NYC’S CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS GROUP HOLDS
FISCAL YEAR 2021 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ELECTION
Queens Theatre’s Taryn Sacramone Elected as Chair;
Weeksville Heritage Center’s Rob Fields Named as Vice Chair
Committee Members Hail from All Five Boroughs,
Represent Full Range of City’s Cultural Offerings
NEW YORK, NY (December 2, 2020) - New York City’s Cultural Institutions Group (CIGs) -- the 151-year-old public-private initiative providing support to 34 institutions, across all five boroughs—held its Executive Committee election on October 15. The new appointees will serve an 1-year term, all working in a volunteer capacity, to highlight the important work and significant impact of NYC’s cultural institutions.
Taryn Sacramone (Executive Director of Queens Theatre) steps into the role of Chair, leading the newly confirmed CIG Executive Committee. She is joined by Vice Chair Rob Fields (President and Executive Director of Weeksville Heritage Center); Manhattan Vice Chair Dan Slippen (Vice President of Government and Corporate Relations at the American Museum of Natural History), Bronx Vice Chair Karen Meyerhoff (President of the Board of Directors at Wave Hill); Staten Island Vice Chair Janice Monger (President and CEO of the Staten Island Museum); Brooklyn Vice Chair Coco Killingsworth (Vice President, Education and Community Engagement at Brooklyn Academy of Music); Queens Vice Chair Sally Tallant (President and Executive Director of the Queens Museum); At Large members Leah Johnson (Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts) and Jose Ortiz (Chief Operating Officer at MoMAPS1) and John Calvelli (Immediate Past Chair)-Executive Vice President of Public Affairs at the Wildlife Conservation Society.
“I want to thank the outgoing Executive Committee for their incredible work during a truly challenging year for the cultural community,” says John F. Calvelli, the Group’s Immediate Past Chair and Executive Vice President of Public Affairs, Wildlife Conservation Society. “I am thrilled to pass the torch to Taryn Sacramone, the new Chair, and the rest of the incoming CIG Executive Committee. Each member is an amazing leader and will play an crucial role in the rebirth of our sector.“
“It’s an honor to pick up the mantle from John Calvelli and the rest of the outgoing committee,” says Taryn Sacramone, CIG Chair and Executive Director of Queens Theater. “With this talented group in place, I'm confident that we will continue John and the outgoing team’s amazing work, forging ahead and helping New York City and its cultural institutions emerge from this challenging time stronger than ever.”
For more about the Cultural Institutions Group, Its Members or the new Executive Committee, go to https://www.cignyc.org.
ABOUT THE 2020 CIG EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Taryn Sacramone (Chair) has served as Executive Director of Queens Theatre (QT), a performing arts center located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, since August 2013. Queens Theatre’s mission is to provide high quality performances and programs that are accessible to the residents of Queens, the most diverse county in the nation. The Theatre presents and produces programs that reflect and celebrate its community. In 2016, Queens Theatre launched, and has since expanded, Theatre For All (TFA), a ground-breaking initiative to advance the inclusion of disabled people in the performing arts. Previously, Taryn served as Executive Director of the award-winning Astoria Performing Arts Center (APAC) for eight years, during which the company earned 21 New York Innovative Theatre Award nominations and four awards, as well as the 2012 IT Awards Caffe Cino Fellowship. Under Taryn's leadership, APAC's budget increased fourfold, and programming expanded to include education programs for children and seniors. Prior to that, she worked at the Social Science Research Council, a nonprofit, independent research organization. She started there as a Program Assistant for the Program on the Arts and was promoted to Senior Projects Manager. For her positive impact on arts and culture, Taryn has received honors from the New York State Senate, New York State Assembly Member Aravella Simotas, U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, the Astoria Civic Association, Times Ledger Newspapers, the Astoria Civic Association and the Queens Courier. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Kenyon College, with a B.A. in Political Science, and studied abroad at Oxford University.
