APAP Members: It's Time to Vote!

Christopher Harrington
President & CEO, The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
Saint Paul, MN
2nd Term Renewal

Christopher L. Harrington, Ordway President and CEO, has a passion for connecting people from all walks of life through arts and culture and has a successful track record in audience development, revenue generation strategy, innovative programming, and leadership.

Harrington joined the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul, Minnesota as its 12th President and CEO and provides strategic and community leadership that leverages the expertise of the board and staff in advancing and championing the Ordway's mission, vision, and values for the benefit of the community. He oversees the organization’s wide variety of performing arts, community engagement, and education programming which take place in state of the industry campus featuring a 1,900-seat Music Theater and the 1,093-seat Concert Hall.

Before joining the Ordway, Harrington served as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Senior Director of Jazz and @ The Max, where he was responsible for marketing, programming local, national, and international talent, and ensuring a sustainable business model. Harrington also worked in various capacities for the Detroit Jazz Festival and WDET-FM, Detroit’s NPR station.

He holds a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Music from Wayne State University. He completed National Arts Strategies' eight-month Executive Program in Arts & Culture Strategy, a partnership with the University of Pennsylvania, and a ten-month intensive leadership program with the League of American Orchestras.

Harrington served as a proud mentor in Wayne State University's Mike Ilitch School of Business Corporate Mentor Program, and has served on grant review committees, on the executive team for Detroit Young Professionals, and as a panelist at national conferences.

A trusted advocate for the arts and local community, Harrington currently serves on the boards of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP), Live Arts Centers of North American (LACNA) Foundation, the Saint Paul Downtown Alliance, and the Arts Partnership, a unique collaboration comprising Minnesota Opera, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Schubert Club, and the Ordway. Harrington is the recipient of the inaugural Marlowe Stoudamire Award for Innovation and Community Collaboration, presented by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the Wayne State University’s Arts Achievement Award.

Stephanie McKee-Anderson
Executive Artistic Director, Junebug Productions
New Orleans, LA
2nd Term Renewal

Stephanie V. McKee-Anderson is an artist, organizer and cultural strategist born in Picayune, Mississippi and raised in New Orleans. She is the Executive Artistic Director of Junebug Productions, Inc. an organization birthed out of the Free Southern Theater (FST), which was formed in 1963 as one of many cultural arms of the Civil Rights Movement. FST would eventually be a tremendous influence on the BlackArts Movement. McKee has a long history of creating powerful performances that she strategically leverages for social change. McKee is a 2018 Urban Bush Women Choreographic Fellowship recipient and under McKee’s leadership, Junebug Productions was a recipient of a Surdna Foundation's Artist engaged in social change award for Homecoming Project, and the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) Theater Project grant for Gomela to Return/Movement of Our Mother Tongue which was her directorial debut. McKee serves on the board and executive committee of National Performance Network, is a member of Alternate ROOTS, a 2007 New Voices emerging Leader alumnus, a 2015 Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) Leadership Fellow and a Group Leader for the 2017 APAP Leadership Fellow cohort.

Jill Robinson
CEO & Founder, TRG Arts
Colorado Springs, CO
2nd Term Renewal

Jill S. Robinson is a driving force in the arts and culture sector who has inspired leaders and organizations for more than three decades. From early career achievements with regional symphony orchestras to her leadership building TRG Arts (The Results Group for the Arts) into a renowned international, data-driven change agency, Jill’s expertise and counsel are sought out by arts and cultural executives worldwide. Jill believes in the transformative power of arts and culture experiences, and that positive, profound change in the business model of arts organizations leads to artistic innovation that can inspire entire communities.

With Jill’s leadership, TRG Arts has doubled in size, opened a location in the United Kingdom, and served more than 1,200 clients in the U.S., Canada, Australia, the U.K. and Europe. Under her guidance TRG Arts has developed the largest (and growing) global arts and cultural consumer dataset in the industry, the COVID-19 International Sector Benchmark. In 2020, TRG was named one of Colorado’s Top 100 Women-Owned Companies by ColoradoBiz magazine, and was presented with the 2017 Create Award by Colorado Business Committee for the Arts.

