Samba Pathak (he/him/his) is a proud Nepali-American arts administrator, marketer, producer, and award-winning stage manager in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Pathak holds an MA in Arts Management and a BA in Theatre from George Mason University. In his experience, Pathak’s successes surround various grant projects, having managed a portfolio of over five million dollars. Pathak advocates for the intersection of the arts, community engagement, and effective project management in building community resilience. Additionally, Pathak worked extensively as the Director of Marketing, PR, and Communications for companies specializing in product merchandising. In this role, he led marketing teams, oversaw department budgeting, and executed communication strategies to communicate with internal partners and external consumers. His primary focus was working on brand awareness, marketing campaigns for individualized musical productions, and data analytics management. He continues to work on freelance projects to support theatrical innovation and brand development.
Team
Meet Our Staff
SHANARA GABRIELLE
Producing Artistic Director
Shanara is an artist working in a wide variety of mediums with a focus on gutsy and inventive theater for all audiences. Driven by tales of imagination and stories of justice, Shanara fosters new work and reimagines classics with artists of courage and depth. Shanara has worked professionally at theaters across the country, including Arena Stage, Signature Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, In Series Opera, The Guthrie, Actors Theatre of Louisville, INSeries Opera, Southern Shakespeare Festival, The New Victory, Great Lakes Theatre, Southern Shakespeare, Northern Stage, Idaho Shakespeare, Imagination Stage, Adventure Theatre, Coterie Theater, Chesapeake Shakespeare, the cell nyc, Goethe Institut, St. Louis Rep, Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival, Stages, Theatre for the New City, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, Hollywood Playhouse, The Black Rep, Upstream Theater, and many more. Shanara has worked as an Artistic Producer at The Kennedy Center, ENOUGH!, Arena Stage, Shakespeare Theatre Company, spearheaded Working In DC, is on the Board of theatreWashington, and is so proud to serve as the Producing Artistic Director of Theater Alliance.
ARIA VELZ
NNPN Producer-In-Residence
Aria Velz is a director, dramaturg, sound designer, and teaching artist who is just happy to be here. She has directed at Olney Theatre Center, Prologue Theatre, NextStop Theatre Company, and Flying V Productions, among others. She has been an associate director for productions at Signature Theatre, Keegan Theatre, Theater Alliance, Constellation Theatre Company, and The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, among others.
SAMBA PATHAK
Administration and Operations Manager
Ellys Abrams
Director of Finance and Advancement
Ellys Abrams is a proud resident of Petworth in Washington, DC and serves as the Director of Customer Service for Democracy Engine LLC, a donation processing platform, supporting nonprofits, professional fundraisers, and candidates at all levels. Her true passion is theater and has over a decade of experience in nonprofit management, most recently, as the General Manager for Theater Alliance and prior to that, Ringleader for Organizational Advancement for dog & pony dc. Ellys holds a Master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. from Smith College.
JONATHAN DAHM ROBERTSON
Technical and Art Director
Jonathan (he/him) is a scenic and projections designer for theater, opera, and events. Selected Opera credits: Nixon in China, Fidelio, Peter Grimes (Princeton Festival); Candide, Un Ballo En Maschera, Cosi Fan Tutte (Opera in the Heights, Houston); The Consul (A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute). Selected Theater credits: Day of Absence, Blood at the Root (Theater Alliance); The Agitators, Oh God, (Mosaic Theater Co.); The Christians (Theater J); Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Murder for Two, One Slight Hitch, Jesus Christ Superstar and more (Totem Pole Playhouse); Broadway Bound, Member of the Wedding (1st Stage); Coolatully, The Frederick Douglass Project (Solas Nua); The Small Room at the Top of Stairs (Spooky Action Theater Company), and many more. Jonathan holds a BFA in Scenic Design from UNCSA, and was a 2015-16 Kenan Fellow at the Kennedy Center. Member USA829.
NINA YOUNG
Patron Experience Manager
Nina Young is a screenwriter, director, producer, and arts administrator from Detroit, MI. Nina has a passion for exploring the Black female identity through film, and writes stories about and for Black women. In 2019, she earned an MFA in film from Howard University. Since then she has worked on a number of short independent films. Recently she served as the first assistant director and unit production manager on Leo Films’ Alemanji and associate produced Tepui Media’s award-winning short film Safe Word. In the Fall of 2023, she wrapped post-production on my short film, The Problem with Erin- a story about a young woman who struggles with the decision to finalize her divorce. The Problem with Erin was an official selection of the 2023 Idlewild International Film Festival.
