• Staff Directory
• Staff Bios

Staff may be reached by e-mail or phone, 202-347-6352.

Jonathan Katz, Chief Executive Officer, ext. 102
Dennis Dewey, Managing Director, ext. 105
Kelly J. Barsdate, Director of Policy, Research and Evaluation, ext. 107
Thomas L. Birch, Legislative Counsel, ext. 130
Carmen Boston, Arts Education Manager, ext. 131
Emily Ellis, Information Services Manager, ext. 115
Sharon Gee, Meetings/Events Manager, ext. 112
Pat Hanley, Executive Assistant, ext. 113
Kelly Liu, National Standard Associate, ext. 101
Lindsay Russell, Research Associate, ext. 111
Traci Slater-Rigaud, Manager, Coming Up Taller Program, 202-682-5490
Laura S.Smith, CFRE, Director of Resource Development, ext. 120

Jonathan Katz, Chief Executive Officer
Jonathan Katz has served as CEO of NASAA since 1985. Prior to that, he was awarded tenure as professor of public policy and administration at the University of Illinois at Springfield, where he directed the graduate program in arts administration beginning in 1978 and established the Sangamon Institute in Arts Administration. Before then, Katz was executive director of the Kansas Arts Commission, one of the first state arts agencies to focus its resources on the development of a local arts agency network. He has taught communication, literature and creative writing at universities in Indiana, Ohio and Kansas.

Katz has consulted extensively in cultural policy planning, organizational development, and leadership and management training, and has authored numerous articles, plans and consultant reports. His presentations on the policies, issues and trends that affect participation in cultural activities are a frequent feature at national and state conferences, and at state arts agency planning sessions. Recently appointed to the U.S. National Commission on UNESCO, he advises the board of the International Federation of Arts Councils and Cultural Agencies (IFACCA) and has conducted planning and professional development sessions for cultural agencies in five cities in Mexico for the U.S. government.

For NASAA, Katz has co-authored Advancing America's Creativity: An Agenda for Leadership in Support of the Arts and Cultural Activities, the State Arts Agency Strategic Planning Toolkit and Facing Controversy: Arts Issues and Crisis Communications; written the Report of the Task Force on Cultural Pluralism; edited the Arts and Education Handbook: A Guide to Productive Collaborations; and co-edited Serving the Arts in Rural Areas: Successful Programs and Potential New Strategies. His doctoral dissertation proposes a national agenda for literary activities in the United States.

Dennis Dewey, Managing Director
A graduate of James Madison University, Dennis Dewey has spent nearly 30 years working in the arts, or arts-related fields as an educator, performer, producer and administrator. At NASAA, he is responsible for operations, financial management and special project oversight, with particular emphasis on building partnerships that promote the public benefit of the arts.

Prior to joining the NASAA staff in 1990, Dewey spent six years at Arena Stage in Washington, DC. He supervised ticket operations for the three theaters within the Arena complex. In addition to supervising a staff of 20, he worked closely with the producing and administrative directors in formulating policy, marketing strategies and income projections. In 1975, Dewey was hired under a state and federal funded Title III project to bring arts programming to rural Southside, Virginia. As a Project SHARE (Stimulating the Arts and Humanities in a Rural Environment) coordinator, he supervised the construction of an arts/humanities activities center, promoted civic involvement in school and community based arts programming. He has taught theater, speech and communications at the secondary school level and has worked professionally as an actor and stage manager in various locales.

Kelly J. Barsdate, Director of Policy, Research and Evaluation
Kelly Barsdate has worked at NASAA since 1991 and directs NASAA's information services and state-level policy analysis. She also oversees the National Standard for Arts Information Exchange--the system used by states, regions and the National Endowment for the Arts to document more than 28,000 arts grants each year. Barsdate provides extensive training and consultation services to the state arts agency field. She leads staff and council member orientations to the programs and funding of state arts agencies and facilitates strategic planning, policy development and program evaluation activities for NASAA members, as well as corporate and foundation partners. Barsdate also runs NASAA's "New Directions in State Arts Agency Grantmaking" curriculum, a leadership development track that helps state arts agencies optimize the results of their grant investments.

Barsdate manages several of NASAA's state-level policy and research initiatives, including collaborations with the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Wallace Foundation, the National Center for Charitable Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University and The Pew Charitable Trusts. A nationally recognized authority on arts research, she currently sits on the national steering group of Princeton University's Cultural Policy and the Arts National Data Archive, serves on a leadership advisory committee appointed by Grantmakers in the Arts to advise the Foundation Center's ongoing studies of philanthropic giving to the arts, and advises the National Endowment for the Arts on its longitudinal survey of public arts participation in America.

