Board of Directors

Officers

Officers

Marángeli Mejía-Rabell, She/Her
Co-Chair

Festival Director & Chief Curator | Philadelphia Latino Arts & Film Festival

Marángeli’s practice is focused on community media practices, cultural organizing, intersectionality, accessibility and diversity. As Director of the Philadelphia Latino Arts & Film Festival (PHLAFF) and Co Founder/Partner of AFROTAINO and GUSTO she co-curates, designs and executes arts and culture programming, collaborations and multidisciplinary projects. She has served as the PHLAFF’s Festival Director for nine years supporting the groundbreaking work of Latinx filmmakers. Throughout Marángeli’s career, she has centered Latinx creators, stories and culture to bring about positive change and representation. Marángeli also serves as a Leadership Coach with the National Arts Strategies Coaching Collective. She also served as part of the inaugural DOC NYC’s Documentary New Leaders cohort. Marángeli received a 2021 Arts & Business Council for Greater Philadelphia Leadership Award and a 2021 Leeway Foundation's Transformation Award. Recent collaborations include serving as the University of Puerto Rico Cumbre Afro’s Cine Foro Curator, Curator and Project Manager for Mural Arts Philadelphia and as Anchor Partner/Producer of Kinfolk Philly as part of the Kinfolk Foundation’s National Tour.

Michele Wells, CFRE, She/Her
Co-Chair

Principal Consultant | MW Strategies LLC

With two decades of fundraising, communications, and management experience, Michele is a multifaceted specialist for nonprofits. She is an expert in development and advancement functions, grant writing, board governance, operations, grantmaking, and corporate and foundation relations. Her consulting work supports small and mid-sized ($500M to $5MM annual budget) arts, humanities, and other nonprofit organizations. She holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Delaware, a Master of Science in Arts Administration from Drexel University, and is a Certified Nonprofit Accounting Professional (CNAP), Scrum Master Certified (SMC), and Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE). A native of New York City, Philadelphia has been Michele’s beloved adopted hometown since 1999.

Ken Metzner, He/Him

Director of Legal Services | Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts

Ken Metzner, Director of Legal Services for PVLA, is a lawyer with over 25 years of experience in the arts. Before joining PVLA, he served as executive director of the Colonial Theatre, an arthouse cinema and music venue in Phoenixville, and was earlier the executive director of Kun-Yang Lin Dancers, a contemporary dance troupe based in South Philadelphia. Ken was a litigator in New York City before joining the legal department of Saks Fifth Avenue, where he ultimately served as the company's general counsel. Ken’s service to the arts includes stints as board president of the Philadelphia Cultural Fund and as a vice chair of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance.

Mark Comerota, He/Him
Treasurer

Owner | MCA Accounting and Consulting

Mark is the owner of MCA Accounting and Consulting, which he founded in 2009. He is an experienced financial professional with broad experience in all aspects of tax accounting, auditing and financial management, real estate investment and financial consulting. His specialties include federal tax, state tax, local tax, bookkeeping, auditing, property management, investment and financial analysis. Prior to founding MCA, Mark was a staff accountant with Resnick Amsterdam Leshner. He graduated from Abington Friends School and earned a BS in Accounting from Drexel University.

Board Members

Tailinh Agoyo, She/Her

Director | We Are the Seeds of CultureTrust

Tailinh Agoyo is co-founder and director of We Are the Seeds of CultureTrust, a Philadelphia-based non-profit committed to amplifying Indigenous voices through the arts. We Are the Seeds has produced more than 150 programs to date including "From Here With a View: A We Are the Seeds Philadelphia Podcast". Tailinh is also the co-founder of Project Antelope, an online marketplace platform developed by Indigenous business leaders and tailored for Indigenous artists. She has worked in public relations, marketing, and design for more than 25 years. Tailinh served as head of design for a global consulting firm's West Coast offices and as director of public relations, marketing, and programming for SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market. She co-founded Indigenous Fine Art Market in 2014, and in 2016 produced EAST, an Indigenous art show, in partnership with the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Northeast Indigenous Arts Alliance. Through her work, Tailinh has developed an expansive view of how to support and lift Indigenous artists and communities.

