Racial Justice Opera Forum 2022 — Access Hub
Pam Altizer
An experienced professional, Pam enjoys transforming organizations during her more than 35 years as a Management Consultant helping Fortune 500 companies in strategy development and operations improvement. She specializes in helping clients achieve major change by working with leadership and to focus on attaining specific cost and quality objectives and deliver outstanding customer service.
Now retired, she brings her “for profit” experience to non-profit organizations. Pam is a board member of the Dallas Summer Musicals since 2017 contributing as chair of the Equity, Diversity Inclusion and Access Committee for two years and as a member of the Governance and Nominating committee. She is also a board member of Attitudes and Attire, an organization that helps women in transition from the military, incarceration, drug and domestic abuse. Pam provides guidance on their strategic plan and actively volunteers as a workshop speaker and mentor.
Pam earned a B.A. in Economics and Finance from Simmons University, an M.B.A. in Business Management from University of Dallas and an M.S. in Organizational Development and Change Management from University of Texas at Dallas.
Alejandra Valarino Boyer
Alejandra Valarino Boyer is the Director of Ravinia Steans Music Institute, leading Ravinia’s artist development programs. Most recently, she led Seattle Opera’s learning, community engagement, and EDI initiatives as its Director of Programs and Partnerships. Alejandra developed the Seattle Arts Fellowship for arts administrators of color and leads a new works program, Creation Lab, for Washington State artists. An advocate for racial equity, especially in opera, she founded BIPOC Arts, an online database that celebrates opera professionals of color.
Previously, Alejandra was the Director of Community Programs at Lyric Opera of Chicago, where she oversaw community engagement initiatives, including creative youth development programs and artistic productions. Alejandra worked closely with community organizations to grow Lyric’s presence outside of the Lyric Opera House and developed the organization’s civic practice through community art making initiatives like Chicago Voices Community Created Performances and EmpowerYouth!.
She’s an alumna of the American Express Leadership Academy, Opera America's Leadership Intensive, and a participant of the 2021 Sphinx LEAD cohort. Alejandra serves on the board of directors for Opera America, including its Racial Justice Network and Women’s Opera Network steering committees. She holds music degrees from Florida State University and Northwestern University.
Tyrai Bronson-Pruitt
Tyrai Bronson-Pruitt leads Team Dynamics’ Capacity Building Team as it works side by side with clients on their intercultural capacity-building journey. She also drives key Team Dynamics initiatives, including customized signature training programs. Bronson-Pruitt is a passionate, energetic leader and facilitator who strives to empower others to recognize and celebrate differences in order to create change in the individual and their communities. Born and raised in Minneapolis, while also spending time in Omaha for college, Bronson-Pruitt is committed to making life in the Midwest better for herself, her family, and her community. Prior to her work at Team Dynamics, she served as a K-12 educator and as the diversity and inclusion manager for Reading and Math Inc. She has developed a variety of diversity and inclusion trainings and activities on the topics of race, age, gender, and other facets of diversity. Bronson-Pruitt demonstrates her passion for social justice in her personal and professional life by seeking out and sharing the necessary tools and resources to create equitable and inclusive spaces for all people. She has a Master of Arts in organizational leadership. She also became a trained racial justice facilitator for the YWCA of Minneapolis. In 2016, Bronson-Pruitt was given the Catalytic Leader Award by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits.
Dr. Antonio C. Cuyler
Dr. Antonio C. Cuyler is the author of Access, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Cultural Organizations: Insights from the Careers of Executive Opera Managers of Color in the U. S. and editor of a forthcoming volume, Arts Management, Cultural Policy, & the African Diaspora. He serves as the Director of the MA Program & Associate Professor of Arts Administration in the Department of Art Education at Florida State University (FSU), and Visiting Associate Professor of Theatre & Drama in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance at the University of Michigan. He is also the Founder of Cuyler Consulting, LLC, a Black-owned arts consultancy that helps cultural organizations maximize their performance and community relevance through access, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI).
