and File: The Impact of Actors’ Equity and Labor Strikes”; and “Deaccessioning: A Policy Perspective.” She has also conducted research and published on pedagogy utilizing technology “Integrating Meaningful Technologies in the Arts Administration Classroom: Creating a Constructivist and Connectivist Learning Environment” and “A Guide to Teaching Music Online.” Most recently, she has presented her latest research on “Teaching Soft Skills Through an Emotional Intelligence Curriculum.” Prior to joining the UK faculty, Dr. Shane served as Department Head and Professor of Arts Administration at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), where she established the arts administration department and grew it to the fourth-largest graduate program at the college. At SCAD, she led the design and creation of three-degree programs including one of the only completely online graduate programs in arts administration, a Master of Arts degree program on-campus, and an undergraduate minor in Arts and Entertainment Management. Dr. Shane was the Managing Director of the Elm Shakespeare Company in New Haven, Conn. She also served as the Associate Director of Education at the Delaware Theatre Company and as the Theatre for Young Audiences Tour Director and Theatre Summer Camp Director for the Hippodrome State Theatre in Gainesville, Fla. Dr. Shane earned a Ph.D. in Cultural Policy and Arts Administration at The Ohio State University. She also earned a Master of Science in Arts Administration from Drexel University, a Bachelor of Science in Theatre from Northern Arizona University, and an A.A. degree from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
SHANNON LACEK
Professor Lacek joined the Drexel faculty in 2020. Over the past four years, she has taught more than 40 sections of courses that form the core the EAM curriculum, including topics such as strategic planning, financial management, organizational development, production management, and audience development. She has substantially redesigned courses such as Producing for Live Entertainment, as well as developing new courses including Financial Management for Arts Managers and a study abroad course to Ireland. She took over as the Program Director for EAM in January 2025. In addition to her coursework, Professor Lacek serves on numerous committees, consistently mentors students from a wide range of programs, and collaborates with local arts organizations. In 2024, she completed her MS in Nonprofit Management at Drexel, for which she was selected as the Goodwin College’s graduate student speaker during Commencement. Prior to joining Drexel, Shannon was the General Manager of Dublin Fringe Festival in Dublin, Ireland where she was responsible for the overall fiscal health of the organization, board governance, grant writing and development, and staff management. Previously as Director of Marketing at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in New York City, she supervised marketing for all programs, including the pioneering Next Wave Festival and BAMcinématek. She was also Director of Marketing at The Public Theater and promoted the beloved, 60-year NYC tradition, Free Shakespeare in the Park. Before moving to New York, Shannon lived in Orlando, FL where she was Managing Director of the regionally acclaimed Orlando Shakespeare Theater, after serving as Director of Development for three years. She was also Director of Marketing and Development for Enzian Theater and the Florida Film Festival. In addition to her MS degree, Professor Lacek has a BA in English Literature from the University of Central Florida and completed The Crummer Certification in Business Management Program at Rollins College.
SHARON REID-KANE
Sharon Reid-Kane, Ed.D. is VP & Chief Education and Community Engagement Officer at Ruth Eckerd Hall, overseeing arts education programs reaching 60,000+ students of all ages and abilities across Tampa Bay. Throughout her career, she has received several prestigious accolades including the Florida Alliance for Arts Education’s “Arts Education Professional of the Year” and the Juvenile Welfare Board’s Cooperman-Bogue Award for service to children and families. Most recently, she was recognized as a nominee for the Tony Awards® Excellence in Theatre Education Award. Sharon has served as a funding panel judge for the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, President of Arts for a Complete Education (ACE), Board of Directors Member for the Clearwater Arts Alliance (CAA), Board Officer for IPAY (International Performing Arts for Youth), a panelist for South Arts, and is a featured writer for local and national publications. With a doctoral degree in education, she is devoted to fostering the next generation of non-profit and arts leaders and shares her passions regularly as a guest speaker and instructor at colleges and universities about the immeasurable value of mission-driven work. Her personal background includes years of experience in all artistic genres, leading to a lifelong passion for the arts and arts education.
