PANELIST

BIOGRAPHIES FY 2020 Sustainability Day Two: Western and North Central Regions - Middle Budget Tier

Jarrod Hartzler is the executive and artistic director of Tuesday Musical Association in Akron, Ohio. He is also president of the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education and serves as a board member for the Ohio Citizens for the Arts. He worked as the managing director of the Wooster Chamber Music Series, the general manager of the Ashland Symphony Orchestra, and as co- executive director at VSA Ohio, the state organization on arts and disability in Columbus, Ohio. Mr. Hartzler is a fellow at the Kennedy Center’s Arts Management Institute, where he implements marketing, development, and education strategies. His expertise is in arts administration, community arts, arts for people who have disabilities, music, and the performing arts.

Helene Herbert is director of individual giving for Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. She formerly worked as director of development for the May Festival in Cincinnati, director of development for Cincinnati’s Vocal Arts Ensemble, and development and communications specialist for Hand Made in America (Ashville, North Carolina). She served as a development specialist for the Brevard Music Center of Brevard, North Carolina, a development specialist with the Cincinnati Ballet, and a development specialist for the New York City Opera and Carnegie Hall. Ms. Herbert’s expertise is in nonprofit development.

Peter Huston is executive director and vice president of the Put-in-Bay Arts Council in Put-in- Bay, Ohio. He also works as a manager for Horizon Media and is a producer, director, and production manager for “The Visionaries,” a documentary TV series. Mr. Huston has writing and producing credits that include works created for PBS, Hallmark, Odyssey, Home & Garden, MTV, Outdoor Life, and Fox media companies. Mr. Huston’s expertise is in theatre, media arts, literature, production planning, and directing.

Ellen Keyes is the executive director of the Gateway Arts Council in Sidney, Ohio. She is also the founder and managing director for Lock One Community Arts in New Bremen, Ohio, a member and former president for Rotary International (Sidney, Ohio, chapter) and serves as a board member for the Sidney Tourism Board. Ms. Keyes is a graduate of Indiana University and has expertise in community arts administration.

Laurie Lathan is the executive director of Thurber House in Columbus, Ohio. She also serves as a development and management associate for the Columbus Children’s Theatre, Franklin Park Conservatory, and Columbus Dance Theatre. She worked as both a development and a strategic planning consultant for the Ohio Domestic Violence Network and Business Professionals of America. She is a former board member of the Central Ohio Association of

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Sustainability

Fundraising Professionals, Ohio Prospect Research Network, and Leadership Upper Arlington. Ms. Lathan has earned degrees in business management and marketing from Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio. She has expertise in nonprofit management and development.

Aseelah Shareef is director of programs for Karamu House in Cleveland, Ohio, and serves as an events manager for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District. Ms. Shareef formerly worked as the director of dance for the Cleveland School of the Arts, an adjunct professor of dance at Cuyahoga Community College, a dancer for Step Afrika! in Washington, D.C., and the former executive director of the Cleveland Contemporary Dance Theatre. Ms. Shareef has expertise in the dance arts, presenting, cultural planning, and arts education.

Karen Simonian is a senior grant writer, public affairs, communications, and development associate for the Wexner Center for the Arts at the in Columbus, Ohio. She is a former award-winning staff writer and arts editor for The Other Paper in Columbus. She served as a board member for Dine Originals Columbus and the Columbus Arts Marketing Association, and she is a former fellow for the Next Generation of Leaders program at the Jefferson Center’s Academy for Leadership and Governance. Ms. Simonian earned her BA in English and journalism from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She has expertise in public affairs and media relations, nonprofit administration, development, and journalism.

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