LEADERSHIP
Kaisha S. Johnson
Co-Founder and Founding Director
Kaisha S. Johnson is the Founding Director of Women of Color in the Arts (WOCA), a national grassroots network dedicated to creating transformational change in the arts sector. Kaisha co-founded WOCA to provide a platform to help give voice and visibility to women of color, to help fortify leadership roles for arts administrators of color, and to reinforce a world where everyone has a seat at the table. Prior to her work with WOCA, Kaisha served as a program director at Center for Traditional Music and Dance for over a decade, organizing in NYC immigrant artist communities, working to promote, preserve, and present performance traditions from around the world. With a strong commitment to facilitating culturally equitable programming, Kaisha has served as a consultant providing vision of curation, program development, and community integration. She has consulted with countless organizations including Lincoln Center, The Apollo Theater, and Dance/NYC and has served on numerous grant panels including the NEA, USArtists International, and MAP Fund. Working across the globe, Kaisha also serves as a thought partner providing consultation to organizations to help foster understanding about equity and race and their impact on organizational culture, structure, and systems. A love of community learning has led her to teaching positions at City University of New York and the Center for Bronx Non-Profits. A decades-long resident of Harlem, New York, initially Kaisha got her start in her hometown of Houston, Texas – where she now resides - as a classically-trained violinist. Ms. Johnson holds a Bachelor's degree in music from the HBCU Hampton University, a Master’s in music business administration from NYU and has done post-graduate work in ethnomusicology. Kaisha has over 25 years of experience in the arts and is a proud alumna of the first cohort of the Intercultural Leadership Institute. Ms. Johnson is a staunch advocate for the arts, believing in its innate ability to create social change.
Princess Belton
Managing Director
Princess Belton began her journey in the arts and community engagement in early childhood. As a child, she actively participated in art magnet programs, College Bound, and youth programs at her church. While prioritizing artistic pursuits, she remained open to diverse learning opportunities. A graduate of Rutgers University with a B.F.A. in Visual Arts, Princess holds certifications in Women’s Leadership and Youth Development. She earned an M.A. in Arts Administration from Savannah College of Art and Design, showcasing her commitment to addressing leadership gaps in the arts, curating Bridging the Gap: Preparing the Next Generation of Arts Leaders. After attaining her degrees and certifications, Princess faced challenges securing a job which led her to embark on a journey of rediscovering her passions and connecting with organizations like Rising Tide Capital and Women of Color in the Arts. In 2017, she shared her insights on Idealist Careers in an article she titled, How To Manage the Job Search Waiting Game, detailing her journey to securing her dream job at the Apollo Theater. After a nine-year tenure at the Apollo Theater, Princess recently became the Director of Processes and Operations at Women of Color in the Arts. In this role, she serves as a thought partner and contributes to institutionalizing new and existing practices. Princess remains dedicated to helping others and creating systems and spaces that foster individuals' growth. Beyond her career, Princess finds joy in journaling and volunteering at her church with TSC Kids. She established MissPrinB Virtual Assist, LLC, dedicated to providing project management and administrative support for companies and organizations.
Geysa Castro
Director of Advancement + Community Impact
A native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Geysa Castro’s professional trajectory has been as a breaker of boundaries for women of color and an advocate for the access of BIPOC and underserved communities to the Performing Arts. She began her career in Classical Ballet at the renowned Companhia de Ballet do Rio de Janeiro as a one of the very first women of African descent to be a featured dancer, part of the generation that shattered the color line in Brazil’s Ballet world. More recently she was also the first woman of African descent to graduate from the ground-breaking MBA program in Creative Economy at Brazil’s most prestigious Business School, FGV (Fundação Getulio Vargas – MBA em Gestão e Produção Cultural com foco em Economia Criativa). She was the first Brazilian member of WOCA, joining the organization soon after its inception almost 15 years ago.
It was in New York, where Geysa trained with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre and was mentored by Shirley Ubell at the Center for Modern Dance Education, that she began her evolution from a performer and teacher to the business and administrative side of the Arts. She co-founded her own Cultural and Performing Arts company, GingaP. Culture Business, with whom she produced conferences, professional development and capacity building initiatives and festivals, in the process, presenting and collaborating with some of the most important figures in Jazz and Brazilian music, including McCoy Tyner, Joshua Redman, Branford Marsalis, Letieres Leite & Orchestra Rumpilezz and Baiana System.
For the past six years she has been working with CMA (Chamber Music America) as Director of Membership Services and a leader in the organization’s DEI efforts, raising and distributing funds to advance the small ensemble community, advocating for more resources to be provided to artists of color in classical music. Geysa currently lives in New York City, Harlem to be specific, and maintains a home in Bahia/Brazil.
Charley Harris
Membership Manager
Charley Harris Hill is a proud Brooklyn native who works as the Membership Manager for Women of Color in the Arts (WOCA) having previously served as the Administrative Associate. Prior to WOCA, Charley also served as the Senior Manager of Patron Services for the Museum of the City of New York. After graduating from Adelphi University with a B.S. in Exercise Science, Charley began her professional arts career working for the Martha Graham Dance Company. At Martha Graham, she had the wonderful opportunity of leading international trips for donors and creating greater points of access to the Martha Graham Studio Theater for audiences and community members. At the Museum of the City of New York, Charley was able to further develop her fundraising and relationship-building skills to help draw current and new supporters closer to the museum. Charley works diligently to continue the impactful work of WOCA in helping to grow its membership community. Mrs. Harris Hill is also currently following her passion of becoming an esthetician and recently graduated from esthetician school in December 2022.
