Alejandra Duque Cifuentes (she/her) is a nonprofit leader and advocate working to advance a more just, equitable, and inclusive arts and cultural ecology by developing measures that arts workers, businesses, and organizations can thrive. Her work is of particular significance to individual arts workers who have been historically under supported, including BIPOC, immigrant disabled, and low-income artists as well as small-budget art making organizations. She brings 15+ years of experience and expertise in strategy, general management, fund development, community organizing, arts education, professional development, and artistic production. Her professional and educational background encompasses business, creative, and civic realms, including a BA from Columbia University School of General Studies in theater directing and an early career as a theater artist, stage manager, and arts educator. She moves with ease and intelligence across sectors, issues, and among diverse stakeholders, from managing internal staff and teams to engaging community and philanthropic partners, artist constituencies, donors, and the general public. She is known for her ability to get results and draws on her deep community relationships to drive accountable collaborations based on trust and data. Through her work on cultural policy, Alejandra has earned appointments to Mayor-Elect Eric Adams’ Transition Committee on Parks, Arts & Culture and A Better Contract for New York’s Joint Task Force. As a result of her leadership during COVID-19 pandemic, she was named 2021 Crain New York's Business Notable in Nonprofits & Philanthropy. She sits on the boards of Nonprofit New York and New Yorkers for Culture and Arts, and is a member of the leadership council of Creatives Rebuild New York. 

In December of 2022, Alejandra transitioned out of her role of Executive Director at Dance/NYC setting in its place a significant structural shift for the organization aimed at creating a more democratic leadership structure for the organization’s future. As a summation of her work and commitment to the sector, she established ADC Consulting, a boutique arts consultancy firm, in order to equip mission-driven organizations to create long-term cultural impact through fundraising, grant making, advocacy, research and organizational change. After being a proud Queens resident for 17 years, she has set new roots in the pacific northwest in the greater Seattle area of Washington state. She identifies as a white, immigrant, latina woman, who believes healthy communities need a strong arts and culture sector and is committed to anti-racist practices that ensure artists can thrive in the United States.

Photo by Jennyroso Photography

www.consultingadc.com

Anu Joshi is the Vice President of Policy at the New York Immigration Coalition where she leads the organization's work on issues relating to immigration status and enforcement. She has worked for over ten years in the immigrant rights movement, including with the Center for New Community in Chicago and the American Immigration Lawyers Association in Washington, D.C. Previously, Anu organized around issues relating to access to education and foreign policy and spent three years as a child services social worker in the Bay Area. She is a native Californian and has her Masters in Social Welfare from UC Berkeley.

http://www.nyic.org

Born in Trinidad and Tobago, now local to Brooklyn, NY, operates between the spheres of dance, cultural production and fitness and wellness, with a focus on the Contemporary Caribbean. She has had an established career as a performer, choreographer, fitness professional, cultural producer, teaching artist, community facilitator and Caribbean dance specialist. In addition to her work in these areas, she leads ContempoCaribe, an ongoing choreography and performance project and is the founder of Dance Caribbean COLLECTIVE, an organisational platform for Caribbean dance in the diaspora that spearheads the New Traditions Festival in Brooklyn, NY. She graduated from Adelphi University's BFA program for Dance, and has presented, performed and taught at major venues including: Queen's Hall (T&T), John F. Kennedy Center, New York Live Arts, Brooklyn Museum, and The Ohio State University. She was an inaugural member of the Dancing While Black Fellowship Cohort 2015/2016, was an awardee of Adelphi University's 2017 - 10 Under 10 program, and a Dixon Place Artist-in-Residence for fall 2017. As a cultural producer and strategist, Candace has worked with the Dance and Performance Institute of Trinidad and Tobago, WIADCA (NY), Sydnie L. Mosley Dances, Renegade Performance Group, and curator Claire Tancons, for the 2019 Sharjah Biennial. Ms. Thompson-Zachery holds an M.A. in Performance Curation from the ICCP program at Wesleyan University and a certificate from the Executive Program in Arts & Culture Strategy at UPenn. with National Arts Strategies. Of tantamount importance to her is the vital role dance plays in our communities and she is eager to see dance artists of various styles, practices and traditions thrive in New York City.

