Racial Equity in Arts Funding Workshop: March 2024

Jonny Altrogge

Facilitator, True North EDI

Jonny Altrogge is originally from the Pittsburgh area but has lived and worked in New York City for nearly 10 years. In addition to his work around Diversity, Equity, and Interdependent consulting and facilitating he is a school coach for the NYC public school system. Outside of work Jonny loves all things outdoor-related, and is a musician who previously performed in small venues around the city. Jonny is passionate about continuing his own learning as well as guiding and supporting others on their journey towards understanding what justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion mean in our ever-evolving world and communities. Jonny believes that organizational advancement and achievement begins with understanding the self, and reflecting and focusing on ways in which we can grow as individual.

Nadia Elokdah

Vice President & Director of Programs, Grantmakers in the Arts

Nadia Elokdah is an urbanist, designer, and cultural producer. She currently serves as deputy director and director of programs for Grantmakers in the Arts. Most recently she served as special projects manager with the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and she coordinated and co-authored the City’s Monuments Commission and CreateNYC, the first-ever comprehensive cultural plan for NYC in 2017. In this role, she coordinated and led hundreds of engagements with a broad cross-section of the peoples, communities, and stakeholders city-wide. Elokdah is a trained architect and design strategist, researcher, professor, and published author. She holds a Master of Arts in Theories of Urban Practice from Parsons The New School for Design and a Bachelors of Architecture from Temple University.

Sherylynn Sealy

Facilitator, Grantmakers in the Arts

Sherylynn Sealy is a strategist, artist, yoga instructor, and educator with a varied background. Prior to her role with Grantmakers in the Arts, Sealy was a philanthropy fellow with the New York Community Trust where she engaged with arts and culture funders and organizations across New York City. She previously served as a consultant for the New Haven Mayor’s Office and Superintendent’s Office on their implementation of the city-wide Youth Stat Initiative. Managing over 200 student-cases, she served as the point of contact for schools and local partners. She served on the Dance/NYC Junior Committee and is the producing artistic director at Greater Glory Nazarene Ministries in Brooklyn, NY. She continues to explore her passion for performing arts, traveling, and spreading a message of hope. She holds a Masters of Public Administration in Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy from New York University, Bachelors of Science in Education and Psychology from Northeastern University, and is a Teach for America alumna.

Edwin Torres

President & CEO, Grantmakers in the Arts

Eddie Torres is a social change leader in the nonprofit, philanthropic and public sectors - currently serving as president and CEO of Grantmakers in the Arts. Torres served as deputy commissioner of cultural affairs for New York City, where we played a leadership role in the development of the city’s long-term sustainability plan, the city's first cultural plan and a study of and efforts to support the diversity of the city’s cultural organizations. Prior, Torres was a program officer with The Rockefeller Foundation, where we supported arts and culture, employment access, and resilience. Torres has also served in the dean’s office at Parsons School for Design, at The Ford Foundation and at the Bronx Council on the Arts. Torres serves on the board of directors of United Philanthropy Forum, as well as serving on its Public Policy Committee. Torres holds a Master of Arts in Art History from Hunter College and a Master of Science in Management from The New School.

Tariana Navas-Nieves

Denver Arts & Venues

Tariana Navas-Nieves, Deputy Director for Denver Arts & Venues, City and County of Denver, has 30 years of experience in management, equity and race and social justice work, philanthropy, curatorial practice, translation and interpretation, television, and communications. She oversees the City departments of Public Art, Cultural Programs & Events, Creative Industries, SCFD Tier III (Tax District) funding, Arts Education, and the agency’s numerous cultural investments and grant programs. Navas-Nieves is also on the City’s Equity Leadership Team responsible for the oversight and implementation of the City’s equity platform working with all City agencies and ~13K employees. Navas-Nieves serves on national, regional and local boards including: GIA (Chair), Philanthropy Colorado (Chair), Philanthropy Colorado Arts & Culture Funders (Co-Chair), Denver Latino Commission, and the Community ACTS Fund focused on funding to support BIPOC, people with disabilities, LGBTQ+, and other historically marginalized communities. She is co-author of the Re-Tool: Racial Equity in the Panel Process, and created the learning series “How to be an Anti-Racist Organization. A Conversation with Dwinita & Tariana.” With an expertise in Latin American and American Indian art, she has also served in curatorial posts at the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, Denver Art Museum, Museo de las Americas, and for private collections in the US and Puerto Rico.

Denise Brown

Executive Director, Leeway Foundation

Denise (pronouns: she/her) is currently Co-Chair of Bread and Roses Community Fund. In addition, she serves on the advisory committee of Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and the boards of Philadelphia’s newly formed Philadelphia Public Access Corporation, Delaware Valley Grantmakers, the Henrietta Wurts Memorial Fund, and Scribe Video Center, a Philadelphia-based media arts organization. She served as Associate Director of the Bread and Roses Community Fund from 1998 to 2005 and was a part of Leeway's program redesign process in 2001. In addition to consulting with the Foundation on a number of projects, she has served as a member of Leeway's Advisory Council and interim Board of Directors, officially joining the staff in July 2006. She previously served on the board of the Funding Exchange and the Women's Community Revitalization Project. A graduate of Brown University, Denise was a film programmer for the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, from its debut until 1998. She has also served as a panelist for the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the Pennsylvania Humanities Council.