Meet our Board

From Ohio to North Dakota, our Board of Directors is made up of Midwesterners who are passionate about the arts. These leaders from the field have joined forces to help Arts Midwest make a bigger impact.

Rishard Allen

Grants & Community Manager, Pop Culture Collaborative

Rishard Allen is an emerging philanthropic professional and creative consultant with a proven track record in grants management and administration, program and project management, and racial equity initiatives. As the…
Dionne Custer Edwards, DEIA Committee Co-Chair

Director of Learning and Public Practice, Wexner Center for the Arts

In 2005, Dionne Custer Edwards, Director of Learning & Public Practice, joined the Wexner Center for the Arts. Her work at the Wex has included pioneering and managing several groundbreaking…
Jasmin DeForrest

Director, Arts and Culture, Gilbert Family Foundation

Jasmin DeForrest is a native Detroiter, inspired by creativity, vision, and strategy. Jasmin leads and maintains a diverse portfolio of Detroit-based strategic community investments to support inclusive arts and culture…
Cari Hatcher

Director of Business Development & Customer Support, Northrop, University of Minnesota

Cari Hatcher is the Director of Business Development & Customer Support at Northrop at the University of Minnesota, where she is responsible for all marketing, communications, and ticketing at Northrop;…
Christine Her

Executive Director, ArtForce Iowa

Christine Her is the daughter of former Hmong refugee parents from Laos. She pursued her B.A. at Drake University. She’s a Mid-Iowa Health fellow focusing her project on developing diverse…
Dr. Craig Howe

Director, Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies

Dr. Craig Howe, founder and director of the Center for American Indian Research and Native Studies, earned a Ph.D. in architecture and anthropology from the University of Michigan. Howe has…
Mia Khimm, DEIA Committee Co-Chair

Culture Program Director, Joyce Foundation

Mia Khimm has worked for 13 years across the nonprofit, philanthropic, academic, and commercial arts sectors in Chicago, developing collaborative cultural programs and partnerships. As Joyce’s Culture Program director, Khimm…
Megan Laudenschlager

Founder & Executive Director, Strengthen ND

Megan Laudenschlager is the Founder & Executive Director of Strengthen ND. Laudenschlager’s areas of expertise include board and staff development, fundraising planning, grant writing, strategic planning, organizational action planning, program…
Ailithir McGill, Governance Committee Chair

Executive Director, Nickel Plate Arts

Ailithir McGill is an artist, museum education expert, and community development professional with more than 15 years of experience engaging audiences in history, science, and art programming. Since October 2012,…
Andre Perry, Vice Chair

Executive Director, Hancher and the Office of Performing Arts & Engagement

Andre Perry is a writer and arts worker based in Iowa City. His debut nonfiction book, Some of Us Are Very Hungry Now, was hailed by NPR as “extraordinary” and…
Jane Rasmussen

Director, Sisseton Arts Council

Jane is a leader and advocate for the arts in South Dakota and in her home community of Sisseton, located in the Lake Traverse Reservation. Founder and director of the…
Brian Tiemann, Chair

Partner, McDermott Will & Emery LLP

Brian Tiemann is a partner in the employee benefits and executive compensation practice group of McDermott Will & Emery LLP in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to law school, Brian was the…
George Tzougros

Executive Director, Wisconsin Arts Board

George Tzougros is the Executive Director of the Wisconsin Arts Board, the state agency that nurtures creativity, cultivates expression, promotes the arts, supports the arts in education, stimulates community and…
Gregory Volan, Secretary/Treasurer

Director of Finance & Operations, North Chicago School District 187

Gregory Volan is the Director of Finance and Operations for North Chicago School District 187. In this role, he serves as the chief financial officer and treasurer of a school…

Emeritus Board

Arts Midwest’s Emeritus Board of Directors is composed of former board members who served with distinction and excellence throughout their tenure. We are honored to recognize these leaders and are grateful for their continued support and guidance of our work.

John Bracey

Director Emeritus, Mt. Morris, MI
Flávia Bastos

Director Emeritus, Cincinnati, OH
Brian J. Bonde

Director Emeritus, Sioux Falls, SD
Peter Capell

Chair Emeritus, Minneapolis, MN
Sandra Clark

Director Emeritus, Bloomington, IN
Ken Fischer

Director Emeritus, Ann Arbor, MI
David Fraher

President Emeritus, Minneapolis, MN
Matthew Harris

Director Emeritus, Des Moines, IA
Kendra Whitlock Ingram

Director Emeritus, Pittsburgh, PA
Sylvia Kaufman

Director Emeritus, Chicago, IL
Kymm Martinez

Director Emeritus, Minneapolis, MN
Rhoda Pierce

Director Emeritus, Highland Park, IL
Mary Pickard

Director Emeritus, St. Paul, MN
Omari Rush

Director Emeritus, Ann Arbor, MI
Michael Louis Vinson

Director Emeritus, Green Bay, WI
Matthew Wallace

Director Emeritus, Grand Forks, ND
Jan Webb

Director Emeritus, Bismarck, ND

Honor Roll

Arts Midwest recognizes and honors those former Board members who have passed away. We are grateful to these individuals for their many years of dedication to and support of Arts Midwest.

Loann Crane

Columbus, OH
Peter A. Rand

Minneapolis, MN
Barbara Robinson

Cleveland, OH

Rishard Allen

Dionne Custer Edwards, DEIA Committee Co-Chair

Jasmin DeForrest

Cari Hatcher

Christine Her

Dr. Craig Howe

Mia Khimm, DEIA Committee Co-Chair

Megan Laudenschlager

Ailithir McGill, Governance Committee Chair

Andre Perry, Vice Chair

Jane Rasmussen

Brian Tiemann, Chair

George Tzougros

Gregory Volan, Secretary/Treasurer

Emeritus Board

John Bracey

Flávia Bastos

Brian J. Bonde

Peter Capell

Sandra Clark

Ken Fischer

David Fraher

Matthew Harris

Kendra Whitlock Ingram

Sylvia Kaufman

Kymm Martinez

Rhoda Pierce

Mary Pickard

Omari Rush

Michael Louis Vinson

Matthew Wallace

Jan Webb

Honor Roll

Loann Crane

Peter A. Rand

Barbara Robinson

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