Jill’s strategic vision for TRG Arts has benefited prominent arts organizations from the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and The Australian Ballet to the Museum of Popular Culture (MoPOP) in Seattle, Canada’s National Arts Centre, and theatres and venues throughout the U.K., including Theatre Clywd, Sheffield Theatres and Nottingham Playhouse.

A sought-after speaker, Jill has delivered her insights at countless industry conferences, including keynotes at the UK Theatre Touring Symposium in London, the Broadway League Spring Road Conference in New York City, the Dance/USA International Dance Managers Conference in Copenhagen, and the annual Conference on Marketing in the Arts in Madrid and Barcelona. She is a trusted source for a wide range of media covering arts and culture issues, including The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor and Inside Philanthropy, among others.

Jill is an adjunct professor of the Master of Arts Administration/Master of Business Administration program at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX and an inaugural faculty member for the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity’s Cultural Leadership Program. She serves on the Advisory Board for SMU DataArts and has served on the board of the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Alicia B. Adams
Vice President, Dance and International Programming, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, DC
3rd Term Renewal 

Alicia B. Adams is the Vice President of International Programming and Dance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She joined the Kennedy Center in 1992.

Adams curated the Center’s major international festivals: IRELAND 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts and Culture (2016), IBERIAN SUITE: Global Arts Remix (2015), Nordic Cool (20130, maximumINDIA (2011), ARABESQUE: Arts of the Arab World (2009), JAPAN! Culture + Hyperculture (2008), the Festival of China (2005), African Odyssey (1997-2000), AmericArtes (2000-2003) among others. Additionally, she curates the World Stages Series and Contemporary Dance series.

Adams has worked in the field of arts management for arts institutions including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Belafonte Enterprises, Inc., New York City Center Theatre, Harlem School of the Arts and International Production Associates (NYC).

She serves as a Trustee of the Williamstown Theater Festival, International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA), Founding Council of the Caine Prize for African Writing (UK), Africa 95 (UK), and is on the Advisory Council for Lab Think Tank, Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown University. She is a member of the Conference Committee for Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP); Advisory Council, American Dance Abroad and Advisory Committee for Harlem School of the Arts. Adams has also served as a Trustee of the All Roads Film Festival, National Geographic and; as a panelist for National Dance Panel, and Center Stage, New England Foundation on the Arts (NEFA). In 2017 she co-hosted the ISPA Congress (NYC) and curated the American Dance Platform, the Joyce Theater (NYC).

Adams has an MA from Columbia University, a BS from New York University and a Certificate in Arts Administration from Harvard University’s School of Business Administration. Adams was the APAP recipient of the Fan Taylor Award in 2012. In 2014, she was decorated by Sweden with the Royal Order of The Polar Star and by Finland with Knight, First Class, of the Order of the Lion.

Beth Macmillan
Executive Director, Artown
Reno, NV
3rd Term Renewal

Beth Macmillan joined Artown as Festival Manager in February 2001 and was promoted to Executive Director in November of 2003. Macmillan, formerly a professional dancer and actress expanded into arts administration through various roles such as Production Company Manager, Public Relations Manager, Assistant Stage Manager, Founder and Owner/Director of a small, highly successful arts education business, Executive Director of a major dance organization and business owner and distributor.

Macmillan thrives in a fast paced work environment while managing a wide range of responsibilities. As Executive Director she has produced Artown events, created “out of the box” approaches and strategic partnerships to presentations, co-presentations and future Artown commissions. Currently, Beth has expanded her commitment to the Arts with a recent two-year appointment as President of Western Arts Alliance (WAA), a membership association of performing arts professionals throughout the western states and provinces.

Macmillan was awarded Woman of Distinction and Woman of Achievement in 2009. She has made several presentations about Artown regionally and nationally including Arts Presenters, California Travel & Tourism Commission, Nevada Travel and Tourism, World Choir Games, and several regional service organizations. In 2016 Beth was presented an award from The Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN) for exceptional leadership.

