State Arts Council Announces 2022 Leadership Cohort

Michigan Arts and Culture Council name 16 Rising Leaders in the arts and culture field

The Michigan Arts and Culture Council (MACC), the State's lead agency charged with developing arts and culture policy and grant-making, is proud to announce the sixteen individuals that have been chosen for their 2022-23 cohort of Rising Leaders.

MACC created the Rising Leaders program in 2018 with a focus on the advancement and development of Michigan’s arts leaders.  Over a six-month period, participants engage in a series of activities that includes three intensives focusing on self-awareness and self-management; mutual influence; and gaining tools to create communities and a state where everyone can experience and express creativity in their daily lives. 

Applicants were chosen from across Michigan and join the 42 alumni from MACC’s first three cohorts in what the Council hopes will continue to grow into a strong and meaningful network of individuals and organizations that believe in the power of the arts to transform Michigan. Program participants from across the state of Michigan gain tools and perspective needed to strengthen their leadership skills and develop relationships with an extraordinary cohort of peers dedicated to advancing the arts and culture field.

Rising Leaders is a program designed and facilitated by MACC and Partners in Performance (PIP), the nation’s preeminent designer and facilitator of leadership development initiatives for the arts and culture sector. Partners in Performance have been developing leaders across the entire country for decades.

MACC Program Manager Chad Swan-Badgero speaks about the powerful impact of the Rising Leaders program. “I was fortunate to have gone through this leadership development program, led by Partners in Performance, and it was truly transformational in the way I view myself and my role in moving arts and culture forward. To be partnering with PIP to guide our next generation of arts and culture leaders here in Michigan is not only an honor, but a little bit like working with your idols! PIP is THE industry leader for this work, and the results after just three years have been tremendous”.

The 16 individuals accepted into the 2022-23 cohort are: Katie Bancorft (Sloan Museum), Matthew Bizoe (Krasl Art Center), Michelle Bolofer (InsideOut Literary Arts), Allison Buck (The Guild of Artists and Artisans), Malcolm Cottle (Frankenmuth Historical Association), Jamie Eymer (Sturges-Young Center for the Arts), Charlie Johnson (Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute), Megan Lavell (Thornapple Arts Council), Lauren Mudry (Lansing Community College Dance Dept), Lauren Nelson (Port Huron Museums), Chelsie Niemi (Dennos Museum Center), Sara Nishikawa (CultureSource), Jainelle Robinson (ArtOps), David Schroeder (Macomb Center for the Performing Arts/Lorenzo Cultural Center), Julie Strating (Greater Bridgman Area Chamber & Growth Alliance), and Breanna Williams (FreeMajesty Studios).

To learn more about MACC’s Rising Leaders program, visit www.michiganbusiness.org/industries/macc/rising-leaders/