EZINNE ELELE
Artistic Consultant
Ezinne (she/her) is an actor, director, and theatre artist in the DMV area. A graduate from Howard University with a BFA in Musical Theatre. As an actor, she began her career at Theater Alliance with Day of Absence and went on to appear in A Chorus Within Her, Poetry for the People, and This Girl Laugh, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing. Her work as a director includes assistant directing Nollywood Dreams at Round House Theater and The Color Purple at Signature Theater and associate directing the Theater Alliance/Kennedy Center co-production of Look Both Ways.
GENNY CEPERLEY
Hospitality Consultant
Genny Ceperley (she/ they) graduated with a BA in Theater, Speech, & Dance from the College
of William & Mary. She spent a year as a member of the Quintessence Theater Group in
Philadelphia PA. Credits include My Fair Lady, Waiting for Gadot, Julius Caesar, Prince & the
Popper. After moving to DC, Genny came to the Anacostia Playhouse as an ASM for Driving Miss
Daisy. They joined Theater Alliance as an ASM for This Bitter Earth and worked as a Production
Assistant during the filming of The Quadrant Series, as well as The Blackest Battle. Other DMV
credits include Last American Hammer (Urban Arias) Daddy Long Legs (Monumental
Theater) Amazing Grace (Museum of the Bible), Twelfth Night (Her Majesty & Sons).
SAVINA BARINI
Creative Consultant
Savina Barini (they/them) is a performer, playwright, and teaching artist based on Shoshone-Bannock ancestral land. A graduate of Howard University’s BFA Musical Theatre program, they studied musical theatre, restoration comedy, Shakespeare, and devising techniques in Idaho, DC, and London. Their writing has been featured as part of Theater Alliance’s A Protest in Eight, and Howard University’s 8×10 Playwriting Festival. Performance credits include: ¡nails! A Happy Gay Latinx Play (Catalina), Head Over Heels (Ensemble), Twelfth Night (Antonio/Fabian), Pippin (Leading Player). Offstage, Savina works as a teaching artist with students from kindergarten to 12th grade, teaching movement, acting, improv, script analysis, and voice.
Meet Our Board of Directors
Cecelia "CeCe" Thomas
Chair, Board of Directors
Cecelia “CeCe” Thomas is a Vice President in Venn Strategies’ Health Practice Group. She brings to Venn years of experience in leading advocacy efforts around infectious disease and other public health issues, including funding for prevention. Prior to her role, she served as the Senior Government Relations Manager for the Trust for America’s Health, where she led the organization’s engagement with Congress and the Administration. CeCe has also served as Manager of Legislative Affairs for Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and Planned Parenthood Action Fund where she advocated to protect federal funding for health centers, implemented PPFA’s legislative strategy and co-led the National Sex Education Coalition.
An attorney who previously worked on the staff of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee as well as on the Oversight Office of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Cecelia has also spent time as an advocate with Planned Parenthood. She received her J.D. from Fordham Law School and her bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in political science.
Rashida Moore
Vice Chair, Board of Directors
Rashida Moore is a performing artist, arts administrator and fundraising professional with over 12 years of experience in non-profit development and external relations. She currently serves as the Manager of Annual Giving at the Land Trust Alliance in DC. Rashida has contributed to the success of fundraising campaigns and initiatives at various organizations in her home state of Texas and Washington D.C., including theaters, museums, higher education and conservation institutions.
As a strategist, change-maker and forward-thinking arts leader, Rashida values and respects the arts as powerful and creative pathways to transcend historical and contemporary societal boundaries and advance peacebuilding, justice, empathy, dialogue and intercultural exchange, both locally and globally. Rashida holds a Master of Arts in Arts Leadership from the University of Houston and a Bachelors of Arts degree in Applied Music from Baylor University.
Elizabeth Ho
Secretary, Board of Directors
Elizabeth Ho is an award-winning real estate agent in the Washington DC area with RLAH @Properties. A proud native Washingtonian, Liz has been recognized as a Washingtonian Best Agent in 2022 and 2023, reflecting a commitment to excellence and in-depth market knowledge. A member of her brokerage Advisory Council chosen by her peers, Liz has a proven track record in establishing and maintaining relationships with key stakeholders. Liz brings additional expertise as a former Grants Manager and Donor Operations Manager at a national non-profit, and Development/Events manager at a local DC theater. Liz received her BA in Psychology from SUNY New Paltz. When she’s not working, you’ll find her cooking big meals for friends, on the hunt for the perfect Christmas gifts for family, and active in entrepreneurship & feminist communities.