COLLABORATORS
Ashley Walden
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Unlock Creative Coaching & Management Solutions LLC
https://www.unlockcreative.org
Ashley Walden is a proven leader, change agent, and visionary. Ashley has a lot of roles and titles with her favorite being mom to 8-year-old Eden. Ashley is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Unlock Creative Enterprises, a social enterprise that includes a boutique consulting firm, foundation, and the National Black Women’s Creative Cooperative.
Ashley has nearly two decades of experience in nonprofit management and community-based arts business administration. She is driven by authenticity and a love of people.
She has held positions at Alternate ROOTS and Cornerstone Theater Company. Taught in the theater departments at Kennesaw State University and CalState Long Beach. She holds an MFA in Producing from California Institute of the Arts and a BA in Theatre Studies from Old Dominion University. Ashley serves on the Board for Alternate ROOTS, Executive Customer Board of JustWorks and a proud Women of Color in the Arts member. Past Board service includes Appalshop and ODU Black Alumni Chapter.
Some selected honors include the Association of Performing Arts Professional (APAP) Leadership Fellowship, Theater Communications Group (TCG) New Generations: Future Leaders Grant, and Cornerstone Theater Company Paula Altvater Fellowship.
Minkie English
Database Specialist (2022-2023)
Minkie O. English has served as a Senior Project Manager and a Data and Evaluations Specialist in New York City government and within healthcare settings prior to becoming an independent consultant and researcher. She holds a Master’s in Public Administration and her interests are in interdisciplinary research, inquiry-based and project-based learning, and community-centered education that includes the Arts. Her research interests focus on rural education and engaging educational and cultural institutions, with cultural workers, for professional development. Minkie currently serves as the Database Specialist for Women of Color in the Arts (WOCA), and has been instrumental in developing a dynamic platform to best understand and connect WOCA members.
FORMER TEAM MEMBERS
In an effort to document the history of WOCA and acknowledge the tremendous contributions of our community members in the development of our organization, this section recognizes all past members of our WOCA team.
Alisha Patterson
Program Director — Leadership through Mentorship Initiative (2016-2023)
Alisha Patterson is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Afro House, a Baltimore-based organization committed to creating disruptive, music culture. Since the organization’s founding in 2011, Patterson has been at the forefront of producing live experiences that are in alignment with its ambitious mission. They include, Cloud Nebula, an Afrofuturistic sci-fi opera-ballet, the Afro House Concert Series, which celebrates Baltimore’s extraordinary maker scene, and the 100 Year Symposium, a conversation about what a community might be like in 100 years.
As one of Afro House’s chief architects, Alisha has successfully secured funding from foundations such as the T. Rowe Price Foundation and Robert W. Deutsch Foundation and has partnered with entities such as, the Creative Alliance, The Peale Museum, Mixolo and numerous Baltimore makers to expand the reach of the organization’s work. In addition, she has played an instrumental role in the commissions Afro House has received from both local and regional theaters and the prolific and highly acclaimed choreographer, Camille A. Brown. She also worked closely with Afro House’s Artistic Director on creating his award-winning Baker Artist Portfolio.
In 2016 Alisha was tapped by Kaisha S. Johnson, the Founding Director of Women of Color in the Arts to manage the organization’s flagship program. Under Alisha’s stewardship, the Leadership Through Mentorship program has become a highly sought-after career and community building opportunity for entry level, mid-career and seasoned arts administrators of color. In 2019 Kibibi Ajanku, the Greater Baltimore Cultural Alliance’s Equity and Inclusion Director, appointed Alisha to the Urban Arts Leadership Council.
Alisha has a Master of Arts degree in Organizational Management from The George Washington University, a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and Certificate of Concentration in Women’s Studies from the University of Cincinnati.
Learn more about Alisha Patterson at www.afrohouse.org.
Shayna Schlosberg
Director of Strategy and Operations (2020-2022)
Shayna Schlosberg is the inaugural Equity Leader at Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB), where she leads the strategy, vision, and implementation of OPB’s work towards becoming an inclusive and equitable media organization. Prior to joining OPB she was the Director of Strategy + Operations at Women of Color in the Arts, a national, grassroots service organization dedicated to creating racial and cultural equity in the performing arts field. From 2017 to 2021 Shayna was the Managing Director of The Catastrophic Theatre, a highly acclaimed experimental theatre company in Houston, TX. Prior to her work at The Catastrophic Theatre, Shayna was the Associate General Manager at the Alley Theatre, where she played an integral part in expanding the theatre’s international programming, with a focus on Latin American theatre. Ms. Schlosberg has a BFA in Drama from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and an MM in International Arts Management from Southern Methodist University and HEC Montreal. She has served on grant panels for organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts (2018) and Houston Arts Alliance (2017)(2019). She is a graduate of the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture’s Advocacy Leadership Institute, Women of Color in the Arts’ Leadership Through Mentorship program, and a 2020 New Leaders Council Fellow. She was a founding Advisory Committee member for the Houston BIPOC Arts Network Fund. Ms. Schlosberg served in the Peace Corps in Armenia from 2010-2012.