Delbert Anderson
Artist, Educator, & Festival Director, Delbert Anderson Trio & DDAT Management
Farmington, New Mexico
1st Term

Delbert Anderson is a trumpet artist, composer and educator. Anderson’s art projects preserve his Diné culture through music, landscapes, storytelling and history. Anderson is a cultural ambassador supporting art organizations using Diné knowledge and wisdom. Anderson is a graduate of the 2021 Emerging Leaders of Color program from WESTAF and currently is an honorary board member for Northwest New Mexico Arts Council, president of the San Juan Jazz Society and serves as a New Mexico Arts Commissioner. In 2023, Anderson also provided cultural case studies for the Lewis Prize for Music and USArtists International Program with the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. Anderson also serves on the Advancing Indigenous Performance (AIP) Committee at Western Arts Alliance and is a graduate of AIP’s 2019 Native Launchpad Program. Anderson has been an APAP member since 2019 and has participated in APAP sessions, affinity groups, pitch sessions and currently serves on the APAP Conference Committee. Anderson is also a recipient of APAP’s ArtsForward grant and has been featured in the New York Times, JazzTimes, NPR, Grammy.com, TEDx and PBS.

Shane Fernando
CEO, Thalian Hall Center for Performing Arts
Wilmington, North Carolina
1st Term

Shane Fernando has been serving in the arts and public administration fields for over twenty years. He is Chief Executive Officer of Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts in Wilmington, North Carolina, one of the oldest operating venues in the United States at 165 years old.

In 2019, Shane was recognized as Presenter of the Year by the North American Performing Arts Managers & Agents. He also served on the APAP Equitable Partnership Working Group, as well as being a co-author for the working group’s document. A major focus of his work has been to engage students through education, employment, service, and advocacy, including the recent establishment of a statewide Stage and Film Apprenticeship to support the training and hiring of BIPOC technicians in the field.

Prior, he served as executive & artistic director of the Wilson Center and director of Campus Life Arts and Programs at UNC Wilmington; He also worked in the United States Senate.

Shane serves as a trustee and secretary for Dance/USA. He served from 2017-2021 as an advisor to the National Dance Project by the New England Foundation for the Arts, and is a cohort member of the South Arts Dance Touring Initiative. His work over the years has supported the development of new work, including techs for national Broadway tours and dance companies, creative residencies, and most recently workshopping a new musical with actor, BD Wong.

Shane also serves on the boards of Arts North Carolina, as well as the Arts Council of Wilmington and New Hanover County. He is past-president of the North Carolina Presenters Consortium and is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). Shane is also a backyard beekeeper.

Ally Haynes-Hamblen
Executive Director, Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts 
Richardson, Texas
1st Term

Ally Haynes-Hamblen is the Executive Director of the Charles W. Eisemann Center for Performing Arts, a city of Richardson, Texas facility. Previously, she served as Director of the City of Las Vegas’ Office of Cultural Affairs, Director of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, and Tour Manager/Associate Producer for Late Nite Catechism and Menopause The Musical’s first national tour.

Originally from Denver, Colorado, Haynes-Hamblen earned her M.B.A. from Regis University and B.A. in theater from the University of Denver. She is a member of the 2nd cohort of the Association of Performing Arts Professionals’ (APAP) Leadership Fellows Program, completed the 2015 International Festival Encounters course with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, the 2013 California Presenters Mentorship Program, and the 2012 Emerging Leadership Institute of APAP.

Ms. Haynes-Hamblen currently serves on the board of California Presenters as the Treasurer/Vice President, the National Performing Arts Presenters Consortium and is a member of the Year-Round Programming Committee for APAP. She previously served on the APAP Conference Committee for four years, two as a Conference Co-Chair.

