Alumni Working Group Formed for Arts Management Program

We are excited to announce the inaugural members of the 2020 AMGT Alumni Working Group! The focus for the Working Group is to support the development of sustainable and meaningful AMGT alumni engagement initiatives through programming and events.

Jing Chen '18

Jing brings many years of experience in project management, English-Chinese translation and interpretation, and skills of working in a cross-culture environment.

Kerry Kaleba '16

Kerry spent her childhood in theaters and museums, always excited to learn new skills and art forms. After completing a BA in Theater Arts at Virginia Tech, and spending time studying abroad in Switzerland, she pursued a Masters in Folklore at George Mason, fascinated by the intersection of legends and tourism. She returned GMU for the AMGT program, wanting to turn her passion into more formal support for the arts. She currently works for the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities.

Anika Kwinana '18

Anika is an artist and arts manager who is passionate about the role of the arts in supporting community development. Her work has included directing music and arts programming for a diverse, 5,000-member religious organization in South Africa, where she mentored and led 100+ volunteer artists; produced, wrote for and performed on two live CD-DVD projects; and, oversaw concerts, conferences and facility rentals. In the U.S, Anika has designed and implemented STEM and arts-related college and career fairs before joining The John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts where she is currently Manager, National Community Partnerships, supporting 100+ communities, nationally, towards equitable access to quality arts education for all public school students. Anika is Vice Chair for the Arlington County Commission for the Arts and an executive board member for the Arts Administrators of Color Network. Anika holds an M.A. in Arts Management from George Mason University and an M.A. Public Anthropology from American University.

Alex Lioprios '19

After graduating from Tulane with a dual degree in art history and philosophy, Alex felt a little lost. She wasn’t sure what career path to take and meandered down a path toward law school, but found that she was not fulfilled after two years of working at a law firm. Driven by Alex's love for art, she went out on a limb and applied for a job at the National Gallery of Art, and, to her surprise, was selected. Alex's experience at the Gallery inspired her to apply for graduate school in arts management, which has deepened her knowledge and understanding of the pertinent issues facing arts organizations. This combined study and work experience has allowed Alex to grow as an individual and arts professional, and she is excited to continue down this path going forward.

Amanda Loerch '15

Amanda has been an Accessibility Coordinator with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts since 2018 and helps to secure and supervise audio-described, captioned, interpreted and transliterated performances and events at the Center's nine venues. Prior to the Kennedy Center, she worked in artists and audience services-related fields at Studio Theatre, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, the Shakespeare Theatre Company, Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra and George Mason's Center for the Arts. Amanda holds an Arts Management graduate certificate in Programming and Project Management as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Music and a minor in Electronic Journalism from Mason.

Marit Majeske '14

Marit has been the Front of House Manager at the Hylton Performing Arts Center since it opened in May 2010. She coordinates all front of house operations and has overseen the department’s growth. In October 2016, Marit took on the additional role of Interim Education Coordinator, working with local school systems to provide diverse arts experiences to local students. Marit will take on the role of Education Manager full-time in January 2020.
Prior to joining the staff at the Hylton Center, Marit worked as an Assistant House Manager at Ford’s Theater and a volunteer intern with the Performing Arts for Everyone and Kennedy Center Friends offices at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Marit began her career as Deputy Finance Director and Director of Events for a congressional campaign in Illinois.
Marit received the Kennedy Center Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD) Emerging Leader Award in August 2014.

Lauren Miller '19

Lauren is a lifelong passionate theatre lover and professional, who prior to grad school, worked for 10 years as a stage manager in DC, VA, and Chicago. In addition to stage management, she has worked occasionally as a dramaturg and assistant director. Her desire for a career change and wanting to take on more leadership roles within theatre companies led her to GMU’s Arts Management Master’s program, from which she is a recent graduate.

Gabrielle Tokach '16

Gabrielle inspired by her undergrad realization that she loved acting, but not the business of being an actor, added an Arts Administration major to explore a different way to influence the arts... and fell in love with marketing. She wanted more; She wanted a deeper understanding of arts marketing, organizational structure, and how arts organizations work with and within communities. GMU's Arts Management program gave her all of that and so much more. Since her graduation from GMU, she has worked as the Public Relations Manager at the Contemporary American Theater Festival, one of the top three new play festivals in the country. CATF's relationship with Shepherd University provides her the opportunity to shape the future of American theater by both contributing to the Festival's development of new plays and by directing, teaching, and mentoring emerging artists.