RACHEL ROBERTS
Rachel Roberts has navigated both the non-profit performing arts and higher education sectors, having held unique positions in both. In 2018, Rachel was named Associate Professor of Music Leadership and Graduate Degree Program Director, within Eastman School of Music’s Institute for Music Leadership. In this newly created faculty role, she leads the new MA in Music Leadership, which aims to support the development of a unique combination of artistic and executive skills in the preparation of music leaders. As of June 1, 2021, her role expanded to include serving as the third Director of the Institute for Music Leadership. Prior to this faculty role, Rachel was appointed as the first Director of the Entrepreneurial Musicianship Department at New England Conservatory (NEC). She was charged with designing and leading a major new initiative to equip young musicians with key extra-musical skills to support their artistic careers. Over nine years in this role, Rachel launched a wide range of experiential programs and curricula. In the non-profit performing arts sector, Rachel served as the first Director of Strategic Planning Engagement for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (ASO), working on organization-wide strategic and governance objectives. She led the ASO’s grand opening festivities at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, and instituted the orchestra’s “new traditions” during the inaugural 2008 summer series. Rachel arrived at the ASO after completing the League of American Orchestras’ Orchestra Management Fellowship program, having worked with orchestras in Aspen, Detroit, South Dakota, and Atlanta. Rachel holds a Masters Degree in Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. A student of the Special Studies Program, she designed coursework to focus on leadership and organizational development, specifically to investigate the best practices for designing learning communities. Following graduation, Rachel traveled to 10 countries in Southeast Asia during summer 2015 as a participant of Harvard’s Center for Asia Leadership Initiatives socio-economic and political research trek. She was also selected to be the Fellow of Leadership Communications, and taught five-day leadership development workshops throughout the trip. An Iowa native, Rachel received a Bachelor of Music in flute performance at the Eastman School of Music, and also earned a certificate through the Catherine Filene Shouse Arts Leadership Program. Her career in orchestra management began as Artistic and Production Assistant with the Houston Symphony. Since leaving Eastman, Rachel has continued to pursue her passion for sharing music by performing with colleagues across the country, as a member of the Essimar Trio, and by serving as a Flute Faculty Member at NEC’s Preparatory School. Rachel was also an active participant in Boston Mayor Marty Walsh’s initiative to eliminate the gender wage gap. While there, she volunteered to lead 32 AAUW salary negotiation workshops, educating over 850 women throughout Boston. As member of AAUW, Rachel has spurred a university-wide partnership to bring the AAUW salary negotiation workshops to the University of Rochester community. Rachel is currently pursuing her Education Doctorate from the Warner School of Education at the University of Rochester, with a focus in higher education leadership.
CLEOPATRA CHARLES
Dr. Cleopatra Charles is an associate professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) at Rutgers University–Newark. She is a public budgeting scholar whose research focuses on financial management and fiscal policy issues that affect public organizations such as fiscal slack which incorporates debt management, revenue diversification, and revenue structure. More recently, her research has focused on nonprofit organizations and the relationship between governance decisions and financial preparedness in dealing with adverse circumstances. Her work has appeared in several top peer-reviewed journals, including Public Budgeting and Finance, Municipal Finance Journal, Public Finance and Management and Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management.
CONSTANCE DEVEREAUX
Constance DeVereaux has been recognized by her peers as a pioneer in cultural management and policy. She brings a philosophical perspective to the research and practice of the field with 25 + years of experience as researcher, organizational leader, scholar, and teacher. She served as a Fulbright Senior Specialist in arts policy and arts management at universities in Finland, South Africa, and Romania and has lectured on arts and cultural management at universities worldwide. DeVereaux is the lead organizer of the Arts Management Studies Research Stream of the European Sociological Association. She is the managing editor of Journal of Cultural Management and Cultural Policy and serves on the editorial boards of DIY: Alternative Cultures and Society and Culture et Gouvernance Locale. As an independent consultant, DeVereaux works with municipal governments, nonprofit boards, arts managers, and artists providing training, expert advice, workshops and lectures, and commissioned research reports.
KAREN CHANDLER
Dr. Karen Chandler, Associate Professor Emerita in the Arts Management Program, retired from the College of Charleston in 2022. Since 1999, she taught in its undergraduate and graduate programs with degree options in the Master of Public Administration and Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing programs. During specific years of her tenure, she served as director of both programs. The Karen Chandler Arts and Cultural Management Endowed Scholarship provides financial support for students studying in the graduate certificate program. A classically trained pianist, Chandler is also Co-Founder/Principal of the Charleston Jazz Initiative (CJI) that documents South Carolina musicians who contributed to jazz history in America and Europe. With a National Endowment for the Arts grant, she served as Executive Producer of LEGENDS, a CD of songs by musicians the initiative is studying. She is a recipient of the South Carolina Governor’s Award in the Humanities for her leadership and research with the Charleston Jazz Initiative. Chandler has also been the recipient of program and research grants in the humanities and performing arts and has served as a grant reviewer with the National Endowment for the Arts and South Arts. She formerly served as director of the College of Charleston’s Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture, director of the University of Virginia’s African American Cultural Center, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE), among other board affiliations. Among her most recent publications are “Uniquely Gullah: Africanisms in Jazz” in Arts Management, Cultural Policy, and the African Diaspora, A. Cuyler, ed.; “Bin Yah (Been Here): Africanisms and Jazz Influences in Gullah Culture” in Jazz @ 100: An Alternative to a Story of Heroes, W. Knauer, ed. (Frankfurt: WolkeVerlag); and “Prelude to Gershwin: Edmund Thornton Jenkins” in Porgy and Bess: A Charleston Story, H. Greene, ed. Other publications include Curtain Up on the Friends: A History of the Friends of the Kennedy Center Volunteer Program (John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts) and articles in The Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society. Now residing in her hometown of Nashville, TN, Chandler continues her work with the Charleston Jazz Initiative and serves as a consultant for the curatorial project, Centering Art | Voices with the Gibbes Museum of Art.