A select few of the accomplished Women who are often featured in The Agenda News
Melanie Adams named Director of the Anacostia Community Museum
Melanie Adams was named Director of the Anacostia Community Museum by the Smithsonian Institution in May, 2019: her tenure will begin on August 5.“She has led efforts at the Minnesota Historical Society to develop strategic partnerships, audiences and resources within local communities since 2016. As deputy director, she managed 26 historic sites and museums throughout Minnesota. During her tenure, she created the community outreach department to provide partnerships and programs outside the museum walls. Before her time at the Minnesota Historical Society, Adams was a managing director of the Missouri Historical Society for 11 years. Adams was president of the Association of Midwest Museums from 2014 to 2016, and she now serves on the council of the American Association for State and Local History. Adams holds a bachelor’s degree in English/African-American studies from the University of Virginia, a master’s degree in education from the University of Vermont and a doctorate from the University of Missouri St. Louis in educational leadership and policy studies. She succeeds Lori Yarrish, who was the director of the museum from December 2017 until her death in August 2018. Lisa Sasaki, director of the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center, has served as interim director since then.
Image below: Melanie Adams - Photo by Brady Willette
Melanie Adams - Photo by Brady Willette
Susan Wadsworth to Step Down as President of Young Concert Artists
Daniel Kellogg was named President of Young Concert Artists (YCA) in February 2019; his tenure will begin on July 1.He will succeed Director Susan Wadsworth, who held the position for 58 years.She will continue as Creative Consultant through 2020-2021 & will help to plan the 60th Anniversary of YCA. Daniel Kellogg became a YCA Composer-in-Residence in 2002, and his works have been premiered by the Philadelphia Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, and other distinguished venues.
Kellogg is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the Yale School of Music. He is the Christoffersen Composition Fellow and Professor of Composition at the University of Colorado.
Susan Wadsworth created YCA in 1961 and has identified and mentored the early careers of Emanuel Ax, Richard Goode, Murray Perahia, Jeremy Denk and Anne-Marie McDermott, violinists Pinchas Zukerman, and Ani Kavafian, and composers Andrew Norman, Mason Bates, Kenji Bunch and Kevin Puts, among many others.
Gisèle Becker - Music Director of Cantate Chamber Singers
Gisèle Becker performed her final concert as Music Director of Cantate Chamber Singers on May 18, 2019 at St. John's Episcopal Church, Norwood Parish. She has served as the Cantate’s music director since January 1994, and she also serves as Director of Choral Activities at The George Washington University. She served as a singer and assistant conductor of the Washington Bach Consort for 26 years, and she also served for ten years as Chorus Master for the Cathedral Choral Society. Director Becker served on the faculties of Trinity College and The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., as well as the University of Maryland. Visit https://cantate.org/
Gisèle Becker
Kaywin Feldman - Director of The National Gallery of Art
Kaywin Feldman became Director of the National Gallery of Art in March, 2019. She succeeded Earl A. Powell III, who had served as director since 1992.
The Gallery houses the nation's collection of fine art and receives more than 5.2 million visitors annually from around the world. Kaywin Feldman was named the Director and President of the Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) in 2008.She expanded the Mia's collection while also “opening the Institute’s doors to community dialogue, doubling attendance, and engaging with the defining social issues of our era.”
Anthea M. Hartig, Ph.D. appointed Director of The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
Anthea M. Hartig, Ph.D. was appointed the new Elizabeth MacMillan Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in December, 2018. She will be the first woman to hold that position when she joins the museum on February 18, 2019. Dr. Hartig will oversee the care of some 1.8 million objects and will be responsible to ensure that the museum’s roughly 4 million on-site and 8.5 million online visitors have the best experiences possible. A Californian, Dr. Hartig was the Executive Director and CEO of the California Historical Society for the last seven years.She formerly served as chair of the State Historical Resources Commission, and her work was recognized in 2011 with the prestigious California Preservationist of the Year Award for “outstanding contributions, exceptional achievements and more than 25 years of service in the field of historic preservation in California.” As a public historian, professor, author and city planner, Dr. Hartig is dedicated to making history accessible and relevant.
Image below:Anthea M. Hartig, Ph.D. - Photo by Roman Cho.
Anthea M. Hartig, Ph.D.