Barsdate is the series editor for NASAA's State Policy Briefs. Other recent publication credits include The State Arts Agency Policy Environment, A Strategic Planning Toolkit (co-author), A Performance Measurement Toolkit, Information Sources for State-Level Arts Policy: Current Resources and Future Needs and "State Cultural Endowments as a Revenue Diversification Strategy." She has presented at numerous national conferences and published works in the GIA Reader, Dance|USA Journal, The Voice of Chorus America and other arts serials. Prior to her tenure at NASAA, Barsdate was a member of the research team of Educational Research Services, Inc. She received training in music education and performance at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and believes that her lifelong enthusiasm for public sector arts funding is a hereditary trait.

Thomas L. Birch, Legislative Counsel
Since 1981, Tom Birch has served as NASAA's legislative counsel in Washington, DC, representing the state arts agencies on Capitol Hill and the interests of artists and arts organizations, directing advocacy efforts, and advising state and local groups on advocacy and lobbying strategies. In his work with NASAA and other nonprofit organizations, Birch has authored articles on legislative advocacy and topics of public policy, particularly in his areas of specialization in cultural affairs, child welfare and human services. Birch received the American Psychological Association's 2003 Award for Distinguished Contribution to Child Advocacy. He came to this work from Congress, having served as legislative counsel to members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives on issues of domestic policy. An attorney by training, Birch received his J.D. degree from George Washington University and his undergraduate B.A. degree in American history from Lehigh University. He was a Peace Corps volunteer for three years in Morocco.

A native of California, Birch has lived in Washington, DC, for more than 30 years where he has served as a board member and officer for a number of charitable organizations, including the Ellington Fund of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Family Stress Services of the District of Columbia, Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington, the Leadership Task Force on Religion and Public Values of the DC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, the Crafts Center and the Folger Poetry Board. He was a founding member of the DC Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Children's Trust Fund. Birch serves on of the vestry of Christ Church Georgetown where he holds the elected position of Senior Warden. He served two terms in elected public office as Georgetown's neighborhood commissioner in Washington, DC, retiring in 2005 unchallenged and undefeated.

Carmen Boston, Arts Education Manager
Through NASAA, Carmen Boston works with state arts education managers across the country on professional development and state arts education programming initiatives. In addition, she is an advisor to Coming Up Taller, a program of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities that recognizes outstanding after-school and out-of-school programs for children and youth. Prior to joining NASAA, Boston worked for Washington Performing Arts Society, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning through the Arts, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival and Very Special Arts, where she had the opportunity to develop and manage an array of arts projects for adults and youth from diverse populations.

Boston received her bachelor's degree from Mount Holyoke College and a Professional Diploma in Community Dance from the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance in London. Through her experience at Laban, she interned with diverse community-based arts organizations, including English National Ballet (London) and City Moves (Aberdeen, Scotland) to gain teaching exposure with different populations and ideas for program development and management. As a board member of the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative, Boston co-chairs the Arts for Every Student program committee, which focuses on arts experiences for DC public and charter school students.

Emily Ellis, Information Services Manager
Emily Ellis is responsible for fulfilling information requests regarding funding, staffing, grant making and other arts policy issues. In addition, she manages the e-NASAA virtual learning system, creative economy resource center, grant question database, and other research projects. Prior to coming to NASAA, Ellis spent five seasons at Washington Performing Arts Society, most recently as assistant director of marketing and ticket services. In addition to managing the organization's box office operations and marketing strategies, she was responsible for conducting all market research and analysis. Along with completing studies on cultural participation, communications, branding and venue feasibility, she was the point person on all community and national research projects, including the Performing Arts Research Coalition. Ellis holds a Bachelor's of Business Administration in marketing, with a minor in music, from George Washington University.

Sharon Gee, Meetings/Events Manager
Sharon Gee has more than 20 years of experience in arts management, budget administration, and national meeting, exhibition and special event planning. Gee joined NASAA in 2000 and is responsible for planning and executing NASAA's meetings and special events, including board meetings, annual conferences and Leadership Institutes. She also manages meetings and events for one of NASAA's key partners, the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, including the annual Coming Up Taller awards ceremonies and the Leadership Enhancement Conferences.

