Staff

Executive Office

Clive Chang
President
Staff since 2023

Donna Lane Downey
Executive Assistant
Staff since 2012

Advancement

Dee Dee Sides
Vice President of Advancement
Staff since 2020

Krizia Alba
Associate, Raiser’s Edge Administration
Staff since 2022

Angela Goding
Senior Director of Advancement
Staff since 2020

Sarah Watson Gray
Director of Institutional Giving
Staff since 2020

Alyssa Krop-Brandfon
Director of Advancement Operations
Staff since 2013

Lauren Nesslein
Advancement Operations Manager
Staff since 2017

Artistic Programs

Lisa Leone
Creative Producer
Staff since 2012

Joey Butler
Programs Manager
Staff since 2015

Zayra Campos
Programs Coordinator
Staff since 2021

Kelley Kessell (2012 Theater, Voice & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts)
Artist Community and Data Manager
Staff since 2015

Neili Jones
Artistic Programs Coordinator
Staff since 2022

Luisa Múnera
Associate Curator
Staff since 2014

Ty Taylor
Manager of Operations and Archival Media
Staff since 1994

Claire Traeger
Associate Director of Artistic Programs
Staff since 2014

Neidra Ward
Associate Director of Winner Programs
Staff since 2012

Equity, People and Culture

Josybel Martinez
Vice President, Equity, People and Culture
Staff since 2021

Katrina Pilkington
Senior Director of Equity and Belonging
Staff since 2022

Britney Tokumoto
Associate, People Operations
Staff since 2021

Daphne Vega
Payroll and Benefits Manager
Staff since 2022

Finance and Operations

Tanya Reid
Vice President of Finance
Staff since 2021

Gary Blake
Event Engineer
Staff since 2014

Jared De Freitas
IT Director
Staff since 2022

Candia Joseph
Accountant
Staff since 2017

Jennifer McShane
Interim Facilities Director
Staff since 2017

Natalie Padró-Smith
Events and Operations Associate
Staff since 2016

Michael Rahaman
IT Manager
Staff since 2015

Antonio Rivera
Engineer
Staff since 2012

Claudio Sampaio
IT Manager
Staff since 2008

Chris Williams
Director of Finance
Staff since 2016

Strategic Communications

Dave Adams
Senior Director, Strategic Communications
Staff since 2021

Ruby Brown
Digital Content and Social Media Producer
Staff since 2022

Lee Cohen Hare
Creative Director
Staff since 2012

Nick DaCosta
Strategic Communications Coordinator
Staff since 2021

Leslie Reed
Associate, Strategic Communications
Staff since 2019

Strategy and Impact

Rebekah Lanae Lengel (2000 Writing)
Vice President, Strategy and Impact
Staff since 2016

Heike Dempster
Director, Engagement and Outreach
Staff since 2016

Board

Sarah Arison | Board Chair
Arison Arts Foundation

Richard Kohan | President of The Board
AFO, LLC

Natalie Diggins | Secretary
Technology Entrepreneur & Investor

Richard S. Wagman* | Treasurer
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Derrick Adams
Artist

Doug Blush
1984 Film, MadPix Films

Hampton Carney
Paul Wilmot Communications

Linda Coll
Carnival Foundation, Carnival Cruise Lines

Kristy Edmunds
MASS MoCA, Center for the Art of Performance At UCLA

Jonathan Flack
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Danielle Garno, Esq.
Holland & Knight

Rosie Gordon-Wallace
Curator & Founder, Diaspora Vibe Cultural Arts Incubator

Michi Matter Jigarjian
7G Group & Baxter St at CCNY

Jason Kraus
Artist & Philanthropist

Steven Marks, Esq.
Podhurst Orseck

Lauren Matthiesen
JP Morgan Chase

Michael McElroy
1985 Theater, Director & Educator

Dr. Joan Morgan
Writer and Program Director, The Center for Black Visual Culture at the Institute of African American Affairs, NYU

John J. O’Neil, Esq.
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, Retired

Glenda Pedroso
Northern Trust

Victoria Rogers
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation

Jean Shin
1990 Visual Arts & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, Artist & Professor at Pratt Institute

Zuzanna Szadkowski
1997 Theater & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, Actor

Sandra Tamer
Philanthropist

Maurice M. Zarmati
Costa Cruises North America, Retired

*Denotes Trustee Emeritus

Trustees Emeritus

Armando M. Codina
Codina Partners, LLC

Meryl Comer
Global Alliance on Women’s Brain Health & UsAgainstAlzheimer’s

Justin DiCioccio
Jazz Performer, Educator, Conductor & Producer

Agnes Gund
Founder & Chair, Studio In A School

John J. Kauffman
BDT & Company, LLC

Dr. Ronald C. McCurdy
Thornton School Of Music, University Of Southern California

Dr. Eduardo J. Padrón
Miami Dade College, Retired

Desmond Richardson
1986 Dance & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, Complexions Contemporary Ballet

Marcus Sheridan
JP Morgan

Artist Advisory Council

On a rotating basis, YoungArts will engage up to nine award winners representing a diverse group of ages, ethnicities and artistic disciplines to join the Artist Advisory Council.

The council provides critical feedback about artists’ needs, evaluates impact of artist programming initiatives, participates on selection panels for open call opportunities and identifies new avenues for fundraising potential.  

To inquire about serving on the Artist Advisory Council, contact us at community@youngarts.org

Jake Goldbas
2007 Jazz

Lori Hepner
1999 Photography

Matthew Kacergis
2006 Theater

Ava Tiye Kinsey
2004 Writing & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts

Timothy Lee
2008 Visual Arts

Lance Oppenheim
2014 Film & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts

Gabrielle Stravelli
1997 Voice

Michael Trusnovec
1992 Dance & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts

Nadia Wolff
2016 Design Arts, Visual Arts & U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts

Interested in working with us?