https://cuylerconsulting.com/about/
https://smtd.umich.edu/about/faculty-profiles/antonio-cuyler/
https://arted.fsu.edu/antonio-c-cuyler/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonio-c-cuyler-ph-d-83178b36
James Dargan
James Dargan is a creative artist and authenticity addict from the Southeastern US; he has played the violin and sung since he was a child, and he is a composer, essayist, poet, and polyglot translator. After a brief stint as an English professor, James decided to sing, and subsequently studied and performed in the US, Europe, the UK, and Canada. James is now based in New York City. Artistic milestones include performances of Schubert's Winterreise; numerous performances of his Black history-themed recital series “Oh, Glory!”; his Manhattan solo debut as the baritone soloist for Musica Viva NY's April 8th 2018 concert, "Infinite Hope"; several NYC premieres of songs for which James was lyricist, composer, and performer; and the in-progress writing of his first two operas: “His Name Is John”, and "Spirit In The Vine". James was artist-in-residence at Phillips Academy in Andover, MA for the MLK Day weekend, 2019, the 2019-2020 Visiting Artist at Phillips, and recently completed an "Oh, Glory!" tour of Chicago in which he sang 6 recitals in 5 days. Over the 2021 Christmas season, James soloed with the Boston Symphony Holiday Pops, and in February of 2022, he'll work with the great esperanza spalding. James is the Teaching Artist in Residence for Musica Viva NY, and a founding member of the Black musical consortium, Ring Shout.
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/pantanegro
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blassikal/
Randall Eng
Randall Eng’s music lies at the intersection of opera, music-theatre, and jazz. His operas Florida and Henry’s Wife have been presented by UrbanArias, Lyric Opera Cleveland, New York City Opera’s VOX Festival, The American Opera Project, the Virginia Arts Festival, and the Center for Contemporary Opera.
His latest opera Before the Night Sky, a contemporary re-telling of the myth of Castor, Pollux, and their twin sisters Helen of Troy and Clytemnestra, was featured at OPERA America’s New Opera Showcase in 2017 and is in development at The American Opera Project. Other current projects include a musical theatre adaptation of the Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, set to premiere in Seoul, South Korea in November 2022, and a short opera on Asian American identity for White Snake Projects for 2023.
Other recent works include Harbor, a collaboration with poet Tracy K. Smith for the Boston Pops; Remain, a setting of an immigration rights pamphlet for MasterVoices Chorale; and Miracles, a setting of a Walt Whitman poem for Mirror Visions Ensemble.
Randall is an Associate Arts Professor at NYU/Tisch’s Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program. Together with director Sam Helfrich, he founded and leads the Tisch Opera Lab, which in collaboration with The American Opera Project has developed and premiered over 30 short operas in the past six years. www.randalleng.com.
Rebecca Hass
Rebecca Hass is the director of engagement programs and partnerships for Pacific Opera. Her programs and successful work building partnerships have been recognized with the 2019 Arts and Culture Award for community work in Victoria and the 2021 City of Victoria Creative Builder Award. A citizen of the Métis Nation of British Columbia, Hass is personally and professionally engaged with the local Indigenous community to develop theater skills programs and musical performance opportunities through community festivals and events. She is the staff liaison for the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee at Pacific Opera and also sits on several Indigenous committees working with colonial organizations toward reconciliation. She is a founding member of The Culture Den, a matriarchal Indigenous collective working to support creative urban Indigenous people in the city of Victoria. She is also an accomplished broadcaster, documentary producer, podcast creator, and host who works to support the next generation in the opera as an in-demand creative living coach and mentor.
