Kennedy Center Arts Management

The 2007-2008 Fellows

Meghann Eckenhoff

Meghann Eckenhoff Breaking free from the family tradition of physicians and scientists, Meghann is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music with a degree in flute and piccolo performance. Eastman also provided the opportunity to taste the management side of the arts with her first job in the Concert Office as House Manager and Scheduling Coordinator. Since then she has worked at the Aspen Opera Theater Company, New York Theater Workshop, the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and most recently at Frederick P. Rose Hall, the Home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, in New York City. Hired as the House Manager before this state-of-the-art facility opened on October 18, 2004; she was responsible for developing the front of house department from the ground up, creating and implementing all policies and procedures while meeting the ever-changing, and sometimes conflicting demands for both the Jazz at Lincoln Center programming as well as those for a busy rental facility. Meghann is very excited to further her arts management career through this fellowship program and everything the Kennedy Center has to offer.

Orla Flanagan

Orla Flanagan Orla comes to the Kennedy Center from Dublin (Ireland) where she has worked since 2005 in the role of General Manager at Fishamble: The New Play Company, a theatre company dedicated to new writing. To date Orla has produced a range of award winning productions nationally and internationally for Fishamble. Prior to this she was the Literary Officer at the Abbey Theatre, Ireland’s National Theatre, for four years, and was instrumental in programming and managing a range of events and celebrations to mark the Abbey’s centenary in 2004. The Abbey Theatre awarded her a training bursary in dramaturgy and theatre criticism, which enabled her to work as a trainee dramaturg at the Sundance Theatre Lab, (Utah) and at the Schaubuhne's Festival of International New Drama ‘05 (Berlin). Previously she worked as Marketing Administrator at the National Concert Hall, Dublin. She received a BA degree in English and Philosophy from University College Dublin and has recently completed a Diploma in Management Practice for the Arts awarded by the University of Ulster. She has received the Diageo Sponsored Fulbright Award for the Performing and Visual Arts to undertake the Fellowship at the Kennedy Center. .

Jarrod Hartzler

Jarrod Hartzler comes to the Kennedy Center from Wooster Ohio, where he has worked in many aspects of arts education and administration at both the local community and state-wide level. Most recently he served as Programs Director for The Delaware County Cultural Arts Center, Delaware Ohio, where he oversaw educational programming, coordinated a pre-professional dance academy, facilitated community partnerships and collaborations, and worked in all facets of not-for-profit arts administration. In addition, he served as project coordinator for The Ohio Alliance for Arts Education, a member of the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network, where he coordinated statewide professional development programming in arts integration. His work with statewide arts organizations also included directing a Careers In the Arts Forum for artists with disabilities through VSA arts of Ohio. As the Education and Exhibits Coordinator at Wayne Center for the Arts (2002 - 2004), he was a member of the Kennedy Center’s Wooster, Ohio Partners in Education program focused on bringing professional development to teachers and school administrators to promote learning in and through the arts for all students. He was also a member of the Steering Committee for the Ohio State-Based Collaborative Initiative, a Kennedy Center funded statewide collaborative focused on providing professional development for teaching artists. Hartzler earned a degree in Art History from the College of Wooster, and has participated in advanced coursework at The Ohio State University.

Chris Lam

Chris Lam Chris worked as Assistant Marketing Manager at the Hong Kong Arts Festival before coming to the Kennedy Center. She was responsible for designing and implementing publicity strategies for 15 to 20 programs every year, producing all kinds of marketing collateral as well as handling press relations. Over the years she has worked with some 100 inspiring artists/companies from around the globe including the White Oak Dance Project, Sylvie Guillem, Robert Lepage, the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, the Hamburg Ballet, Rosas, Compañía Nacional de Danza, the National Theatre of Britain and Chucho Valdés, among others. Chris received a Master’s Degree in Language Studies from Lancaster University in the UK.

Dafina McMillan

Originally from Houston, Texas, Dafina McMillan comes to the Kennedy Center via New York. Most recently, Dafina was an Account Supervisor at global public relations agency GCI Group, where she implemented communication strategies for Fortune 500 companies. Dafina has served as a speech writer, led executive visibility and corporate social responsibility campaigns, supported brand launches, spearheaded event planning, and conducted extensive media relations on global, national and local levels. While volunteering at the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts this year, Dafina worked with senior leadership on an array of marketing, community relations and sales research initiatives for the non-profit organization. Bringing her public relations, strategic planning and business experience to the performing arts arena, Dafina continues to find ways to combine her passion for the arts and interest in communications. A performer at heart, Dafina has dedicated time over the years to theatre, dance, and comedy projects, working alongside arts organizations to increase their visibility and awareness. Dafina received a bachelor of science degree in public relations from the University of Texas at Austin.