Patty Koscinski
Treasurer, Board of Directors
Patty Koscinski is Senior Director for Single-Family Acquisition Risk and Portfolio Management at Fannie Mae. It’s her job to make sure that the loans Fannie Mae buys are sustainable for the borrowers and within the company’s risk appetite, while prioritizing access to credit for borrowers who might not be able to get a mortgage without the company’s support. In a prior role, she developed program usage estimates for the Treasury Department’s Making Home Affordable program, which helped more than 1.8 million homeowners avoid foreclosure during and after the financial crisis. She believes in data driven decision-making, systematizing the pursuit of innovation and growth, and building teams of curious, creative individuals.
Serving on the Theater Alliance board is a means of reconnecting to the arts after abandoning her dreams of a vocal performance career to pursue a much more practical philosophy degree. She holds a BA in Liberal Arts from St John’s College (Annapolis) and an MA in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University. When she’s not working, you’ll find her reading, writing, or gardening.
Scott Blackwell
Board Member
Scott Blackwell was formerly the Chief Impact Officer for the Community Foundation for a greater Richmond, now serving as Senior Consultant to the CEO and Board. In his role he managed government and corporate relations as well as annual grant distribution in excess of $50 million. Scott has been a consultant to several family foundations. Prior to this work he was the Chief Communications Officer for a Fortune 500 medical supplies company. He has been involved with theater companies most of his adult life – not acting but supporting innovative and stirring works from behind the curtain. Scott is a former chair of Leadership Metro Richmond and a graduate of LEAD VA. He has served on many boards that focus on the delivery of social services to community residents. He has recently relocated to Washington, DC, and is enjoying the opportunity to help grow the vibrancy of our region.
Trés McMichael
Board Member
Trés McMichael is a joy filled arts leader and performer who is passionate about community empowerment, arts education, and social justice. Originally from Baltimore, Trés is an alumnus of Elon University, where he graduated with degrees in Music Theatre (BFA) and Arts Administration (BA). He also holds an MFA in Arts Leadership and a certificate in Fundraising Leadership from Seattle University. While pursuing his graduate degree, he was named an EDI Research Fellow with the Association of Arts Administration Educators. He has worked with various nonprofit and arts organizations such as Arena Stage, DC Collaborative, and the NAACP. In 2018, Trés was awarded First Place in the Hall Johnson Spirituals Competition by the National Association of Teachers of Singing.
Trés currently serves as the Senior Program Manager for Social Impact Civic Alliances at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Over the years, Trés has been featured in the Baltimore Sun, Playbill, and Time Magazine and has performed on the stages of Mill Mountain Theatre, Theatre Raleigh, Lyric Opera Baltimore, Signature Theater, Rep Stage, and Lincoln Center. Through his work, Trés strives to do work that is in and with, not to or for, the communities he serves.
Elizabeth Winston
Board Member
Elizabeth Winston is a non-profit grants and development strategist, writer, and editor, and has served as the grants and development lead for Theatre Washington, the Keegan Theatre (both in DC) and Provincetown Arts Press (MA). Currently, she works as a client manager for a range of non-profit clients through the DC-based non-profit firm Spark Point Fundraising. A DC-area native, Liz earned a BA from Sarah Lawrence College and an MFA in literature and fiction writing from the University of Houston, where she also served as the director of the Boldface Conference for Emerging Writers. Over the course of her career, in addition to grants and development and writing/editing work, Liz has worked as a journalist and an English professor. She has traveled extensively worldwide and has lived in various locations around the country as well as in Vieques, Puerto Rico. Since 2020, Liz has been the executive director of the non-profit Provincetown Arts Press and the editor-in-chief of Provincetown Arts magazine, an annual arts publication based in Provincetown, MA.
Carla Thomas McGinnis
Board Member (Emerita)
Carla Thomas McGinnis is an artist and a leader, working in and between education, theater and museum spaces. Early in her career she served as the Living History Project Coordinator for The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, producing dramatizations of 20th century historical events.
In the DC area, she worked as a directing fellow and project manager for Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater. Working with one of DC’s first charter schools, she pioneered an arts integration curriculum and drama program. At the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture she has served in several roles, including fundraising, donor stewardship and council (advisory board) management. Currently, she serves as the Assistant Director of Council Operations and Museum Initiatives.
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