Placements

Michelle Heritage
Michelle Heritage

Michelle Heritage

Search: Executive Director of American Brain Foundation

With over twenty five years of experience in nonprofit leadership, Michelle Heritage has been committed to serving vulnerable communities throughout her career. A skilled fundraiser with a proven ability to lead organizations through transformative change, Michelle has an unwavering dedication to creating a healthier world through strategic leadership and collaboration. As Executive Director, she will be responsible for managing ABF’s staff, finances, brand, partner relationships and other resources, in order to fund innovative brain research. 

Kathy Liu
Kathy Liu

Kathy Liu

Search: Executive Director of Edmonds Center

With over fifteen years of fundraising experience in the performing arts sector, Liu brings expertise in donor cultivation and development, programming, and community building. As Executive Director, Liu will expand the Edmonds Center for the Arts’ audience and donor base, lead the strategic planning process, and spearhead the transformation of the public facility’s physical footprint.

Rachel Graham
Rachel Graham

Rachel Graham

Search: Executive Director of Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts

Rachel brings nearly thirty years of experience in public relations, advertising, marketing, and community engagement with a focus in events and tourism, economic development, and government relations. Most recently, she served as Director of External Relations at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, where she worked passionately to promote Baltimore as a creative hub and to attract tourists to the city while advocating for grassroots artists and the promotion of the cultural economy.

Nicole Sudduth
Nicole Sudduth

Nicole Sudduth

Search: Mental Health and Violence Prevention Director of Catholic Charities East Bay

Nicole is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with fifteen years of experience in community mental health. Nicole’s knowledge is vast, with many years of direct service and ten years of clinical supervision and senior leadership. Nicole’s most recent position was as Director of Behavioral Health at West Oakland Health Council. In that role, she oversaw the mental health and substance abuse disorder teams for children and adult services.

Jason Steer
Jason Steer

Jason Steer

Search: Executive Director of Creative Alliance

With over two decades of experience, Jason comes to Creative Alliance from the Apollo Theatre, the largest historically Black performing arts center in the nation, where he served in several senior roles spanning programming, educational leadership, and youth engagement. His efforts significantly contributed to cultivating emerging talents in the arts while strengthening community ties. A champion for inclusivity, Jason skillfully employs his creative insights to amplify the voices of those often marginalized, ensuring they are heard, valued, and empowered.

CJ Grace

Search: Chief Executive Officer of the Taos Community Foundation

CJ brings a strong track record of success as an educator, senior leader, grant writer/fundraiser, bilingual classroom teacher/interventionist with a strong background in management and operations of multi-million-dollar budgets. Furthermore, CJ has a deep connection to and knowledge of the Taos community.

Lee Glazer
Lee Glazer

Lee Glazer

Search: Senior Curator of Academy Art Museum

Previously, Glazer served as the Director of the Lunder Institute of American Art at the Colby College Museum of Art, and Curator of American Art at the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution. In her most recent role as Director of the Museum Programs Division at the National Archives, Glazer led the administrative, operational, and programmatic activities including a $60-million redesign of the permanent galleries and learning center. 

David Bander
David Bander

David Bander

Search: Executive Director of Emelin Theatre

With over ten years of experience, David brings skills in revenue generation, managing diverse staff, and collaborating with multiple groups of stakeholders where he booked over 30 programs per year. David is responsible for Emelin’s overall management including artistic direction, programming, business operations, audience engagement, earned and contributed revenue, and sustained financial health. He will develop high caliber performing arts, film, and educational programs that are embraced by different audience cohorts.

Tina Rittal
Tina Rittal

Tina Rittal

Search: Controller of California Institute of Integral Studies

Tina brings over fifteen years of experience managing accounting operations and international expansion at hyper-growth start-up companies. In roles such as Global Director and Controller of Finance of Accounting, she has been recognized as a leader to executive management and cross functional business partners within highly matrixed organizations.

Clark Halvorson
Clark Halvorson

Clark Halvorson

Search: Executive Director of Outdoors for All

Clark brings significant leadership expertise at the nonprofit, local, state, tribal and national levels, and most recently served as the CEO & President of United Way of Anchorage. He is passionate about building strong partnerships with tribal governments, community stakeholders, and local organizations. As Executive Director, he will expand top quality programs, engage new clients, partners and supporters, and expand the organization’s geographical reach.

Aaron Nicholson
Aaron Nicholson

Aaron Nicholson

Search: Director of Development of TheatreWorks

Aaron will focus on ensuring TheatreWorks’ continued and future success in furthering its community impact by engaging in solicitation and stewardship activities and in implementing a comprehensive three- to four- year fundraising plan to develop and cultivate sustainable individual, corporate, foundation, and other philanthropic opportunities. He most recently served as Development Director at Starting Arts where he directed all fundraising strategies, stewardship programs, and fundraising events.

Darin Atwater
Darin Atwater

Darin Atwater

Search: Artistic Director of the Monterey Jazz Festival

With 25 years of experience as a composer, multi-dimensional artist, arts advocate and director, Atwater brings to this role his skills in programming, production, fundraising, and strategic planning. He will build on a renowned tradition of jazz and music festival excellence to advance Monterey Jazz Festival as the world’s premier jazz event, expand educational & public programs and performances, and develop new institutional partnerships alongside the Executive Director.

Joshua Blanchard
Joshua Blanchard

Joshua Blanchard

Search: Director of the Colorado Creative Industries at the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade

Joshua Blanchard steps into the role of Director of the Colorado Creative Industries at the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade with an extensive background, spanning over twenty years in Summit County, Colorado. Prior to this appointment, Blanchard served as Summit County Commissioner, the Executive Director for Theatre SilCo., and the Director of Marketing and Events for Keystone Neighbourhood Company. As Director, Blanchard will work with Governor-appointed members of the Council on Creative Industries and CCI staff to thoroughly understand all facets of the Colorado creative ecosystem, its diverse businesses, arts & culture, and civic society constituents all while developing a shared vision for CCI.
Dale McCreedy
Dale McCreedy

Dale McCreedy, PhD

Search: President and CEO of Hands On! Discovery Center

Dr. Dale McCreedy steps into the role of President and CEO for Hands On! Discovery Center with an extensive background in science centers and community-based partnerships. Dale has spent the last seven years at Discovery Center at Murfree Spring as the Vice President of Audience & Community Engagement where she has led several Federal grants, spearheaded the Tennessee Girls Collaborative, and disseminated resources and professional development for several national replication efforts. Prior to moving to Tennessee, she spent twenty-eight years at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA where she led curriculum and program development, promoted community engagement and professional learning, and conducted research with a particular focus on under-resourced families and women in STEM.

Andrew Maus
Andrew Maus

Andrew Maus

Search: Executive Director of Tacoma Art Museum

Andy Maus comes to Tacoma Art Museum from the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, North Dakota. As director and CEO, he co-created the museum’s facility masterplan with Olson Kundig Architects, grew its contemporary focus, furthered the work of artists from diverse backgrounds, facilitated public art projects, doubled the museum’s endowment, and secured funding for a major renovation.   Before heading up the Plains Art Museum, Maus was executive director of the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in Winona, Minnesota. He serves on the Board of Trustees for the Association of Art Museum Directors and has been an active volunteer with many industry and community organizations.