Anna Rowe

Anna Rowe joins the Kennedy Center from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in London, where she was most recently the General Manager. She joined the Orchestra in 2002, initially managing the organisation’s finances part time and has fulfilled a number of roles there including that of Acting Chief Executive for three months at the beginning of 2007. Alongside her work at the OAE, she had a busy freelance career, principally working for The Florestan Trio, organizing their annual summer Festival, a London concert series and education events. Prior to her musical career, Anna spent nearly six years working in the investment bank UBS. As part of her banking career, she spent a year working for UBS in Hong Kong. Anna was born and grew up in London, and studied at Oxford University prior to working in the City. During 2006-07, she was a student at City University in London, where she studied for the postgraduate certificate in Cultural Leadership. She is an enthusiastic violinist and has played with several of London’s amateur orchestras. She also enjoys travelling, in Europe, the US and further afield.

Jacqueline Schmidt

Jacqueline Schmidt A native of Honolulu, Hawaii, Jacqueline has spent the past ten years living in South Bend, Indiana, where she earned her Bachelor's Degree in Music and American Studies, and her Master's Degree in Piano Performance and Literature from the University of Notre Dame. She was most recently employed at the University of Notre Dame's DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, which opened in September 2004, as the Director of Guest Services and University Outreach. Her department oversees house and event management, artist hospitality, and marketing strategies geared toward the University community and particularly the student population. Jacqueline works closely with the University's development office to support the campaigns centered around arts endowments, and to assist with the cultivation of potential benefactors for the arts. She developed a student organization of over sixty members to promote awareness for and appreciation of the arts at Notre Dame, and created multiple internships for students to gain experience in arts administration. In addition to her work with the student body, Jacqueline also founded a volunteer corps of over seventy active members from outside of the University community to support the mission of the Center as a bridge between the campus and surrounding communities. The volunteer corps members primarily support the Center by ushering for performances and events, and serving as tour guides and docents for the multiple venues within the Center. As a pianist, Jacqueline appeared as guest soloist with the South Bend Symphony Chamber Orchestra in January 2006 and more recently in April 2007, performing works by Mozart and Beethoven. She also performed with international erhu artist Xiaohui Ma, and continues to seek out collaborative performances with other musicians.

Nguyet Sa Tran

Nguyet Sa Tran Sa comes to the Fellowship Program from Ho Chi Minh Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera, where she served as Public Relations Manager. Sa was in charge of building the company's public image, and also coordinated the artistic exchanges with guest conductors and soloists, as well as the cooperation ties with international cultural projects. With a strong music background and experience in the media and broadcasting, she finds in arts management an perfect opportunity to be involved and actively contribute in the dissemination of classical academic music in the City. She was part of the leading team in creating the Ho Chi Minh City’s annual gala of classical music and dance, Autumn Melodies, which concluded its third season last August to critical acclaim, bringing together most successful Vietnamese young talents, especially those who are thriving in the West, to perform for the home audience.

Roger Weitz

Roger Weitz comes to the Kennedy Center from Chicago where he served as Artistic Administrator for Chicago Opera Theater for the last seven years. A member of the senior staff, Roger was responsible for the management of the Artistic department including the company’s Young Artist Program. Roger’s tenure at Chicago Opera Theater fortuitously coincided with a revitalization of the company by General Director Brian Dickie. As a result, Roger participated in major transformations including a heightening of the company’s artistic profile, a move from a Chicago neighborhood theater to a brand new state-of-the-art performance venue downtown, and the doubling of the company’s budget and patron base. Roger holds a B.A. in Music from Carleton College, and also serves on the Board of Directors of a not-for-profit organization, the Brain Injury Association of Illinois.

Catherine Williams

Catherine Williams Catherine began her career in the arts as an actress in classical repertory companies across Canada. She formed her own company, Exile Productions, in Toronto, while working at Holmes Creative Communications in media relations for not-for-profit arts organizations including the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir, Dance Arts Vancouver, The World Stage Festival and in unit publicity for Alliance Atlantis Communications. In 2002 she joined Shakespeare & Company in Lenox MA spending equal time as a manager in Communications and Audience Services, onstage as an actress and an emerging director, and teaching in the company’s Education program.

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