Prior to joining NASAA, Gee spent 13 years at Gannett Company, Inc., where she planned the annual capital appropriations committee meetings for executives and regional division presidents and reported on monthly capital budget requests and expenditures. Gee also gained valuable committee management experience as a member of the Young Benefactors of the Smithsonian Institution, where she served as vice chair of an annual gala. She also served for 12 years on the board of a Maryland nonprofit arts organization, where she chaired its national photography competitions and exhibitions.

Gee received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland. She has extensive experience in the fine arts, including working with an international exhibitor that specialized in traditional and modern Japanese woodblock prints; working in a fine arts auction house and appraisal service; and with a premier fine arts gallery that specialized in 18th and 19th century English and French antiques. In addition, Gee has found success as a professional fine art and expedition photographer and her work is in the permanent collections of several U.S. embassies, corporations and private collections. She has also served as an expedition photographer on a number of projects, including a research study on killer whales, an archaeological excavation at Caesarea Maritima, and an international yacht race.

Pat Hanley, Executive Asssistant
As executive assistant, Pat Hanley manages the office of the CEO, serves as a liaison with staff and supports NASAA's resource development function. Hanley comes to the arts through a most circuitous route. She began her professional career in health care, having worked in hospitals in Illinois and Minnesota and as the director of a college student health service before being transferred to Maryland with her family. Following a lifelong interest in the arts, Hanley returned to school and obtained a bachelor's degree in art history from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. After completing an internship at the National Gallery of Art and exploring other arts-related fields, she joined NASAA in 1999.

Kelly Liu, National Standard Associate
Kelly Liu has been the National Standard Associate at NASAA since 1998. She receives the annual reports of grants awarded by the state arts agencies and regional arts organizations. Using grants data from the states, Liu helps NASAA make the case for public funding of the arts. She also provides technical assistance to members who use the National Standard for Arts Information Exchange for their grants reporting.

Prior to joining NASAA, Liu worked for the National Association of Counties, the Council on Environmental Quality and the Department of the Interior. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Drake University and a Master of Public Administration degree from Syracuse University.

Lindsay Russell, Research Associate
As research associate, Lindsay Russell conducts surveys and analysis of state arts agency operations and funding. She fulfills information requests regarding legislative appropriations, staff size and compensation, Percent for Art programming and policy, and geographical representations of state arts agency grant making. She also carries out internal evaluation and assessment of NASAA conferences and other programming. Russell holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and psychology from Georgetown University.

Traci Slater-Rigaud, Manager, Coming Up Taller Program
Traci Slater-Rigaud manages the Coming Up Taller Program with the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities through a cooperative agreement with NASAA. The Coming Up Taller Awards are the nation's highest honor for after-school and out-of-school programs that use the arts and humanities to enrich the lives of at-risk children.

Slater-Rigaud is the former program coordinator for arts in education with the National PTA where she managed the Reflections Program. Prior to the National PTA, she was curator of education at Miami Art Museum. Her work there included developing and managing a broad range of educational programming for school, family and adult audiences. Slater-Rigaud's background also includes work as the public programs manager at the Baltimore Museum of Art, where she created and managed large-scale programs for the permanent collection and special exhibitions. She has several years of experience in community-based arts education and has a sincere passion for making the arts accessible to all communities. She holds a B.S. in social science and an M.A. in art education, both from the University of Cincinnati.

Laura S. Smith, CFRE, Director of Resource Development
Laura Smith joined the NASAA staff in 2002. With more than ten years of experience fundraising in the not-for-profit sector, she has developed special interests in nonprofit board development, individual giving and establishing or revitalizing development programs. At NASAA, she is responsible for shaping and implementing the organization's contributed and earned income activities to diversify and expand its funding base. She is especially interested in developing innovative, strategic funding partnerships among the public, private and nonprofit sectors that can improve the overall arts environment in the United States.

Prior to joining NASAA, Smith served as director of foundations for the National Mentoring Partnership and as assistant director of development for the American Architectural Foundation and its historic house museum, the Octagon. She began her fundraising career at the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis, where she also helped found a site-specific theater performance company called Skewed Visions. She is currently on the board of One In Ten/Reel Affirmations, she has advised the boards of several local and national nonprofit arts organizations, and has served on grant award panels for state arts agencies and the National Governors Association. Smith has a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies from Georgetown University.