Diane Hosey
Diane Hosey oversees philanthropic “reach out” for the Embrey Family Foundation, a small and mighty woman-led family foundation in Dallas, Texas. In her 12 years of working with Lauren Embrey and Sallie Beck, it has been Hosey’s pleasure to support the organization’s artistic and social justice vision and mission, which is to “expand awareness, explore possibilities, and elevate consciousness.” Hosey was the lead champion for Dallas Faces Race, a 300-member nonprofit forum, from 2013 to 2017, and she currently serves on the steering committee for Dallas Truth Racial Healing and Transformation. Hosey has been a teacher, actor, orchestrator, and activist. Sometimes she is all that rolled up in one. It just depends on the day. embreyfdn.org/racial-justice/
Caazena P. Hunter
Caazena holds a dual B.A. in Spanish and Sociology, with an International Studies Certificate, from the University of Tulsa, and an M.A. in Sociology from the University of North Texas. She co-authored Race and Reciprocity: Inter-household Exchanges in a Multiracial Neighborhood.
Caazena began her career as a teaching fellow at the University of North Texas, which led to her teaching Sociology at colleges and universities throughout the DFW Metroplex. She has a passion for learning, as well as teaching. Caazena only works with organizations that speak to personally held passions. She once taught elementary Spanish, served as a Research Analyst, and worked for the census. She later transitioned into providing financial coaching services, leading a small family financial center, and assisting with the development and implementation of a Financial Coaching Institute. Currently Caazena works as a Racial Equity coach for Dallas, Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation, which has afforded her the opportunity to work towards racial equity with Dallas nonprofit organizations. Caazena also works as the Assistant Director of Community Engagement for Change Machine which assists organizations focused on financial security and mobility of individuals that are working and experiencing poverty.
Finally, Caazena is a lover of art, music and fun. She has spent her Covid-19 days and nights reigniting her love for drawing, and painting. She has always considered herself an aunt extraordinaire and most recently has a new canine niece named FREE.
Jessica Jahn
A graduate of Rutgers University, with degrees in both Dance and Psychology, Jessica Jahn danced professionally in NYC before beginning a career in costume design. Known for her work in the traditional repertoire, she is also dedicated to innovative work within her field. Jessica collaborated on one of the earliest performances of Tarell Alvin McCraney’s IN THE RED AND BROWN WATER, directed by Tina Landau. She designed BLUE, written by Tazewell Thompson and composed by Jeanine Tesori, winner of the MCANA Award for Best New Opera, and worked with Jessica Blank, Eric Jensen and Steve Earle on The Public’s premiere of COAL COUNTRY, as well as with Sandra Seaton and Denyce Graves on THE PASSION OF MARY CARDWELL DAWSON at Glimmerglass Festival. She was awarded both the Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk for her design of Charles Busch’s THE CONFESSION OF LILY DARE. Jessica’s dedication to racial and social justice is based on her lived experience as a black woman and she takes a holistic approach to her work through the lens of equity. Currently, she is a member of the steering committees of Opera America’s Women’s Opera Network (WON) and Racial Justice Opera Network (RJON), and also served as the inaugural advisor to the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) committee at the Glimmerglass Festival, as well as the lead coordinator for their equity initiatives. She finds particular enthusiasm for her work with Turn The Spotlight, The Open Stage Project and Children of Promise NYC, organizations that provide mentorships and empower young people. Jessica has taught at both NYU and Rutgers University, and is an Adjunct Costume Design Professor with Brandeis University’s Theater Arts Department.
Brian Larney
Brian a native-born Texas is a true urban American Indian. A full-blood American Indian and a Choctaw of Oklahoma and a citizen of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, he is the chairman for the American Indian Heritage Day in Texas (AIHD) and Indian Citizens Against Racial Exploitation (I CARE).
Brian's visionary leadership has led the grass-root organization into a viable status among the Indian Country USA. AIHD celebrated its 8th anniversary. The state law, American Indian Heritage Day, designates that last Friday in September is observed for the contributions made by the American Indians to the State of Texas. I CARE addresses the negative stereotypes in reference to the American Indian culture and heritage.
Being a gifted and talented artistic and creative person, he is a professional creative art director in the advertising world. With his computer skill, knowledge of applications and latest technologies, he is a respected and award winner for his outstanding works. His visuals present a contemporary style of his heritage and maintain the period's cultural accuracy.
