Operating Support

Marsha Anderson: Anderson currently works for the City of Minneapolis Department of Health as a project coordinator for three federal grants and has a Master of public and nonprofit administration degree. Previously, she has been employed at several different nonprofit organizations in development and has reviewed and scored grants for the Greater Twin Cities United Way, City of Minneapolis, and the Minnesota State Arts Board.; Rachel Brophy: Brophy is a lifelong writer who's had a wide variety of experience with words. She graduated from University of Minnesota- Duluth with a degree in teaching English. After graduation, she worked as a teacher in Tucson, Arizona for the Sunnyside School District as well as at Sylvan Learning Center. Upon her return to Minnesota, she worked as a substitute teacher before landing the position of associate editor at her hometown newspaper, The Jackson County Pilot. Eventually, an interview for the paper inspired her to pursue an AA in medical transcription and coding. Brophy worked for a few years as a medical transcriptionist before returning to teaching. Over the course of her life, Brophy has continued to hone her craft in hopes of one day having her books grace the shelves of big and small bookstores. She currently is a staff writer for the Timberjay newspaper in Tower, Minnesota. Most recently, she has also served as a grant reviewer for the Minnesota State Arts Board and takes great pride in aiding the process of furthering the future of arts and artists in her beloved home state.; Michael Brown: Brown is a strategy and marketing consultant in the Twin Cities specializing in arts and other non-profit organizations. He is an actor and has been involved with many area theater groups both on and off stage. He has an MBA from the University of Minnesota. He serves as a board member of The Phipps Center for the Arts.; Cheryl Caponi: Caponi is the executive director and cofounder of the Caponi Art Park. Caponi has dedicated her career to developing the programs, physical space, and organization of the park; and to building community through the arts. Caponi served on the Dakota County Public Arts Commission and several public art selection panels, and has trained in grassroots community building and adapting programs to meet the needs of diverse groups.; Aaron Gabriel: Gabriel (they/them/theirs) is a Minneapolis-based composer, generative theater artist and grants specialist who has written music and lyrics for more than thirty original productions over the past twenty years - primarily sharing narratives from LGBTQIA2+ and diversely abled communities. Their work has been featured nationally and internationally in New York, New Orleans, Algeria, Congo, India, Thailand, England and France at theaters including the Guthrie Theater, Ordway Center, Children's Theater Company, Minnesota Opera and Center for Performance Research. They have been awarded grants from the Jerome Foundation, Theater Communications Group, McKnight Foundation and Minnesota State Arts Board and received an Ivey Award for Madame Majesta's Medicine Show (2013) and Best New Musical Lyrics and Score from Lavender Magazine for Hot Funky Butt Jazz (2018). www.aarongabrielmusic.com; Janet Grove: Grove works at The Basilica of Saint Mary. She has been a cantor/lead musician there for the past forty-four years. Currently she sings, directs the children's musicals, and leads the employment, accessibility, and mental health ministries. Grove has performed throughout the United States and in Europe as a singer and has been a consultant for various arts organizations, especially in arts education, her entire career. She cocreated the Hennepin Theatre Spotlight Program. She is the recipient of a Minnesota State Arts Board grant and several regional arts council grants. Her family held a backyard musical for ten years, raising over $80,000 for an arts scholarship that helped pay for a summer arts camp. Grove is a music and theater major from Macalester College.; Sharon Kwan: Kwan is a retired senior security engineer and aircraft maintenance software engineer at Delta Airlines. She is currently a board member of Twin City Chinese Dance Center (TCCDC) and a board member of Minhua Chorus. She is also a volunteer member for Minnesota Chinese Heritage Foundation and Chinese American Association of Minnesota (CAAM). Kwan has prior experience as a grant review, serving as a panelist for a Metropolitan Regional Arts Council grant.; David Marty: Marty is retired from a career in arts administration (most recently with the Reif Center in Grand Rapids), and currently serves on the school board. He holds a bachelor's degree in communications, with additional arts training including a fellowship in arts administration at the National Endowment for the Arts. He has more than twenty years of experience as an arts presenter with extensive awards and has served on various arts and community boards. He has presented and consulted often for national and regional arts gatherings. He was an officer for the Minnesota Presenters Network and the Minnesota Citizens for the Arts. Marty has also directed and acted in local theater productions.; Susan Messerole: Messerole is the co-artistic director of Exposed Brick Theatre, which is dedicated to telling untold stories, centering omitted narratives, and creating art at the intersection of identities. As a theater director, playwright, and teaching artist, Messerole has worked extensively in the Twin Cities theater community for more than 25 years. Prior positions include associate artistic director at the History Theatre and a resident artist at Pillsbury House + Theater. Currently, she is a member of the leadership team for Million Artist Movement as well as a co-founder of The Subversive Sirens.; Ola Oluwatomini, Oluwatomini is a program manager at Restoration for All, Inc Oluwatomini oversees multiple initiatives, including community vaccination, mental health, and suicide prevention programs. Holding a Master of Public Health in global health from St. Catherine University, Oluwatomini excels at translating complex data into actionable insights. With a history of leadership roles, including cabinet appointee at the Young Women's Initiative and Community Reviewer at Youthprise, Oluwatomini has consistently contributed to policy development and grant evaluations. With extensive experience in program management, policy research, and community engagement, Oluwatomini background aligns well with evaluating grant applications and supporting arts-based initiatives.