Rika Iino
Founder & Producer, Sozo Artists 
Oakland, California
1st Term

Rika Iino (she/her), founder of the international arts agency and incubator SOZO, embodies two decades of purpose-driven work at the intersection of social impact, innovation, and the arts. As a creative producer and manager, her dedication to artists as change agents has shaped global projects. Deeply engaged in independent artist advocacy and leadership development, Rika serves as a coach, mentor, and speaker at institutions like Stanford, Yale, and UC Berkeley. Co-creator of the systemic allyship program HEALING FORWARD and co-chair of Building Ethical and Equitable Partnership, APAP's national initiative on equitable contracting, Rika made history in 2021 as the first woman of color to receive the Patrick Hayes Award for transformative leadership from the International Society for the Performing Arts. In 2023, she earned the Mentoring Award from Western Arts Alliance and the CALI Catalyst Award from the Center for Cultural Innovation, acknowledging her extraordinary efforts in realizing greater inclusion and equity in the cultural sector.

Shelley Quiala
Executive Director, International Festival of Arts & Ideas
New Haven, Connecticut
1st Term

Shelley Quiala has been the Executive Director of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas in New Haven, Connecticut since August 2020. Arts & Ideas presents hundreds of artists and speakers annually in venues in and around downtown New Haven. Since 2020, these have included Wynton Marsalis, Baratunde Thurston, Angelique Kidjo, Brooklyn Rider, Toshi Reagan, Jon Secada, and Dolores Huerta. During Shelley's tenure, Arts & Ideas began offering programming in Spanish, built a full-time staff and board to more closely align with the racial diversity of New Haven, and increased contributed revenue by fifty percent. The work has been recognized and awarded by the Greater New Haven Chapter of the NAACP, the Gateway Community College Foundation New Haven’s Freddy Fixer Parade Committee, and the Jamaican American Connection.

Shelley previously served as Vice President in Programming, Education, and Community Engagement at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Under her leadership, concerts, comedy, dance, and educational programming reached more than 150,000 people annually.

Among her community service efforts is serving as a current board member of TYA USA and a former board member of International Performing Arts for Youth (IPAY). In 2021 and 2022, she led humanitarian and cultural delegations from Connecticut to Havana, Cuba for the Havana Jazz Festival. Shelley graduated summa cum laude from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, with a double major in Spanish and Performance as a Medium for Social Change.

Shelley has been an active participant in APAP for the past decade as a member, showcase attendee and professional development facilitator.

Aparna Ramaswamy
Executive Artistic Director, Choreographer, and Principal Dancer, Ragamala Dance Company
California/Minnesota
1st Term

Aparna Ramaswamy helms the artistic and organizational direction of Ragamala Dance Company, the foremost dance institution representing the South Asian American community in the United States. Through her leadership, Ragamala's ethos, cultural values, and artistic lineage have made the organization vital to the American dance landscape, catalyzing transformative change in the field.

Ramaswamy’s performances range from intimate solo presentations with live musical accompaniment to large-scale, multidisciplinary theatrical works that have toured widely throughout the U.S. and abroad. With her creative partner, Ranee Ramaswamy, her work has been commissioned and presented by the Kennedy Center, American Dance Festival, Lincoln Center, Joyce Theater in New York, Harris Theater in Chicago, Hopkins Center at Dartmouth College, Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi, National Centre for Performing Arts in Mumbai, the Music Academy in Chennai, and the Soorya Festival in Kerala, India, among others.

Ramaswamy’s awards and honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship, Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Research Fellowship (Italy), Bogliasco Foundation Fellowship (Italy), Joyce Award, Bush Fellowship for Choreography, and four McKnight Artist Fellowships, among others. Ramaswamy is a former board member of Dance/USA.

Mark Wilson
Executive Director, Zoellner Arts Center
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
1st Term

Mark Wilson is the Executive Director of Zoellner Arts Center at Lehigh University. He has a passion to connect rural, suburban, and urban communities together through the arts. He is an arts administrator who understands the importance of community organizing and co-curating programming with traditionally marginalized communities.

Mark has been part of the APAP conference planning committee for the 2022, 2023, and 2024 conferences. He has co-advised the Black Affinity group from 2022-2024. He is currently a board member at large for CONSERT and the Secretary of Board for PA Presenters. He has enjoyed being an adjudicator for many regional arts grants throughout his career.