Even though Brian Larney is a well-known Southeastern tribal artist (Choctaw/Seminole) and his pieces are well represented in many venues, he is in a "semi-retired status. However, his beautiful work continues as he designs outstanding cultural images through the American Indian Heritage Day in Texas.
Renee Namakau Ombaba
Renee Namakau Ombaba was raised in Jackson, Mississippi and moved to the DMV in 2015. Born to Zambian and Kenyan parents in Lowell, MA, she learned her love for music at an early age. She enjoyed banging on the piano while her mom cleaned their home church in Jackson, MS. Noticing Renee Namakau’s interest in music, Ms. Lewanika (Renee’s mom) enrolled her nine-year old daughter in piano lessons. By the age of 12, Renee Namakau began telling many of her friends that she was an opera singer. She often took on the persona of an opera diva. To fulfill her dream, she earned her Bachelors in Vocal Performance from Jackson State University in 2012. In 2014, she diversified her studies by earning her Master’s in Southern Studies from the University of Mississippi.
Renee Namakau credits her mother for helping her embrace her identity. While in elementary school, Renee Namakau was teased for her African heritage. To lift Renee’s spirits, Ms. Lewanika told stories about their royal lineage beginning with stories about her father Godwin A. Mbikusita Lewanika, King of Bartoseland. As Ms. Lewanika told Renee the family history, Renee began to embrace her status as a Princess of Barotseland.
In 2019, Renee Namakau founded Black Women in Opera (BWIO) to highlight the past and current achievements of Black women opera singers. BWIO seeks to be the premiere source of knowledge and news about Black opera divas. In the future, the organization will be instrumental in sponsoring the vocal education of high school seniors. She learned the value of strong female leadership in her home and her community at a young age. Her grandmother’s and aunt’s devotion to women’s suffrage and political advancement in Zambia sparked her interest in women’s empowerment. BWIO allows Renee Namakau to marry her love for music with her passion of uplifting women in this male-dominated field.
Performance Experience
Since earning her degree in music, she has given numerous recitals in Mississippi and Washington, DC. She performs soprano and coloratura soprano works by Mozart, Offenbach, Burleigh, Handel, and more. During the 2019 Christmas season, she debuted as the Messiah and Saint-Saens Christmas Oratorio Soprano soloist. In addition to classical music, she studied jazz under Rhonda Richmond and Dr. Branch in Jackson, MS. She performed as Lorraine in Hairspray and as a member of the ensemble in Hello, Dolly!
After completing level 3 at the Washington Improv Theater, the WIT staff awarded her the diversity scholarship to complete levels 4 and 5. She performs with the indie team Cute and Snobby, where she expands her talents as an actress and comedienne. Videos of her performances can be found here.
Renee Namakau serves as the 2019 Modern American Miss. Renee Namakau earned third place in The National Association of Negro Musicians, Inc’s Local Competition in Washington, D.C. Washington Improv Theater awarded Renee Namakau with a scholarship to complete her education in Improv comedy theater. She performs improv with the indie team Cute and Snobby. Under the supervision of Kelvin Page, Renee Namakau soars as a vocalist and continues to fine tune her talents in classical voice. In her free time, she enjoys any murder mystery novel by Attica Locke or Stephen L. Carter, any book by Toni Morrison or Terry McMillan, playing the accompaniment part of her vocal music, and hanging out with her friends. She hopes to work in the next Emmy Award winning series or in any feature opposite Viola Davis.
