Seven New Directors for Ratification at the Annual Members Meeting

The following slate of new directors will be presented to members for ratification at the Annual Members Meeting in January:

Adrian Ellis

Adrian Ellis became Executive Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center on October 1 2007, after being appointed to the post by the Board of Directors in June 2007. Adrian had recently completed a major project with Jazz at Lincoln Center's Board and senior management, creating a new strategic plan for Jazz at Lincoln Center with his company, AEA Consulting. Prior to this he was President of AEA Consulting, a company that specializes in strategic, operational and facilities planning for the cultural sector, which he founded in 1990. Clients include the National Gallery (London), New York City Opera, San Francisco Opera, the Ford Foundation (New York), the Pew Charitable Trusts (Philadelphia), The Cleveland Foundation, and the Royal Shakespeare Company (Stratford, England). Between 1986 and 1990, Adrian was Executive Director of The Conran Foundation, where he was responsible for planning and managing the establishment of the Design Museum, London, which opened on Butlers Wharf in 1989. Between 1981 and 1986, he was a civil servant in the UK Treasury and the Cabinet Office, where he worked on service-wide efficiency reviews and privatization, and for two years ran the office of the Economic Secretary to the Treasury (the Minister responsible for monetary policy and regulation of the banking sector). From 1980 to 1982, he was a College Lecturer in Politics at University College, Oxford. Adrian has been a member of the Governing Council of the National Museums and Galleries of Wales (1996 - 2000) and a member of the Royal Institute of British Architects' Architecture Centre Committee (1997 - 2001), the Kaufman Center, New York, (2002-2007) and Path? Pictures, a film production company in London. He is a member of the Getty Leadership Institute's Advisory Board. He is an advisor to the National Arts Strategies, the Non Profit Finance Fund and the Clore Duffield Foundation. Adrian Ellis has written and lectured extensively on issues affecting the cultural sector and writes a column for The Art Newspaper. He received a B.A. Hons (First Class) and M. A. in Politics Philosophy and Economics from University College, Oxford and has lived in New York since 1998.

Nicole Hearn

Nicole is an Artist Manager at Opus 3 Artists where she has been since 1998. She oversees the project development, market placement and touring for a select list of music and theater artists including ETHEL, eighth blackbird, Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR), Patti LuPone, Max Raabe & Palast Orchester, Mike Daisey, The Acting Company, Eileen Ivers, and the American Bluegrass Masters Tour. Previously she was the booking manager at International Production Associates in New York (1996-1998) where she booked national and international tours for Philip Glass, Spalding Gray, Twyla Tharp, Elizabeth Streb, Richard Foreman, Lisa Kron, Diamanda Galas, among others and was the Producer of Developing works at AMTF (Prince Music Theater) in Philadelphia from 1992-1996. Nicole served on the board of directors of the SITI Company from 1998-2008 and was board chair from 1998-2001. During her time in Philadelphia, Nicole served on the board of the Theater Alliance of Philadelphia from 1995-1996, founded and produced a performance series called Spelvin's from 1993-1996 which focused on local artists from across disciplines and performed as a member of Comedy Sportz from 1992-1996. She lives in Park Slope Brooklyn with her husband John and son Hudson.

Emil Kang

Emil serves as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Executive Director for the Arts, a senior administrative post created to help unify and elevate the performing arts at the University. In his first season, Emil Kang introduced the University's first major performing arts series, inaugurated in conjunction with the grand re-opening of the University's main performing arts venue, Memorial Hall. Kang also coteaches courses in artistic entrepreneurship and performance theory. Prior to coming to Chapel Hill, Emil Kang served as President and Executive Director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO). Kang has also held positions of Vice President of Operations for the DSO, Orchestra Manager for the Seattle Symphony, and Orchestra Management Fellow with the American Symphony Orchestra League (ASOL). As an Orchestra Management Fellow, Kang worked with symphony orchestras in San Francisco, Houston, and Grand Rapids, Michigan. Kang is a frequent speaker and has led numerous local, state and national outreach efforts. He has also chaired panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Pew Charitable Trusts, the Full Frame International Documentary Film Festival, and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, among others. Emil Kang was the youngest and first Asian-American to hold the top administrative post of a major symphony orchestra. Kang was selected by Crain's Detroit Business "40 under 40," is a graduate of Leadership Detroit, and has served on national boards including Henry Ford Hospital and United Neighborhood Centers of America. Kang has also been a member of Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) and completed the Strategic Perspectives in Non-Profit Management program at Harvard Business School. He holds a degree in Economics from the University of Rochester in New York.