cthompsonzachery@dance.nyc

candacedancefitness.com

Jessica Ramos has spent her life fighting for working families, advocating for labor, and organizing her local community. Born in Elmhurst to an undocumented seamstress and a printing pressman, Jessica was raised in Astoria, attended Queens public schools, and now lives in Jackson Heights with her two sons. A strong union advocate, Ramos worked with Build Up NYC to fight for construction, building and hotel maintenance workers in New York City. Ramos also worked with SSEU Local 371 and 32BJ SEIU. Jessica was a member of Queens Community Board 3 and served as Democratic District Leader in the 39th Assembly District. She sat on the boards of the Jackson Heights Beautification Group and Farmspot, Jackson Heights’ CSA program. She has received awards for her work with the LGBTQ community and her advocacy on behalf of Women and Minority-Owned Businesses. As the first American-born in her family, Jessica feels a deep sense of responsibility in bridging the gap between immigrant and non-immigrant communities. Even as a teenager, Jessica was outspoken against poverty and the internal displacement of Colombians. She was elected President of the NYC Colombian Liberal Youth Council in 2002 and subsequently elected President of the NYC Colombian Liberal Party in 2005. Most recently, Jessica served as Director of Latino Media for the City of New York. As the city’s chief Latina spokesperson, Jessica helped keep our city’s 1.87 million Spanish-speaking residents, and the community and ethnic media at large, informed about government services and initiatives. Jessica credits her love for activism and public service to her parents, Colombian immigrants who fought for and won the right to dual citizenship for Colombian-Americans and founded Siempre Colombia, a not-for-profit organization in Jackson Heights. Jessica does not have a driver’s license—she rides the subway every day. 

https://www.nysenate.gov/senators/jessica-ramos

May Malik serves as the Deputy Commissioner for External Affairs at the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, where she leads the agency's work in three distinct teams: Communications, Intergovernmental Affairs, Outreach & Organizing and Public-Private Partnerships. Previously, May served as the Director of Public/Private Partnerships at NYC Service, where she lead and executed strategic cross-sector partnerships designed to leverage financial and people power in addressing some of New York City's socioeconomic challenges; worked in Sudan as part of a collaborative effort between Save the Children, UNICEF, and the Federal Ministry of Education to provide psycho-social intervention programs to children in conflict and post-conflict zones; helped to design communications and support fundraising strategies for Lalela, which provides arts education and critical messaging to at-risk youth in South Africa, Northern Uganda, and traveled to 30+ countries and over 100 cities as a tour publicist for Depeche Mode. May received her B.A. in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and her MA in International Educational Development from Columbia University.

http://cataliottilaw.com/

Samantha is currently the Education and Outreach Coordinator for the New York Center of Independence of the Disabled. Prior to that role, she was the Site Director for 7 years at Ingersoll Community Center, located in Ingersoll houses, Howard Houses Community Center located in Brownsville, and City Growers located in PS67. From community and youth development to social justice issues, Samantha strongly believes that there are no limits to what a person should have access to. In her daily work, she strives to obtain the services that will meet the needs of her community and improve everyone’s quality of life. Samantha maintains a full docket of of volunteer responsibilities including being a five-year Board Member of Brooklyn’s Community Board 2, Board member for Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership, Kings County Committee Member for Electoral District 8, an active member of The No New Jails Campaign and alumnus of Million Hoodies Movement for Justice NYC chapter. She is a Fort Greene community organizer through-and-through, and is a fixture of the Fort Greene community with a long career in dedicated public service and non-profit work. Samantha has made intentional connections to families in Brooklyn to provide a multitude of services to strengthen community through education and trust. Samantha joined the Fort Greene Association in 2018 to try to help bridge the divide among the various communities that exist in Fort Greene. Samantha holds an Associates of Arts degree in Theater from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy as well as a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts & Sciences / Liberal Studies from the New School.

https://www.cidny.org/