Monica Jeffries Hazangeles - President & CEO Strathmore
Monica Jeffries Hazangeles was named Strathmore’s new President and CEO in August, 2018 by the Board of Directors. She will succeed Eliot Pfanstiehl, who founded Strathmore in 1981. Pfanstiehl & Jeffries Hazangeles guided the evolution of Strathmore into Maryland’s “most prolific multidisciplinary arts presenter and producer.” She assumed her new role at Strathmore on September 1, 2018. Jeffries Hazangeles played a central role in securing $110M in public and private funding to build the world-class Music Center at Strathmore, which opened in 2005. She has advanced Strathmore’s mission by promoting several key programs, including Bloom, an initiative that encompasses Strathmore’s community outreach work in Montgomery County. She cultivated new audiences, notably in the Pike District on Rockville Pike, with the creation of AMP, the new music & dining space at Pike & Rose. Jeffries Hazangeles has worked as an arts professional for more than 25 years and holds a B.M. in Flute Performance from The Florida State University (1989), a M.M. in Flute Performance from The University of Missouri-Kansas City (1991), and an M.A. in Arts Management from American University (1996).
Image below: Monica Jeffries Hazangeles
To read more about Monica Jeffries Hazangeles & Strathmore, visit www.strathmore.org/
Monica Jeffries Hazangeles
Julie Kent - Artistic Director The Washington Ballet
Julie Kent, The Washington Ballet's Artistic Director, received the 2018 Dance Teacher Award of Distinction from Dance Teacher magazine on August 4. Kent undertook the leadership role of The Washington Ballet (TWB) in 2016 with the goal of “providing the next generation of dancers with opportunities and experiences that will help them develop a successful dance career.” Under her artistic guidance, TWB “has further elevated standards and provides the highest level of training for students including Professional Training Programs to fully integrate the company and school.” Her long-term vision is to elevate the prominence of the TWB as a world-class ballet company in the Nation's capital by concurrently expanding the size of the company while broadening its repertoire. She has introduced into the company’s repertoire seminal works by George Balanchine, Frederick Ashton, Jerome Robbins, Antony Tudor, Justin Peck and Alexei Ratmansky while embracing the work of emerging choreographers. Her commitment to the development of both the dancer and the art form is fulfilled through presentation of beloved classic 19th-century ballets and landmark 20th-century works while reaffirming a commitment to commissioned works that will contribute to the evolution of ballet and its relevance in our times.
Dr. Dorothy Kosinski - Vradenburg Director & CEO The Phillips Collection
Dr. Dorothy Kosinski, who has served as Director of the Phillips Collection for ten years, has been named the Vradenburg Director and Chairman of the Board of the Collection. The directorship of the museum has been endowed by a gift of $5.29 million in honor of George and the late Trish Vradenburg. Mr. Vradenburg was elected as a Trustee in 2001 and served as Chairman of the Board from 2002-2016. In 2016, she became Honorary Chairman and Trustee Emeritus. During her tenure as Director of The Phillips Collection, Dr. Kosinski has led the museum into partnerships with the University of Maryland in College Park and the Town Hall Education Arts Recreation Campus (THEARC) in Southeast DC. She created Intersections, a contemporary art exhibition series, and grew the museum’s collection of photographs to over 1,000 works. Under her leadership, the museum has actively sought “to broaden the subject matter of its exhibitions to align with pressing issues of the day and highlight artworks made by women, artists of color, and other underrepresented groups.”
Stephanie Stebich - Director of The Smithsonian American Art Museum
Stephanie Stebich (pronounced STEE-BISH) was named the Margaret and Terry Stent Director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in 2017. She is responsible for the nation’s premier collection of American art and major exhibition, research, publication, education and digital-media programs at the museum and its Renwick Gallery. She is also a trustee of the American Alliance of Museums and chairs its global steering committee.Stebich was formerly executive director of the Tacoma Art Museum, where she championed the presentation of many groundbreaking exhibitions and secured major collection gifts. She has a bachelor’s degree in art history from Columbia University and a master’s degree with a concentration in modern art from the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. She was a fellow at the Guggenheim Museum and has studied at the University College London.
Stephanie Stebich
Kim Sajet - Director of The National Portrait Gallery
Kim Sajet was appointed director of the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in 2013. Nigerian-born, Sajet was raised in Australia and is also a citizen of the Netherlands. Director Sajet's global perspective is a great asset to the Portrait Gallery. She was the president and CEO of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania from 2007 to 2013 and held other distinguished positions before that. Sajet has a master’s degree in art history at Bryn Mawr College and a master’s degree in business administration at Melbourne University Business School in Australia. She completed arts leadership training at the Harvard Business School and has 20 years of arts management experience. She has written a number of scholarly publications, curated permanent-collection and touring exhibitions and spoken at academic symposia. Her most recent publication was on American artists who worked in Dutch art colonies between 1880 and 1914.