Rob Fields (Vice Chair) brings over three decades of marketing, programming and cultural advocacy and general business experience to his current role as president and executive director of Weeksville Heritage Center, a Brooklyn-based cultural center and historic house museum. Since his appointment in 2017, he has led the turnaround of the 50-year-old institution, pulling it back from the brink of closure and achieving its status as the first new member of the NYC Cultural Institutions Group (CIG) in over 20 years, making it one of only 34 organizations that have a permanent line item in the NYC budget. Over the course of his career, he’s been a marketer for big brands, cultural institutions and indie artists, a curator and has written about the connection between marketing, business and contemporary culture for Forbes.com and Huffington Post, among the several outlets where his work has been published. Fun fact: In 2020, he had his first photograph published in The NY Times.
Dan Slippen (Manhattan Vice Chair) is the Vice President of Government and Corporate Relations at the American Museum of Natural History. In this capacity, he develops, oversees, and implements the Museum’s strategies to address city, state, and federal policies that impact the Museum’s operations, scientific research, educational programming, priorities, and needs. He also is responsible for public funding through all three levels of government to support all aspects of the Museum. As the head of Corporate Relations, Mr. Slippen works to steward philanthropic relationships with companies and acquire new corporate supporters including through sponsorships, memberships, and other forms of collaboration. In addition, Mr. Slippen serves as the Executive Director of the American Museum of Natural History’s Planetarium Authority, is on the Board of Directors of the Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District in New York City, and is a member of the NYS Regents Advisory Council for Museums. Mr. Slippen graduated from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY and holds a B.A. in Psychology.
Karen Meyerhoff (Bronx Vice Chair) began her tenure at Wave Hill in 2015, bringing over 30 years of experience, having most recently served as Managing Director for Business Development at the Guggenheim Museum, where she oversaw a broad range of earned income revenue streams. Karen was previously the museum’s Director for Exhibitions, Collections & Design. During her tenure at the Guggenheim, she played a key role in the museum’s international expansion and establishing a global program management infrastructure. Under Karen’s leadership, Wave Hill completed a two-year Strategic Review and Planning process: assessing organizational challenges and opportunities that include our location, our size, our site, how we are perceived, and how we embrace innovative technologies. The assessment has resulted in a roadmap that guides Wave Hill through its next organizational phase, ensuring that our programs and practices can accommodate growth while continuing to provide a deep and meaningful visitor experience.
Janice Monger (Staten Island Vice Chair) is the President and CEO of the Staten Island Museum. Janice spearheaded and is co-chair of the Women’s Suffrage NYC Centennial Consortium, a collaborative of cultural institutions citywide marking the centennial of the 19th amendment. Most recently, she was asked to serve on the Mayor’s Advisory Council for Arts, Culture and Tourism Sector and is currently a member of the CIG’s IDEA committee. Previously, Janice was the Executive Director of the Alice Austen House, where she secured its designation as a national site of LGBT history in conjunction with the NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project. She was formerly Associate Director of the Brooklyn Historical Society, and also worked in the education department of The Museum of Modern Art. Ms. Monger holds a MA in Visual Arts Administration from New York University and a BA in Art History from Whitman College, WA.
Coco Killingsworth (Brooklyn Vice Chair) joined the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s executive team in January 2017, as the organization’s Vice President, Education and Community Engagement. In this post, Killingsworth guides BAM’s community and education programming in alignment with the institution’s overall mission. She oversees BAM’s broad initiatives and programming for children, families, students, and seniors, programming beloved by audiences such as, BAMboo!, BAMcafe Live!, MetroTech R&B Festival and DanceAfrica, as well as develops collaborations with other organizations, and serves as an advocate for the community. Killingsworth’s position unites two longstanding and essential program areas at BAM and allows for their future growth. Killingsworth holds a BA in History and African Studies from UCLA, and a Master’s in Education from Harvard University. She resides in Brooklyn with her husband, Eris Johnson-Smith, and their two children.