Steve Levine

Steve Levine is executive vice president of the West Coast concert department for of International Creative Management, Inc., a talent and literary agency representing clients in the fields of publishing, motion pictures, television, music and theater. ICM, a privately held corporation, is one of the predominant agencies in the United States and Europe, with its principal offices in Los Angeles, New York and London. He oversees all comedy, music and other personal appearances out of the agency’s Los Angeles office. Clients he represents include Jay Leno, Chris Rock, Jon Stewart, Aretha Franklin, David Spade, David Sanborn, Patti LaBelle, D.L. Hughley, Jim Belushi, The Temptations, Paul Rodriguez, Brad Garrett, Kathy Griffin, Howie Mandel, Rita Rudner, Ellen DeGeneres and Katt Williams. Mr. Levine joined ICM in 1987 as a booking agent, and was promoted to head of the West Coast music department in 1999. Prior to ICM, he ran his own agency, Independent Artes and Concerts, which specialized in representing Latin American artists and booking concerts in Latin America. Mr. Levine got his start in the entertainment industry at Spotlight Entertainment, a small independent booking agency. Before that he was, by his own admission, a mediocre musician and a pretty good waiter. A Philadelphia native, Mr. Levine attended Widener College, Temple University and West Chester State College. He lives in Studio City with his wife Linda and their daughter Sophie.

Malik Robinson

Malik Robinson is the Senior Director of Cleo Parker Robinson Dance (CPRD), a notfor-profit cultural arts institution based in Denver, Colorado. As an internationally recognized arts organization, CPRD has served as a leader in preserving the rich heritage of legendary American modern dance choreographers. The organization is also distinguished for its arts in education and arts advocacy work. In his role, Malik directs a small administrative staff that coordinates multiple facets of the organization with an operational budget of $1.1 million. During his tenure with CPRD, Malik was intricately involved in coordinating the 12th Annual International Association of Blacks In Dance Conference hosted by Cleo Parker Robinson Dance in 1999. He was primarily responsible for securing award-winning international tours to Kenya, Israel, Italy and Egypt for the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble (CPRDE). As the booking manager for CPRDE, Malik successfully secured funding from national foundations for new work creation and tour support. He also booked and managed national tours to an average of 15 cities annually. As the primary funds developer for CPRD, Malik worked with community organizations to develop partnerships that helped replace major funding sources. He also served as the representative for CPRD in the joint application with the Denver Housing Authority in the acquisition of $20 million grant award from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The grant supported the redevelopment of a dilapidated housing that formerly surrounded the organization. As a result of his work, CPRD serves as a cultural arts community center for the revitalized neighborhood that borders downtown Denver. Malik’s dedication to education and the arts led to the creation of the after-school program AYE, which he and his wife, Olga Gonzalez, developed to serve high-risk youth in northeast Denver. The program now serves more than 100 youth per year through partnerships with the Aurora and Denver Youth Probation Departments. In his consultant role, Malik has served as grant reviewer for a national foundations that serve arts organizations as well as abused and neglected children. Malik is married to Olga Gonzalez with a daughter Citlalmina. Malik is the son of Tom and Cleo Robinson.

Alison Spiriti

Alison Spiriti, a highly respected theater executive with extensive background in road programming, has been named as the new President of AWA Touring Services, it was announced today by AWA managing partners Alan Waser and Allan Williams. Spiriti replaces Steven Schnepp, who is leaving the company to pursue other interests. AWA Touring Services is an industry leader in the booking, engagement management, marketing and publicity for fields for touring Broadway shows, family attractions and other live entertainment events. Spiriti comes to AWA directly from Live Nation Inc, where as Senior Vice President Programming for the company’s theatrical division, she was responsible for the programming of more than 50 subscription series in markets across the US and Canada. Spiriti has previously held positions at Disney Theatricals, The William Morris Agency and the Brooklyn Academy of Music. She is a member of the League of American Theatres and Producers.

Johann Zietsman

Johann was the Executive Director of ISPA from 2002 until last year, when he assume the position of the Executive Director of the Mesa Arts Center in Mesa, AZ.

A native of South Africa, Johann was trained as an architect and french horn player and received a Masters Degree in Music from Ithaca College, NY in 1981. Johann returned to South Africa and became involved as a leader in the democratic transformation process through the arts, working as an executive in a variety of institutions including a music school, two orchestras, an opera company and a community arts center. After this he became the Director of the KwaZulu Natal Philharmonic Orchestra in Durban, and the CEO of the Playhouse Company.