Background
Between 2011 and 2017, WESTAF’s annual Arts Leadership and Advocacy Seminar (ALAS) brought a group of arts leaders from the West to Washington, D.C. to meet with members of Congress and their staffs, engage in briefings regarding the status and future prospects for federal arts support, and to discuss with the WESTAF trustees ways to generate more state government support for the work of state arts agencies. As these conversations have continued to evolve, we continue to adapt ALAS to ensure relevancy and accessibility, including hosting the first virtual ALAS in 2021.
2021 Seminar Description
WESTAF’s 2021 (virtual!) Arts Leadership and Advocacy Seminar (ALAS) took place online Wednesday, February 24 and Thursday, February 25, 2021. The seminar / event was reformatted to feature four virtual panel discussions around topics including developments in federal arts policy, western state engagement in federal arts policy, effective engagement of members of Congress, and a national reimagining of the field.
Panelists
Heather Noonan
Vice President for Advocacy, League of American Orchestras
Hal Real
Founder, World Cafe Live and board member, National Independent Venue Association
Allentza Michel
Program Officer, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Julie Baker
Executive director, Californians for the Arts
Manny Cawaling
Executive director, Inspire Washington (Washington)
Lauren DeNinno
Senior Policy Advisor, Western Governors’ Association
Laurel Sayer
CEO, Midas Gold Corp
Ashanti McGee
District Representative, U.S. Representative Susie Lee
Karmen Rossi
Deputy State Director, Military and Veterans Affairs for Congress Woman Liz Cheney
Cézanne Charles
Co-Founder, rootoftwo
Abdiel López
Program Officer, Center for Cultural Innovation
Jen Cole
Chief of Staff, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona State University
Briefs
Event Organizers
- David Holland, director of impact and public policy, WESTAF Convenings Team Member and Policy Cohort Advisor
- Leah Horn, director of marketing and communications, WESTAF Convenings Team Member
- Samantha Ortega, marketing coordinator, WESTAF Convenings Team Member
- Natalie Scherlong, strategic plan, executive and board coordinator, WESTAF Convenings Team Member
- Rebecca Brown, financial reporting manager, WESTAF Policy Cohort Member
- Justine Chapel, CaFÉ communications and support coordinator, WESTAF Policy Cohort Member
- Janae De La Virgen, office and culture coordinator, WESTAF Policy Cohort Member
- Brandon Jay, ZAPP® operations coordinator, WESTAF Policy Cohort Member
- Lauren Wilson, financial processes manager, WESTAF Policy Cohort Member
