Insider

Boston - The New England Foundation for the Arts announces the election of new Board members, officers, and acknowledges retiring members.

“I am excited to welcome these new members who share our commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility, and I am grateful to the entire NEFA board of directors for their steadfast commitment to our work, guiding us through the past 15 months,” said John Henry, NEFA board chair. “We also look forward to staying connected with our members rotating off, who are our valued colleagues.”

At the annual June meeting, the Board elected five new members:

• Magdalena Abrego: Magdalena Abrego is a Boston-based guitarist and teaching artist. Utilizing the languages of free jazz and experimental rock, Magdalena’s music confronts issues of musical tradition through genre-bending improvisation. Magdalena tours across North America and Europe, performing at venues such as Jordan Hall, Roulette Intermedium, Bimhuis, and the Banff Centre for the Arts. She is also the founder of INPUT/OUTPUT, a magazine dedicated to supporting women and non-binary artists working in avant-garde, experimental, and improvised music communities in the United States. Read more. 
• Michael Bobbitt: Michael Bobbitt is a director, choreographer, playwright, and arts leader, and currently serves as Executive Director of the Mass Cultural Council. Prior to that appointment, he served in Artistic Director roles at the New Repertory Theatre in Watertown, MA, and at the Adventure Theatre-MTC in Maryland. Bobbitt has studied leadership and nonprofit management at Harvard Business School, The National Arts Strategies Chief Executive Program, and Cornell University. He has served as an Associate Professor of Theatre at Boston Conservatory at Berklee and volunteered on numerous non-profit boards. Read more.
• David Greenham: Currently serving as Interim Executive Director at the Maine Arts Commission, David Greenham has been involved with theater and community arts in Maine for more than 30 years. Prior to joining the Maine Arts Commission, he spent nine years at the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine, teaching and creating exhibits and events. In addition, David has traveled to perform and teach extensively throughout Maine. David is a member of the Board of the Mid-Maine Global Forum, is a contributing reviewer for the Boston-based online newsletter The ArtsFuse and is a lecturer of drama and Shakespeare at the University of Maine at Augusta. Read more.
• Angie Lane: Angie Lane is the Executive Director of New Hampshire's leading independent movie theater, Red River Theatres in Concord, NH. Actively engaged in community efforts and an advocate for the arts in New Hampshire, Angie currently serves as a director for the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce and Intown Concord. She likewise serves on advisory boards for the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, the Currier Museum of Art, the Concord Coalition, and is a former member of NEFA’s Advisory Council. Read more.
   
• Frank Mitchell: Frank Mitchell is a cultural organizer in visual arts and public humanities, currently serving as curatorial adviser for the Toni N. and Wendell C. Harp Historical Museum at The Dixwell Q House. Mitchell has taught at the University of Connecticut, Trinity College, and the University of the Arts, and has curated exhibitions and published on the topics of African American food culture, African American Connecticut, Black artists exploring spirituality, and more. Mitchell previously served as Executive Director at the Amistad Center for Art and Culture. He began is career at the Studio Museum in Harlem and is a former member of NEFA’s Advisory Council. Read more.

In addition to approving new members, the board elected the following officers:

• John Henry, Chair
• Carrie Zaslow, Vice Chair/Treasurer
• Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, Secretary

The board also acknowledged the service of five outgoing members:

• Geoff Hargadon, UBS Financial Services, Boston, MA – nine years of service
• Taylor Ho Bynum, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH – five years of service
• Kristina Newman-Scott, BRIC, Brooklyn, NY – five years of service
• Ann Smith, Featherstone Center for the Arts, Oak Bluffs, MA – six years of service
• Marco Werman, WGBH/BBC/PRX, Boston & Cambridge, MA – six years of service

About NEFA

The New England Foundation for the Arts invests in artists and communities and fosters equitable access to the arts, enriching the cultural landscape in New England and the nation. NEFA accomplishes this by granting funds to artists and cultural organizations; connecting them to each other and their audiences; and analyzing their economic contributions. NEFA serves as a regional partner for the National Endowment for the Arts, New England’s state arts agencies, and private foundations. Learn more at www.nefa.org.