The Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE) hosts an annual, year-long Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Research Fellow to investigate the intersection of EDI and arts management programs. The Fellow works under the supervision of a Mentor, the AAAE DEI Liaison. The Fellow is responsible for collecting data and helping create teaching resources for AAAE members on EDI issues and is open to all students currently enrolled in an arts administration graduate program (Master's or PhD) or related fields or a recent (within 1 year) graduate of said program at the time of applying.

2018 - 19 EDI Fellow 

Morgan Williams holds a B.A. In Art History and Classical Studies from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.S. in Arts Administration from Drexel University, where she wrote her master's thesis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Foundation Funding for Arts and Culture. Her research interests include the professionalization of arts administration, EDI in arts and culture, and fundraising and development trends. She currently works at Drexel University in the department of Enrollment Management and Student Success. Morgan is also the Executive Directory of The A Cappella Project Philadelphia, a volunteer-based non-profit which brings together adult singers, offers educational programs, and raises money for childrens’ performing arts scholarships in Philadelphia.

AAAE EDI Fellowship Research: As the inaugural EDI fellow, Morgan worked alongside Brea Heidelberg, PhD, Program Director & Associate Professor, Drexel University's Westphal College of Media Arts & Design. She was tasked with creating a bibliography of Arts and Culture related EDI resources, compiling a list of EDI statements from Arts and Culture organizations in the US, and conducting original research on the intersection of EDI and arts management programs. For her research, Morgan administered a survey to members of the Association of Arts Administration Educators. The survey examined whether and how arts administration programs are incorporating EDI values and learning objectives into their curricula. The objective of the study was to provide an overview of current practices and make recommendations for future improvement.

View Morgan's Final Presentation Here.

View the Bibliography Here.

2019 - 20 EDI Fellow 

Anne-Margaret Childress is a graduate student at Le Moyne College where she studies Arts Administration. She teaches African American Theater in the African American Studies Department at Syracuse University where she completed her first master’s degree in Pan African Studies. Anne-Margaret has been nominated for a Syracuse Area Live Theater Award for Best Director (Community Theater) for Syracuse Shakespeare In-The-Park’s 2019 production of The Tempest. She serves on the Production Board for Syracuse Shakespeare In-The-Park. Anne-Margaret’s research interests are creating opportunity for diversified populations and promoting arts education as an occupation.

AAAE EDI Fellowship Research: Anne-Margaret Childress worked alongside 2019-20 AAAE EDI Liaison Dr. Yuha Jung, Associate Professor of Arts Administration & Director of Graduate Studies of the Department of Arts Administration at the University of Kentucky, and her Fellowship Research Project focused on the following theme: Mentoring and Shadowing Models: How Support Programs Increase Opportunity and Aid in Creating Stable Education Careers. The goal of her research was to create a plan for a mentoring program for the Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE) that reaches out to graduate students in the association and provides support and expertise in the field.

View Anne-Margaret's Final Presentation Here.

The Association of Arts Administration Educators (AAAE) is currently seeking its third Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Research Fellow to investigate the intersection of EDI and arts management programs. Read the Call for Fellows HERE.