Operating Support

Melodie Bahan: Bahan is executive director of MN Film & TV. She previously served as the first vice president of communications for Artspace, the nation?s leading developer of affordable space for artists; and as the director of communications for the Guthrie Theater. Prior to joining the Guthrie, Bahan spent ten years in New York, where she served as the president of NOW-NYC. She currently serves as a volunteer board member for the MSP Film Society. She graduated from the U of M with a BA in journalism.; Paul Dice: Dice is president of the nonprofit organization International Friendship Through the Performing Arts. As vice president of the Gamelan Society of Minnesota, Dice helped establish Minnesota?s first gamelan (Indonesian chime gong orchestra) program that eventually became part of the Schubert Club. He can be seen throughout China via the online broadcasting station MV China as a program expert on Rainbow Education Program videos. He served as music advisor for the six-episode Twin Cities Public Television series Made in China and as an English editor for the Hal Leonard Chinese pipa method book written by Gao Hong. Dice studied composition at the Boston Conservatory of Music and with composer Lou Harrison. His music has been performed throughout the United States, China, and Russia. He has received commissions from the American Composers Forum, Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, Carleton Chinese Music Ensemble, Listen, Edina Concert Orchestra, Chinese Heritage Foundation, and Fedogan and Bremer Publishing. He was awarded a Dunhuang Cup in Nanchang, China; received a 2013 Arts Board Artist Initiative grant; and received a McKnight established artist award from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council in 2012 and 2016.; Sharon Fischlowitz: Fischlowitz has served on the staff and boards of arts and law related nonprofits, as executive director of Black Label Movement and the Minnesota Justice Foundation, as board chair of the Creative Tech Alliance, fka GLITCH, and the Lexington Hamline Community Council. She worked for Congressman Bruce Vento, Equal Justice Works, the Center for Medieval Studies, and the Institute for Advanced Study at UMN. She taught street law and poverty law at William Mitchell College of Law. She now practices law. She earned her AB in comparative arts from Washington University and her law degree from William Mitchell.; Sonja Jacobsen: Jacobsen is a 1974 graduate of Hastings College (Hastings, NE) receiving a BM in 1974. Jacobsen taught K-12 vocal/instrumental music in public and parochial schools in Nebraska and Minnesota. In 2015 she retired as office manager from Jacobsen Metal Fabrication, Inc. a company she cofounded with her husband in 1984. Jacobsen served three terms on the Mankato Symphony board of directors and during her tenure chaired several major fundraising events (Rockin' in the Quarry, Rockin' by the River, Music & Brews), served as development chair, and as board president.; Matthew Keefe: Keefe has served the arts for over 25 years as a dancer, teacher, choreographer, administrator, production manager, board member, producer, and artistic director. He holds an MFA in dance from the University of Iowa and a nonprofit management certificate from Rutgers University. He danced in the Twin Cities for James Sewell Ballet and is currently teaching dance at Highland Park High School. Keefe is the cofounder of DanceCo, a professional company that produces original productions for young audiences and their families.; Laurie Kess: Kess is a retired educator. She enjoyed her tenure in the Ely Public School District which included stints as a teacher, counselor, assistant principal, and principal. She was instrumental in securing Arts Board grants for artist residencies, in both elementary and high school classes, that benefitted the community. Her avocation has been involvement in community theater, community vocal groups, and supporting arts through the local Northern Lakes Arts Association. Among the wonders of arts experiences, she believes that a great benefit is to have people of diverse backgrounds, ages, and life experiences find common ground and joy in participation. Kess has a BS in home economics, a MA in school counseling, and K-12 principal licensure.; Eva Margolis: Margolis serves as Economic Opportunity program officer at Greater Twin Cities United Way where she engages with nonprofit community partners and across sectors focusing on workforce development and wealth building strategies that bring about equitable change. Prior to joining United Way in May 2020, Margolis served for over nine years as economic empowerment and employment services director at Lutheran Social Service where she was responsible for the strategic planning, development, and implementation/evaluation of its programs. She also has worked in the asset building, housing, and youth development fields. She is deeply committed to social, racial, and economic justice. For over 20 years she has volunteered in various efforts that support a vision for the abolition of the prison industrial complex. Margolis received her BA in anthropology from Occidental College in Los Angeles. ; Aryca Myers: Myers has been involved in the arts and nonprofit world throughout her entire career. From stage managing to serving on the board of a theater company, her work in various capacities provides a holistic view of how organizational leadership and vision shape the magic that happens onstage, in the gallery, or in community. Currently a neighborhood support specialist for the City of Minneapolis, Myers received her MA in international and intercultural management from the School for International Training.; John Neveaux: Neveaux has been involved as an actor, director, or designer in over 25 theatrical productions in the last ten years in the greater metro area. Most recently, he was cast as Otto Frank in SOAR Regional Arts production of Diary of Anne Frank, and Theatre 55?s virtual production of Phillip Marlowe?s Trouble Is My Business; directed and designed the set for the the spring 2021 Delano High School production of The Theory of Relativity, and directed Delano High School?s fall on stage production of Jookalorum, A Singular Sampling of Sensational Stories by O. Henry. He has been a member of the boards of 4 Community Theatre, Chain Reaction Theatre Project, and Skylark Opera Company, and recently acted as a grant reviewer for the Minnesota State Arts Board. In his day job, Neveaux is an attorney in Wayzata and teaches business law at local colleges.; Yan Pang, Pang is a composer, performer, and scholar. She received her PhD in music with a minor in theater arts and dance at the University of Minnesota. Her work focuses on intercultural music composition and performance. As part of this interest, she has been commissioned to compose and invited to perform in music festivals throughout the world. She considers her music composition as a means to build multicultural understanding and tolerance. A selection of her varied works includes the album Glory Times (as songwriter and music director) by the China Science & Culture Audio & Video Publishing House; the score ?Solis Ortus? (winner of the SunRiver International Composition Competition) by China?s People?s Cultural Publishing Company; the paper ?Scene of Sichuan Opera? (coauthored with Mingzhu Song); and the books Cool Math for Hot Music, All About Music, Basic Music Technology, and The Future of Music (coauthored with Guerino Mazzola et al.) by Springer.; Samantha Prudhon Falkowski, Falkowski is currently working at Affinity Plus FCU as a video banker. She assists with new account and lending requests; building relationships, reviewing analytical data, and finding creative solutions for members. Falkowski graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BA in studio art. She has since put her passion for the arts to use by volunteering with White Bear Center for the Arts, Mia?s Art Adventure, and has been a grant review panelist twice for the Metropolitan Regional Art Council.; Jenny Stratton, Stratton is the Connecting Kids program coordinator which serves the greater Mankato area. The program is designed to reduce the financial barriers for low-income youth to be involved in an out-of-school time activity of choice. This involves everything from traditional sports, arts, music, summer camps, etc. Stratton has more than fifteen years of professional experience working in the collective fields of nonprofit management, higher education, and finance. Stratton has a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in business administration.