SHAWN RENÉ GRAHAM, Deputy Director, Programs and Services, is a freelance writer and dramaturg from San Jose, California who has worked with many writers including Dennis Allen, France-Luce Benson, Nilo Cruz, Steve Harper, Walter Mosley, Lynn Nottage, Paul Rudnick, Susan Sontag, Dominic A. Taylor, Judy Tate, and Cori Thomas. She has been a guest dramaturg at the O'Neill Playwrights Conference, the Crossroads Theatre Company's Genesis Festival, the New Professional Theatre, and African American Women's New Play Festival; and has served on many panels including the National Endowments for the Arts/Theatre Communications Group Theatre Residency Program for Playwrights, the Massachusetts Cultural Council Artist Grants Panel in Playwriting, and the Mark Taper Forum's New Works Festival. She is currently the resident dramaturg of The American Slavery Project's Unheard Voices, the Director of Literary Programs at The Classical Theatre of Harlem, and founder of All Creative Writes, an artistic assistance service designed to provide individual artists and performing arts organizations with administrative, fundraising and writing support. Ms. Graham holds degrees from the California State University, Los Angeles and the American Repertory Theatre Institute for Advanced Theatre Training at Harvard University. She joined The Field in 2012 and lives in Bronx, NY.

Charmaine Jefferson operates Kélan Resources, a strategic consulting firm dedicated to integrating the arts, history, education and cultural competency into the DNA of business planning, management, and live program/exhibition production, workshops, and community engagement. Serving nonprofit clients and advising individual philanthropists nationwide, she is also Executive Consultant to the Tom & Ethel Bradley. Equally committed to volunteer service, Jefferson currently serves as a mayoral appointee on the City of Los Angeles Dept. of Cultural Affairs Commission (former President); Trustee of the California Institute of the Arts (Academic & Campus Affairs Advisory Committee Chair; member of the Executive, Finance and Trustee Nominating Committees); inaugural member of the Los Angeles County Art Commission Cultural Equity & Inclusion Initiative; on the PBS SoCal Media Group Community Advisory Board; on the Advisory Board of the LA Chamber Orchestra; and, President of The Museum Group (an association of independent professional consultants).

Having successfully held numerous executive positions, Jefferson has amassed a wide range of experience and expertise including in commercial business. Her past for-profit roles have included: V.P. of Business Affairs for dePasse Entertainment; Director of Show Development & Creative Resources for Disney Entertainment Productions; corporate Board Director for Just Toys Inc.; and as an Associate Attorney for the law firm of Holland & Knight.

Jefferson credits that her expertise and skills are also derived from tenures in a variety of roles supporting nonprofits and government cultural agencies. After dancing professionally for eight years, she began her arts administration career as Senior Dance Program Specialist and Site Visit Coordinator at the National Endowment for the Arts. It is from that starting point that she has proven time and again her passion for uplifting culture and serving all of the art disciplines as invaluable to society. As Jefferson’s career expanded, she went on to serve as Deputy & Acting Commissioner of NYC’s Department of Cultural Affairs; Executive Director & General Manager of Dance Theatre of Harlem; and most recently completed eleven years as Executive Director of the California African American Museum, and simultaneous Vice-President of its Friends Foundation. Her dedication to the arts has also included past voluntary service on numerous public commissions and private nonprofit Boards including the Harlem Empowerment Zone, Arts & Business Council, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival (Treasurer), Arts for LA, and eight years as a gubernatorial appointee to the California Arts Council.

A Los Angeles native, Jefferson holds a B.A. in Dance from U.C.L.A., M.A. in Dance Education from N.Y.U.; J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center; and law licenses in the District of Columbia and Florida.

Mrs. Green holds a BA in Public Policy and a minor in Drama from Duke University and an MS in Arts Administration from Drexel University. She began her arts administration training at the Durham Arts Council and furthered her experience working for the American Dance Festival. She was managing director of the Chuck Davis African-American Dance Ensemble (1985-1989) and Director of Touring and Presenting for the NC Arts Council (1989-1992).

In 1992, she founded PMG Arts Management, providing booking, management, producing and consulting services to well-established and emerging artists, including the renowned Ronald K. Brown/Evidence, Camille A. Brown & Dancers, Philadanco!, Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre, and Grammy nominated vocalist Nnenna Freelon’s The Clothesline Muse, among others.

Mrs. Green has served as a board member, consultant, panelist, or workshop leader for the NEA, APAP, NEFA, NAPAMA, the Southern Arts Federation, the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, the Michigan Council for the Arts, and the International Association of Blacks in Dance. She currently serves on the Western Arts Alliance board , where she co-chairs the Black Arts@ WAA committee, and the Duke Performances Advisory Board.