About the Speaker

Nathaniel Shaw is the Producing Artistic Director of the Firehouse Theatre. He was the founding Artistic Director for The New Theatre and the Active Theatre (NYC), and served as Artistic Director for Virginia Repertory Theatre. He was the inaugural New Play Development Director for Glass Half Full Productions, Tony and Olivier Award Winning Producers of Betrayal and was an Associate Choreographer for Once, supervising both the Broadway production and the First National Tour. Richmond directing credits include the World Premiere of Memories of Overdevelopment by Caridad Svich, the US premiere of The Barber Of Moville (Richmond Theatre Community Circle Award-winner for Outstanding Original Work), Peter And The Starcatcher, the world premiere of The End Of War (winner of 4 RTCC Awards), the world premiere of River Ditty (in collaboration with Glass Half Full Productions), In The Heights starring Arielle Jacobs with Choreography by Karla Garcia (winner of 5 RTCC Awards including Best Direction), West Side Story (RTCC Award for Best Musical), The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time, The 39 Steps, and Once (Co-Produced with The Fulton Theatre). New York Directing credits include Touch at 59e59 starring Tony Award-winner Katrina Lenk and the first New York City revival of The Violet Hour. Richmond's Style Magazine featured Nathaniel in both their Power List: Arts and Culture, and among Richmond’s Top 40 Under 40. He is a graduate of The University of Northern Colorado, and a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society and Actors Equity Association.

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May 2024
Heather Lyne:
The Role of Arts in Revitalization

Join us in a discussion of The Role of Arts In Revitalization with Heather Lyne, Executive Director, Hopewell Downtown Partnership. Heather Lyne has designed, funded, and implemented community and economic development projects and large events across the state of Virginia, in Colorado, and abroad through her work for Embrace Richmond, Virginia Tech, the City of Roanoke’s Arts and Cultural Office, SBG Productions, Inc., Telluride Arts, and the Peace Corps. Heather follows the principles of the asset-based community development movement which, simply put, proposes building on “what’s strong” in a community instead of focusing on “what’s wrong”.

March 2024
Amy Nisenson: A Funder’s Guide to Successful Grants

Amy Nisenson, Founder and Lead Consultant of Nisenson Consulting has expertise in strategic planning, board development/governance work, board and staff meeting facilitation, organizational development, and resource development. Her over 35 years as a senior philanthropy professional includes work on both sides of philanthropy-as a nonprofit executive and development professional and as a corporate and foundation grant maker. Amy brings her unique experiences in both asking and giving along with strategic thinking, sensible fiscal management, effective communication, and facilitation to her consulting work. Amy serves as the Board President for the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond. She is serving a 2-year term from May 2022-May 2024.

April 2024
Jayme Swain: Sneak Peak at VPM’s New Headquarters

Jayme Swain, CEO at VPM, will be seeking input from the creative community about VPM’s new HQ Building coming to Broad Street in the Arts District. Under Jayme's leadership, VPM has strengthened its position as a trusted source of information for Virginians and a powerhouse distributor of multiplatform, award-winning content for national and international audiences. Swain has launched a number of impact-driven initiatives, including the expansion of VPM News to a multi-platform newsroom with 30 reporters, editors, multi-media journalists and producers; the acquisition of Style Weekly; the expansion of originial educational programming with a focus on children in underserved communities and an increase in digital storytelling and distribution across the web, social media and podcasting.

January 2024
Jordan Brown: Artist Residencies

Liz Earnest provides leadership for all aspects of SPARC’s programs and management of the organization’s faculty, teaching/production artists, and support staff. She holds a BFA in Theatre Performance from Virginia Commonwealth University, where she received the four-year Provost’s Scholarship and graduated summa cum laude. Eight years ago, Liz joined the full-time staff at SPARC as Education Coordinator and eventually was promoted to the role of SPARC’s first-ever Associate Director of Programs. In 2022, Liz completed the Emerging Nonprofit Leaders Program, an initiative of the Community Foundation for Greater Richmond.