Andrea Joy Pearson
Andrea Joy Pearson is an optimization strategist who is committed to helping herself and others walk in their power and utilize their space to live more full and successful lives. She specializes in process improvement, human capital knowledge, psychological safety, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). As the director of belonging and inclusion at Opera Omaha, Pearson advocates for the cultivation of spaces where everyone feels they have the opportunity to bring their best and most authentic selves to the table. She is a champion of honesty, vulnerability, and courage to foster high performance in work and life by reframing possibilities and perceived boundaries. Pearson earned her Bachelor of Arts in voice performance from Oberlin Conservatory of Music and her Master of Music in voice and opera from the University of Kentucky. Additionally, she is certified in human resources management and diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. “When genuine connection, inspiration, and innovation meet, greatness is sure to follow.”—AJP
Cynthia López Pérez
Cynthia López Pérez is a Xicana operatic soprano, administrator, DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging) consultant, and educator. She is the Executive Director and Co-founder of Latina Women in Opera, an organization dedicated to promoting and supporting femme-identifying Latina, and non-binary & gender non-conforming Latinx. She is a 2021 National Association of Latinx Arts and Cultures (NALAC) Leadership Institute Fellow, a non-profit dedicated to the professional development of Latinx artists and Latinx-led organizations. Cynthia is an alumna of Boston Conservatory at Berklee with a Master of Music degree in Opera Performance. As an arts professional, she is dedicated to championing Latinx representation with intentionality, centering historically-excluded folks within the community in the classical music industry. She has co-curated several concerts in New York City dedicated to highlighting social justice issues and political crises affecting Latinx in both Latin America and the United States, raising funds for nonprofits such as Raíces and SOS Venezuela. She has had the pleasure of combining her work as a professional in the arts and activist through concert work, lectures, panel discussions, and community outreach. She firmly believes that at the heart of leadership work is community, collaboration, and connection.
Recent work:
Blog post: Latinx Representation in Opera through Boston Singers Resource (BSR)
https://www.bostonsingersresource.org/blog/latinx-representation-opera
Latinx Representation in Opera with Dr. Zuly Inirio through BSR (presentation)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbBKj3T1rn0
Black Women in Opera Feature LWIO:
https://youtu.be/zRbhG_4VAnk
Latina Women in Opera Voces Latinx Project: A collaborative event during the pandemic showcasing 17 Latinx Artists from around the world.
https://fb.watch/aEDQ4lh3Pp/
Gotitas del Saber - a project through LWIO that commits to outreach within and outside of opera to ignite community - this is an interview from the archives with Marizol Leyva, an Afro-Latina model, artist, activist and co-author of “My Sister”
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CHdisL7Fg9U/?utm_medium=copy_link
Notable posts from IG:
“Equidad en la Opera”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIVzJhAh6A_/?utm_medium=copy_link
"Why Blind Auditions Miss the Point" - Reference caption regarding "Anonymous Auditions"
https://www.instagram.com/latinawomeninopera/p/CKCH7fehiK-/?utm_medium=copy_link
"Kindness Does Not Equal Anti-racism"
https://www.instagram.com/p/CNkp0o8BTvU/?utm_medium=copy_link
Nicholas Phan
Described by the Boston Globe as “one of the world’s most remarkable singers,” American tenor Nicholas Phan is increasingly recognized as an artist of distinction. Praised for his keen intelligence, captivating stage presence and natural musicianship, he performs regularly with the world’s leading orchestras and opera companies. Also an avid recitalist, in 2010 he co-founded the Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago (CAIC) to promote art song and vocal chamber music, where he serves as artistic director.
A celebrated recording artist, Phan’s most recent album, Clairières, a recording of songs by Lili and Nadia Boulanger, was nominated for the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album. His album, Gods and Monsters, was nominated for the same award in 2017. He is the first singer of Asian descent to be nominated in the history of the category, which has been awarded by the Recording Academy since 1959. His other previous solo albums Illuminations, A Painted Tale, Still Fall the Rain and Winter Words, made many “best of” lists, including those of the New York Times, New Yorker, Chicago Tribune, WQXR, and Boston Globe. Phan’s growing discography also includes a Grammy-nominated recording of Stravinsky’s Pulcinella with Pierre Boulez and the Chicago Symphony, Berlioz’ Roméo et Juliette with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony, Scarlatti’s La gloria di primavera and Handel’s Joseph and his Brethren with Philharmonia Baroque, an album of Bach’s secular cantatas with Masaaki Suzuki and Bach Collegium Japan, Bach’s St. John Passion (in which he sings both the Evangelist and the tenor arias) with Apollo’s Fire, and the world premiere recordings of two orchestral song cycles: The Old Burying Ground by Evan Chambers and Elliott Carter’s A Sunbeam’s Architecture.