Kim Sajet
Cecelia Schieve - Director of Education and Outreach Virginia Opera
Virginia Opera announced the appointment of Cecelia Schieve as Director of Education and Outreach in June 2018. Ms. Schieve has extensive experience in opera, opera education, and as a community leader in the Arts in Virginia. She has worked closely with both the Virginia Commission for the Arts and OPERA America. With a background in music and a life-long opera educator, Schieve brings extraordinary credentials to Virginia Opera’s administrative staff. She has many years of combined experience as a professional opera singer and arts administrator, with a special dedication to opera education.
WETA’s PBS NewsHour named Judy Woodruff solo anchor in March. NewsHour “illuminates issues and events in the news, reporting the facts, offering critical context, and presenting thoughtful, civil discussion and insightful news analysis.” In 2011, Woodruff became one of the program’s rotating anchors. In 2013, she and the late Gwen Ifill were named co-anchors and managing editors of the program, marking the first time in history two women were the co-anchor team for a national nightly news broadcast. Woodruff served as sole anchor and managing editor of NewsHour after Gwen Ifill’s passing in November 2016. With more than four decades of experience reporting at PBS, NBC and CNN, Woodruff has covered 12 presidential elections; interviewed seven U.S. presidents; and has received many journalism awards. WETA's PBS NewsHour airs at 7 p.m. each weeknight on WETA TV 26 & WETA HD. Image below: Judy Woodruff
To see the current WETA schedule, visit www.weta.org
Rita Shapiro - Interim Executive Director The Washington Chorus
The Washington Chorus announced in late April, 2018 that Rita Shapiro, former Executive Director of the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO), will serve as Interim Executive Director of the Chorus upon the departure of Chase Maggiano.TWC - now in its 57th season - is one of the foremost symphonic choruses in the nation. Rita Shapiro’s career at several renowned arts institutions has included fundraising, event planning, touring, operations, and more than 15 years of executive leadership. At the NSO, “she managed a $35+ million operating budget and stewarded the 60-member Board of Directors. She guided staff and board teams through strategic and creative planning processes as well as collective bargaining efforts. "Shapiro served as Operations Manager of The Cleveland Orchestra for 12 years and held fundraising positions with the Boston Symphony and the Cleveland Play House. "Her consulting work included fundraising for the Budapest Festival Orchestra’s new opera festival in Vicenza, Italy, and executive search research for Spencer Stuart. She is also a past president of the DC chapter of the International Women’s Forum, a networking organization of women executives from diverse professional backgrounds.”
Rita Shapiro
Dr. Saharah Moon Chapotin - Executive Director U.S. Botanic Garden
Dr. Saharah Moon Chapotin was named Executive Directorof the U.S. Botanic Garden (USBG) in February, 2018. Before joining the USBG, Dr. Chapotin worked at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where she has served since 2006. She was the Deputy Assistant to the Administrator at USAID’s Bureau for Food Security. Dr. Chapotin holds a bachelor of science in biology from Stanford University and a doctorate in plant physiology from Harvard University. Before her work with USAID, she completed fellowships at Iowa State University and the National Academies working on issues of biosafety policy, scientific communication and national security.
Maria Manuela Goyanes - Artistic Director Woolly Mammoth Theatre
Maria Manuela Goyanes was named to succeed Howard Shalwitz in September, 2018 as Artistic Director of Woolly Mammoth Theatre.She comes fromThe Public Theaterin New York, where she serves as the Director of Producing and Artistic Planning. She oversees the day-to-day execution of plays and musicals at the five-theater venue at Astor Place, as well as the Delacorte Theater for Shakespeare in the Park. She also spearheads the season-planning process & the planning and integration of The Public’s artistic programs.She is a member of the faculties of both Juilliard and NYU, a board member of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre, the former Executive Producer of the 13P playwrights collective, and the former Co-Chair of the Soho Rep Writer/Director Lab. She is known as “a champion for adventurous playwrights and an inspiration for great actors, directors, and designers, and she’s poised to play a leadership role in our city and in our field. She’s one of the most highly regarded artistic producers in the field, and she’s had a huge influence on so many artists making work today. Most importantly, her values are deeply aligned with Woolly’s."
Maria Manuela Goyanes
Dr. Ellen Stofan - Director The National Air & Space Museum
Dr. Ellen Stofan has been named the first woman to lead the National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian Institution announced in April, 2018. The former chief scientist at NASA, she will succeed General J.R. “Jack” Dailey, who retired early this year. Dr. Stofan, who has a background in geology, helped to lead in the development of a long-term plan to get humans to Mars.Her father was a NASA rocket scientist, and she attended her first rocket launch at Cape Canaveral at the age of 4. Dr. Stofan has commented that “Space and aviation inspire our next generation of explorers, and there is no better place to experience this than at our museums on the Mall and at the Udvar-Hazy Center.” She will be overseeing an institution with more than 300 full-time employees and a budget of $48 million.