Sally Tallant (Queens Chair) is the President and Executive Director of the Queens Museum, New York. She was previously the Director of Liverpool Biennial from 2011-2019. From 2001-2011 she was Head of Programs at the Serpentine Gallery, London where she was responsible for the development and delivery of an integrated program of Exhibitions, Architecture, Education and Public Programs. She has curated exhibitions in a wide range of contexts including galleries, museums, public spaces and non-arts contexts. She is a regular contributor to conferences nationally and internationally. In 2018 she was awarded an OBE for services to the Arts in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
John Calvelli (Immediate Past Chair) is Executive Vice President for Public Affairs, joining the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) after working for more than 15 years in public service. WCS is a global conservation organization committed to saving wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. John is leading the organization’s efforts to inspire and engage the public in support of its mission. Prior to joining WCS, Mr. Calvelli served as Administrative Assistant/Counsel to Congressman Eliot Engel. He had oversight responsibility for Congressional administrative office functions and oversaw, directed and supervised all legislative initiatives of Representative Engel during his tenure on the House Commerce Committee, the Foreign Affairs Committee, the Science Committee and the Education and Labor Committee. Mr. Calvelli graduated from Fordham University and earned a law degree from Fordham Law School.
Leah Johnson (At Large) is an experienced communications strategist, entrepreneur and independent board director who has worked successfully across industries to in- fluence outcomes and lead change. She has led teams and advised Fortune 250 CEOs, non-profits and high-level political campaigns on how to define and promote brand value while navigating complex, challenging environments. She is viewed as a partner of choice for boards, senior executives and respected leaders seeking to influence stakeholders and build reputation across digital and traditional media platforms. As the Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Leah leads the effort to make the case for the performing arts by integrating Lincoln Center’s storytelling across its campus. Most recently, Leah founded and led LCJ Solutions to bring her holistic strategic communications philosophy to clients. She has partnered with brands such as Conoco Phillips, The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, Goldman Sachs, Blackbaud Inc, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Ally Bank, The Markle Foundation, New York Public Radio, General Atlantic portfolio companies and other first tier organizations, to develop and promote their brand story, position executives, expand communication with employees, build market strength, and mitigate reputation risk. A Brooklyn, New York native, Leah holds a B.A. in Psychology from Harvard College.
José Ortiz (At Large) is the Chief Operating Officer at MoMAPS1, and is responsible for overseeing the Museum’s Finance, Visitor Engagement, Operations and Administrative departments. Prior to joining MoMAPS1, he served as the Deputy Director at The Bronx Museum of the Arts, and in 2010 was the Founding Director of Artisphere in Arlington, Virginia. Ortiz’s extensive background also includes serving as Deputy Director of the Harvard Art Museums, where he oversaw the daily operation of the university’s three art museums—the Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Busch-Reisinger Museum, and Fogg Museum, and held the position of Deputy Director/Chief of Finance and Administration at the Smithsonian Institution’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden from 2005 to 2009. From 1996 to 2005, Ortiz was the Manager for Administration at The Cloisters in New York, the branch museum of the Metropolitan Museum of Art dedicated to the art and architecture of medieval Europe. Prior to that, he supported traveling exhibitions, programming, and marketing for the Smithsonian Institution’s Anacostia Museum and served as Assistant Director of Visitor Services for the Museum of Television and Radio in New York (now the Paley Center for Media). Ortiz is a graduate of Pace University and completed a graduate program with a master of arts degree in liberal studies and museum studies at New York University in 1994. He is board member and treasurer of the American National Committee of the International Council of Museums (ICOM-US). Ortiz is a regular lecturer and panelist at national and international universities, museums, and conferences, particularly on the subjects of museum administration, leadership development, and management during times of change and transition.
About the Cultural Institutions Group (CIG)
The Department of Cultural Affairs' mission of fostering dynamic public partnerships with private cultural organizations has its most dramatic expression in its relationship with the Cultural Institutions Group (CIG). The 34 members of this group are each located on City-owned property, and receive significant capital and operating support from the City to help meet basic security, maintenance, administration, and energy costs. In return for this support, these institutions operate as publicly-owned facilities whose mandate is to provide cultural services accessible to all New Yorkers.
The genesis of this public-private partnership began in 1869, with the creation of the American Museum of Natural History. Since that time, each Institution's relationship with the City has commenced in ways that reflected the City's cultural priorities of the time.
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Media Contact:
Sheryl Victor Levy, (917) 747-5920 / svlevy@mcny.org
Cristina Coleman, (920) 265-7935 / ccoleman@wcs.org