Kamwana Hobbs (President)
Over 10 years as an arts administrator, manager, educator, and designer. Experienced in collaborating to successfully bring small and large-scale performances to life onstage, with a proven track record directing multiple projects with overlapping schedules and deadlines, while consistently being on or under budget.
A key member of Jon Lehrer Dance Company from it’s inception, as the Production Manager and Resident Lighting Designer, working with Jon on various projects and company development. Originally from Buffalo NY, Kamwana is currently the Director of Production at Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, NY.
Ashley Peters (Treasurer)
Ashley Peters is a Financial Operations Team Lead at ArtsPool Services, Inc.. Previously the General Manager of Beth Morrison Projects (BMP) and a senior staff member of the PROTOTYPE Festival, an annual opera-theater and music-theatre festival showcasing new works in NYC.
As a professional dancer, Ashley has toured Germany with Jon Lehrer's "Shadows in Motion", been a featured soloist with the Balasole Dance Company, as well as performed at Jacob’s Pillow with Melanie Aceto Contemporary Dance Company. In 2012, she was presented an Award of Distinction in Research from the University at Buffalo on her thesis regarding the history and applications of jazz dance. Prior to joining the new mom club, she was an active company member with The Moving Architects, a female-centric dance company based in the NYC Metropolitan Area.
Formally the Senior Administrative Manager at Gibney Dance, Ashley spearheaded the development and implementation of a custom rental software platform that streamlined the studio space rental process for the industry. She has a passion for Arts Administration and is excited about the future of opera and bringing it to a broader audience. Ashley holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University at Buffalo.
Juia McWest (Secretary)
Julia is an Early Childhood Special Education Specialist for the Community Action Council of Howard County, Maryland. Originally from Newark, Delaware, she has a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Cultural Anthropology and a dual Masters of Education in Early Childhood Education and Special Education from Lesley University. Julia strives to be a supportive, cheerful, spiritually grounded and globally minded citizen. She creates culturally responsive, strengths-based and universally designed systems that educate and grow children and families, bringing them closer to their personal goals. Julia’s greatest accomplishment is the trust and love she has gained from her family, friends, neighbors, students, clients and colleagues. She enjoys dancing, laughing, traveling, learning, and being run by her dog.
Edromar Undag
Edromar 'Mar' Undag (he/him) is an interdisciplinary movement artist and arts administrator based in Brooklyn, NY, with a BFA in Modern Dance from The University of Utah. He has worked as a freelance dance artist and performed with various companies such as Shaun Keylock Dance Company, Polaris Dance Theater, SALT Contemporary Dance, Cat + Fish Dances, Matthew Westerby Dance Company, and Peter and Co.
He has had the opportunity to present his own choreographic works and has taught at multiple higher educational institutions, professional dance companies, and festivals throughout the country. His current personal interests lie in immersive, long-form, and durational works that touch on his curiosities about identity, memory, and the human condition.
Additionally, Mar currently works for Dance Church, Grantmakers in the Arts, and Cat + Fish Dances in various administrative capacities. He has helped lead Dance Church’s DEI initiatives, develop guidelines for equitable hiring practices, and continues to serve as a project manager for the organization. His experience with GIA and C+F has broadened his knowledge of development and grant writing and he has been able to co-author many major grants for Cat + Fish and also serve as their Community Outreach Director.
Jon Lehrer
Bio Here
Over 10 years as an arts administrator, manager, educator, and designer. Experienced in collaborating to successfully bring small and large-scale performances to life onstage, with a proven track record directing multiple projects with overlapping schedules and deadlines, while consistently being on or under budget.
A key member of Jon Lehrer Dance Company from it’s inception, as the Production Manager and Resident Lighting Designer, working with Jon on various projects and company development. Originally from Buffalo NY, Kamwana is currently the Director of Production at Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, NY.
Ashley Peters (Treasurer)
Ashley Peters is a Financial Operations Team Lead at ArtsPool Services, Inc.. Previously the General Manager of Beth Morrison Projects (BMP) and a senior staff member of the PROTOTYPE Festival, an annual opera-theater and music-theatre festival showcasing new works in NYC.
As a professional dancer, Ashley has toured Germany with Jon Lehrer's "Shadows in Motion", been a featured soloist with the Balasole Dance Company, as well as performed at Jacob’s Pillow with Melanie Aceto Contemporary Dance Company. In 2012, she was presented an Award of Distinction in Research from the University at Buffalo on her thesis regarding the history and applications of jazz dance. Prior to joining the new mom club, she was an active company member with The Moving Architects, a female-centric dance company based in the NYC Metropolitan Area.
Formally the Senior Administrative Manager at Gibney Dance, Ashley spearheaded the development and implementation of a custom rental software platform that streamlined the studio space rental process for the industry. She has a passion for Arts Administration and is excited about the future of opera and bringing it to a broader audience. Ashley holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University at Buffalo.
Juia McWest (Secretary)
Julia is an Early Childhood Special Education Specialist for the Community Action Council of Howard County, Maryland. Originally from Newark, Delaware, she has a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Cultural Anthropology and a dual Masters of Education in Early Childhood Education and Special Education from Lesley University. Julia strives to be a supportive, cheerful, spiritually grounded and globally minded citizen. She creates culturally responsive, strengths-based and universally designed systems that educate and grow children and families, bringing them closer to their personal goals. Julia’s greatest accomplishment is the trust and love she has gained from her family, friends, neighbors, students, clients and colleagues. She enjoys dancing, laughing, traveling, learning, and being run by her dog.
Edromar Undag
Edromar 'Mar' Undag (he/him) is an interdisciplinary movement artist and arts administrator based in Brooklyn, NY, with a BFA in Modern Dance from The University of Utah. He has worked as a freelance dance artist and performed with various companies such as Shaun Keylock Dance Company, Polaris Dance Theater, SALT Contemporary Dance, Cat + Fish Dances, Matthew Westerby Dance Company, and Peter and Co.
He has had the opportunity to present his own choreographic works and has taught at multiple higher educational institutions, professional dance companies, and festivals throughout the country. His current personal interests lie in immersive, long-form, and durational works that touch on his curiosities about identity, memory, and the human condition.
Additionally, Mar currently works for Dance Church, Grantmakers in the Arts, and Cat + Fish Dances in various administrative capacities. He has helped lead Dance Church’s DEI initiatives, develop guidelines for equitable hiring practices, and continues to serve as a project manager for the organization. His experience with GIA and C+F has broadened his knowledge of development and grant writing and he has been able to co-author many major grants for Cat + Fish and also serve as their Community Outreach Director.
Jon Lehrer
Bio Here