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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.

Ten members of the Arts Midwest Board, plus President & CEO Torrie Allen, posing for a photo.
  • Headshot of a smiling person of dark skin tone and very short black hair and beard/mustache, wearing a striped suit jacket with a red tie and flower. In the background many gold and red glass light fixtures hang from the ceiling.

    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…

    District of Columbia

  • Headshot of a smiling person of medium dark skin tone, with black hair in a bun on top of their head, and wearing a bright yellow shirt.

    Dionne Custer Edwards

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

    DEIA Committee Co-Chair

    DEIA Committee Co-Chair 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…

    Ohio

  • Headshot of a smiling person of light skin tone and long black hair, wearing hoop earrings, a necklace, and a maroon shirt under a black jacket.

    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;…

    Minnesota

  • A smiling person of medium light skin tone, with pink, purple and black curled hair, wearing red lipstick and red rimmed cat eye glasses, and a red sweater with the outline of Iowa and various images drawn within it and the phrase: "#yeskindness"

    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…

    Iowa

  • Headshot of a smiling person of light skin with long dark brown hair, wearing a red shirt under a black blazer.

    Mia Khimm

    Culture Program Director, Joyce Foundation

    DEIA Committee Co-Chair

    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…

    Illinois

  • A smiling person of medium light skin tone with long light brown hair, wearing blue hoop earrings, and a black top with a red rose pattern

    Megan Langley

    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…

    North Dakota

  • Headshot of a smiling person of light skin tone with red hair pulled back, wearing a gray collared shirt and a beaded necklace.

    Ailithir McGill

    Executive Director, Noblesville Creates

    Governance Committee Chair

    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,…

    Indiana

  • A smiling person of light skin tone with short hair wearing a blue shirt under a gray blazer.

    Miah Michaelsen

    Executive Director, Indiana Arts Commission

    Miah Michaelsen is the Executive Director of the Indiana Arts Commission. As Executive Director, Michaelsen has led a comprehensive programmatic review at the agency focusing on ensuring the broadest possible access…

    Indiana

  • Headshot of a person of medium dark skin tone with short curly black hair, wearing a black and white striped shirt, and sitting in front of a vibrant flower mural.

    Andre Perry

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

    Vice Chair

    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…

    Iowa

  • A smiling person of medium-light skin tone with short dark brown hair, wearing a black v-neck top.

    Amy Spadafore

    Managing Director, Pit & Balcony Community Theatre

    Amy Spadafore is the Managing Director of Pit & Balcony Community Theatre in Saginaw, Michigan. She is thoroughly engaged with the arts sector both locally and statewide where she sits…

    Michigan

  • A smiling person of medium-light skin tone with long brown hair, wearing a blue sweater and blue-green chunky necklace.

    Emily Tau

    Public Affairs Director, David Crowley

    Emily Tau is a passionate advocate and arts enthusiast dedicated to championing equity and community engagement. With a degree in Public Relations and Theatre Arts from Marquette University, Emily has…

    Wisconsin

  • Headshot of a smiling person of light skin tone, short brown hair and dark framed glasses, wearing a striped tie, a dark blue button down shirt and a black suit jacket.

    Brian Tiemann

    Partner, McDermott Will & Emery LLP

    Chair

    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…

    Illinois

  • Headshot of a smiling person of medium light skin tone, short dark hair and glasses, wearing a light blue button down shirt under a black jacket.

    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…

    Wisconsin

  • A person of medium-dark skin tone with long dreadlocs and glasses, wearing a navy blue beanie and sweater and orange scarf.

    Zechariah Van Harris, III

    President & Curator, South Dakota African American History Museum (SDAAHM) 

    Zechariah “Zach” Van Harris III is a researcher, content creator, and social scientist with backgrounds in Archaeology, Anthropology, Sociology, and filmmaking. He has been active with SDAAHM since 2017, starting…

    South Dakota

  • Headshot of a person of light skin tone in a blue button-down shirt in front of a light brown wall.

    Joe Williams

    Freelance Artist

    Joe Williams (Waȟpéthuŋwaŋ Dakota from the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate/Lake Traverse Reservation in South Dakota) works as a freelance artist. He previously served as the Director of the Native American Programs…

    South Dakota

  • Headshot of a person with medium light skin tone, dark hair, and a black turtleneck sweater.

    Christina Woods

    Executive Director, Duluth Art Institute

    Executive Director with 35 years of leadership experience, Christina brings an extensive range of non-profit experience as a board member, executive director, and business leader.  Utilizing an Anishinaabe and community leadership…

    Minnesota

  • A person of medium-light skin with glasses and long dark brown hair wearing a brown hoodie.

    L Sam Zhang

    Executive Director, Kalamazoo Chinese Academy

    L Sam Zhang is the author and illustrator of the picture book series The First Chinese Festivals. She is a 2023-24 National Leaders of Color Fellow, and a finalist for…

    Michigan

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)
  • Jasmin DeForrest, Director Emeritus (Pittsburgh, PA)
  • Ken Fischer, Director Emeritus (Ann Arbor, MI)
  • David Fraher, President Emeritus (Minneapolis, MN)
  • Matthew Harris, Director Emeritus (Des Moines, IA)
  • Dr. Craig Howe, Director Emeritus (Pine Ridge Reservation)
  • 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)
  • Jane Rasmussen, Director Emeritus (Sisseton, SD)
  • Omari Rush, Director Emeritus (Ann Arbor, MI)
  • Michael Louis Vinson, Director Emeritus (Green Bay, WI)
  • Gregory Volan, Director Emeritus (Chicago, IL)
  • 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)