Phan has appeared with many of the leading orchestras in the North America and Europe, including the Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Philharmonia Baroque, Boston Baroque, Les Violons du Roy, BBC Symphony, English Chamber Orchestra, Strasbourg Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Swedish Radio Symphony, Philharmonia Orchestra of London, and the Lucerne Symphony. He has toured extensively throughout the major concert halls of Europe and has appeared with the Oregon Bach, Ravinia, Marlboro, Edinburgh, Rheingau, Saint-Denis, and Tanglewood festivals, as well as the BBC Proms. Among the conductors he has worked with are Marin Alsop, Harry Bicket, Herbert Blomstedt, Pierre Boulez, Karina Canellakis, James Conlon, Alan Curtis, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Charles Dutoit, James Gaffigan, Alan Gilbert, Jane Glover, Matthew Halls, Manfred Honeck, Bernard Labadie, Louis Langrée, Cristian Măcelaru, Nicholas McGegan, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, John Nelson, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Helmuth Rilling, David Robertson, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Masaaki Suzuki, Michael Tilson Thomas, Bramwell Tovey and Franz Welser-Möst.
An avid proponent of vocal chamber music, he has collaborated with many chamber musicians, including pianists Mitsuko Uchida, Richard Goode, Jeremy Denk, Graham Johnson, Lisa Kaplan, Roger Vignoles, Orion Weiss, Inon Barnatan, Myra Huang and Alessio Bax; violinist James Ehnes; cellist Paul Watkins; guitarist Eliot Fisk; harpist Sivan Magen; the Brooklyn Rider, Jasper, and Spektral string quartets; and horn players Jennifer Montone, Radovan Vlatkovic, and Gail Williams. In both recital and chamber concerts, he has been presented by Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Atlanta’s Spivey Hall, Boston’s Celebrity Series, and the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. In addition to his work as artistic director of CAIC, he also has served as guest curator for projects with the Laguna Beach Music Festival, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Merola Opera program, WQXR, and San Francisco Performances, where he served as the vocal artist-in-residence from 2014-2018.
Phan’s many opera credits include appearances with the Los Angeles Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Glimmerglass Festival, Chicago Opera Theater, Seattle Opera, Portland Opera, Glyndebourne Opera, Maggio Musicale in Florence, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, and Frankfurt Opera. His growing repertoire includes the title roles in Bernstein's Candide, Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex, and Handel’s Acis and Galatea; Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia; Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore; Fenton in Falstaff; Tamino in Die Zauberflöte; Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni; and Lurcanio in Ariodante.
A graduate of the University of Michigan, Phan is the 2012 recipient of the Paul C Boylan Distinguished Alumni Award and the 2018 Christopher Kendall Award. He also studied at the Manhattan School of Music and the Aspen Music Festival and School, and is an alumnus of the Houston Grand Opera Studio. He was the recipient of a 2006 Sullivan Foundation Award and 2004 Richard F. Gold Career Grant from the Shoshana Foundation.
Alina Santillán
Alina Santillán is the Director of Seattle Arts & Culture for Anti-Racism and Principal Consultant at Santillán Consulting. His lived experience as a queer, Trans, Latinx person of color who is passionate about guiding communities through lifelong anti-racism and anti-horizontal oppression practice allows him to approach lasting culture change work in a more holistic and intersectional way. Alina's work is rooted in restorative justice and in the centering and leadership of global majority (BIPOC) communities. Alina serves as a Commissioner for the Seattle Community Police Commission, a member of the King County Equity Cabinet, King County's Racism as a Public Health Crisis Committee, and is a Board member for Seattle Works and 4Culture.