November 2023
Catie-Reagan King: Growing & Sustaining Memberships

Join us in a discussion of growing & sustaining memberships with James River Writers' Membership Director, Catie-Reagan King. Catie-Reagan King, Ed.D., is the Membership Director at James River Writers. She is a graduate of Baylor University’s Learning and Organizational Change doctoral program, where her dissertation explored the role the fine arts play in university students’ development of 21st-century skills. She received an M.S. in Strategic Design and Management from Parsons School of Design, a B.A. in Theatre Arts from Virginia Tech, and a Women in Leadership certificate from Cornell University.

September 2023
Marlene Paul:
Organizational Diversity & Equity

Join us in a discussion of organizational diversity & equity with ART 180's Co-Founder & Executive Director, Marlene Paul. After a decade of roles in writing, editing, PR, and advertising, she met a friend who shared her belief that art is a form of communication. In 1998 they co-founded ART 180 to cultivate create expression in young people, and she still directs the now 25-year-old organization. She lives near the Mighty James River with her teenage daughter, hound dog, and tuxedo cat, and she recently returned to being an artist.

July 2023
Clarissa Bannor:
Multi-Dimensional storytelling

A discussion of multidimensional storytelling with Arts Marketing & PR Professional, Clarissa Bannor. Clarissa Bannor is a creative communications professional with a soft spot for the arts. She earned her MA in Arts Management from George Mason University, specializing in Arts Marketing & PR. Clarissa’s career weaves together her passions for culture, art, and creative storytelling.

October 2023
Melissa Vaughn:
Community Radio Programming

Join us in a discussion on Community Radio Programming and the importance of non-profit in the radio space with the President of the Board of Directors for Virginia Center for Public Press, Melissa Vaughn. She has volunteered with WRIR since 2016 and is passionate about creating an accessible and inclusive environment for Richmonders to tell their stories, work through complicated issues and share their love of underrepresented local and global music on the airwaves and online.

August 2023
Nigel Richardson:
Curating Cultural Events

A discussion of curating cultural events with Afrikana Film Festival's Program Director, Nigel Richardson.Nigel S. Richardson is a writer, filmmaker, and experience curator based in Richmond, VA. Nigel graduated from the University of Miami in 2017 with a B.S. in Communication, Motion Pictures. He currently works as Program Director for the Afrikana Independent Film Festival, Virginia's premier festival dedicated to showcasing the cinematic works of people of color worldwide. Nigel's work aims to use storytelling as a foundation to help craft experiences that elevate and celebrate diverse creators and their stories.

June 2023
Katharine Herndon:
Conference Planning

A discussion of conference planning with James River Writers' Executive Director, Katharine Herndon. Katharine Herndon was a fan of James River Writers even before they hired her. She has attended every conference and well over a hundred Writing Shows. She was on the board in a variety of roles, including executive secretary, co-chair of the 2011 conference committee, and membership chair. She has earned a 120-hour certificate in Nonprofit Management and completed the Emerging Nonprofit Leadership Program.

May 2023
Sheila Gulley Pleasants:
Artist Residencies & Fellowships

A discussion of Artist Residencies & Fellowships with VCCA Director of Artists Services, Sheila Gulley Pleasants. Sheila Gulley Pleasants has served VCCA since 1989 when she moved from New York City to Mt. San Angelo to become residential staff with her husband Craig. She holds an M.A. in French from New York University, an M.Ed. in English from Converse College, and a B.A. in French from Wake Forest University.

April 2023
Shelby Finkelstein:
Funding Strategies

A discussion of funding strategies with CultureWorks Advancement & Grants Strategist, Shelby Finkelstein. Shelby joined CultureWorks in 2022, bringing her extensive experience in grant management, fundraising, and stakeholder engagement. Shelby studied Arts and Non-profit Management at the College of Charleston and considers herself fortunate that she gets to play an active role in supporting artists and arts and culture organizations in the Richmond and Tri-Cities regions.

A discussion of protecting intellectual property with CultureWorks board member and attorney, Justin Laughter. Justin Laughter is a business, intellectual property, and entertainment attorney. His experience representing clients is wide-ranging, including business and non-profit structuring and operations, copyright and trademark protection, licensing and enforcement, music/film/literary/theater law, internet law, and private securities offerings.