Robyn Short
Dr. Robyn Short is the founder and CEO of Workplace Peace Institute, a consulting and research firm that brings peace and dignity to the workplace. She also works as a peace-building trainer, mediator, racial equity coach, and restorative justice facilitator. She is the founder and publisher of GoodMedia Press, an independent book publisher whose mission is to promote peace and social justice through books and other media.
Dr. Short is the founder and board chair of the Peace & Conciliation Project, a 501(c)(3) antiracism organization that brings communities together to address and repair the harm of racial injustice. Dr. Short is an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University in the Master of Conflict Management and Dispute Resolution program, Lipscomb University’s Conflict Management Institute, and the Master of Leadership and Negotiation at Bay Path University. Dr. Short has authored four books on peace building.
Marta M. Torres
Marta M. Torres, M.A. Ed
Position: Educator, Racial Equity Expert, Museum and Non-Profit Specialist,
Currently Manager of Partnerships and Transformation
Marta Torres is the Manager of Partnerships and Transformation, she comes to Dallas TRHT with a multidisciplinary background in Education. She received a Master of Arts in Art Education from Caribbean University in 2016, and a Bachelors of Art in History from the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey in 2014. In the last five years, she has created educational content for all ages as a Museum Educator and Coordinator in various institutions in the Dallas- Fort Worth Metroplex. Marta is particularly focused in creating interactive and engaging educational content, as well as establishing open lines of communication between organizations and the communities they serve through a racial equity lense. She has experience in arts non- profit management, team building, public speaking, community outreach, professional development, and company collaboration. Marta is currently pursuing her Doctorates Degree in Education with Baylor University and is set to graduate in May 2022.
Three fun facts about Marta: She can sing, is very much into Musical Theatre and loves karaoke.
Levi Weinhagen
Levi Weinhagen works side by side with clients and drives key Team Dynamics initiatives, including the podcast BEHAVE. He has spent the past 20 years developing and deploying deep skills in education, community engagement, communication, and intercultural growth. As a straight white man who has been embedded in media organizations and nonprofits throughout his entire career, Weinhagen experienced first-hand how organizational cultures have always been informed by identity. Both a theater maker and the father of a teenage girl, he is invested in Team Dynamics’ clients having embodied, transformative experiences when engaging in race and gender equity work. In addition to his work at Team Dynamics, Weinhagen is a teaching artist with COMPAS and produces and hosts a podcast called Not About You that is a serious yet entertaining look at social justice issues in America. He also founded a project called Justice Chickens that brings together groups of comedy creators and justice-focused organizations to use the tools of comedy to look for creative approaches to the work of making change. Weinhagen is a graduate of HOPE Community’s Sustainable Progress Through Engaging Active Citizens (SPEAC) organizer training program. He has a degree in anthropology from the University of Minnesota. He also completed the 2017 Center for Performance and Civic Practice Summer Institute.
Tracy L. Wilson
Friends and colleagues fondly refer to Cincinnati Opera Director of Community Engagement & Education and 2008 Emmy Award® nominee Tracy L. Wilson as the “The Connection Lady.” Tracy has created and produced a number of Cincinnati Opera community events and programs, including the hit concert series Opera Goes to Church and Temple! and Community Open Dress Rehearsal. A veteran arts administrator, ambassador, and producer, Tracy is considered a trailblazer in the Cincinnati arts community and regularly serves as a community engagement consultant, presenter, video producer, and production director for local and national organizations and events.
In 2018, Tracy was honored to be an invited delegate and provocateur for the first World Opera Forum in Madrid, Spain. Tracy was featured in ArtsWave’s book The Power of HER, Women in the Arts, and was the recipient of the 2020 MAC Award for Diversity and Leadership in the Arts by The Multicultural Awareness Council (MAC) of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the 2017 National Sorority of Phi Delta Kappa, Inc. Sigma Chapter Community Award, and the 2012 Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Award from the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
Tracy currently serves as chair of the Local School Decision Making Committee (LSDMC) for Rothenberg Preparatory Academy and on OPERA America’s Racial Justice Opera Network.