Annie Chiu, She/Her

Community Partnerships Consultant | Philadelphia Contemporary

Annie is a nonprofit leader with 15+ years of experience in diverse sectors, including education, arts and culture and philanthropy. Skilled in program development, community organizing, curriculum design, and teacher trainings. She was previously the Project Lead at Little Giant Creative’s non-profit initiative, Creative Cities Lab. In this capacity, she led the development of various social impact programs targeting housing discrimination, wealth building, workforce development, and urban planning. Before her tenure at Creative Cities Lab, Annie contributed significantly to Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Arts and Culture discipline. There, she was instrumental in overseeing and expanding youth workforce development programs, aimed at cultivating a diverse leadership pipeline in the arts sector. Annie brings over 12 years of experience from her work in New York City public schools and community-based organizations. Throughout her career, she has managed programs focused on supporting recent immigrants, providing comprehensive aid to impoverished families, and educating children with special needs.

Dawn Frisby Byers, She/Her

Senior Director, Content and Engagement | PA Humanities

Dawn Frisby Byers is Senior Director of Content and Engagement at PA Humanities, where she oversees programs and communications statewide. She is a marketing and programming executive with extensive experience in brand development and management, strategic partnerships, and all aspects of traditional and digital marketing. Much of her career was spent in New York City with positions in entertainment and cultural organizations including Bravo TV, PBS, Sesame Workshop, and Harlem’s famed Apollo Theater. Dawn returned to her native Philadelphia in 2008 and has worked for the Grammys, the Kimmel Center, and the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. She is a graduate of Duke University and completed graduate work in Arts Administration at Drexel University. Dawn currently serves as the Chair of the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. Personally, she loves attending performing arts events, reading a good book, and walking around her Mt. Airy neighborhood.

Theresa Jackson, She/Her

Foundation Manager | The Seybert Foundation

Theresa is a philanthropic professional working in the Greater Philadelphia region. Theresa currently serves as the manager for the Seybert Foundation, a private foundation supporting youth-serving nonprofits in Philadelphia, PA.

Roberta Jackson, She/Her

Executive Director | Darlington Arts Center

Roberta Johnson (pronouns she/her/hers) is a Philadelphia native, an artist, and arts administrator. She joined Darlington Arts Center in June 2023 as the Executive Director. She is responsible for overseeing general operations, the growth of the center in Delaware and Chester County and Delaware and furthering the mission of Every Art for Everyone. Prior to her current position, she was the Vice President of Programming at the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. She was responsible for marketing initiatives such as Phillyfunguide, Funsavers, and the arts marketing affinity group as well as professional development programs such as the Unconscious Bias Series. Roberta has over 10 years of non-profit and managerial experience in the creative sector. Roberta has a master’s in Art Administration from Drexel University, with her research focused on attracting diverse audiences to culturally-based museums in Philadelphia. In addition, she is an adjunct instructor at Drexel University in the Entertainment and Arts Management undergraduate program, teaching future arts leaders. In her free-time, she is a caregiver to her mother and grandmother, a proud member of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., Pennsylvania Chapter, manages a blog focusing on black women arts administrators and avid knitter, sewer, and crafter.

Joey Leroux, He/Him
Secretary

Co-Founder | Beyond the Bell Tours

Joey Leroux is the co-founder of Beyond the Bell Tours, an inclusive historical walking tour company that specializes in women's history and LGBTQ history in Philadelphia (and a Culture Works project). He is the manager of the Medford Public Library Foundation, the fundraising arm of the Charlotte & William Bloomberg Medford Public Library. He is also the Development Support Coordinator for Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. Joey holds a degree in Economics from Haverford College.

Karol Mason, She/Her

Grants Management Consultant | Schultz and Williams

Karol A. Mason is a nonprofit strategist with 20+ years of progressive leadership and expertise in grant writing, corporate/foundation relations, major gifts, public relations, special events, and strategic communications for healthcare, social services, arts/culture, and educational organizations. Karol believes in strategic alignment and is committed to harnessing the power of relationships and collaborative opportunities. Making connections, sharing insights, providing strategies for partnerships and business development opportunities are a deep part of her knowledge base. Karol has served as the Director of Development for the Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium (now called the Black Doctors Consortium), the Associate Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations for The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Director of Hospitality at United Lutheran Seminary (Philadelphia Campus), Grant Writer for the National Adoption Center/Adoption Center of Delaware Valley, Grant Writer for the African American Museum in Philadelphia, and the Chief Speech Writer for CEOs of the Baltimore City Public School System. In 2022, she was responsible for crafting and developing grant applications for $3 million in Congressional Appropriations via the Community Project Funding process for a newly organized program of a national-model nonprofit. Most recently she gained her Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) certification through The American College of Financial Services. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Karol is also a licensed associate minister at the Grace Baptist Church of Germantown and a founding leader of the Restorative Beacon Collective.

Caralyn Spector, She/Her

Creative Strategist and Leadership Advisor | The ROZ Group, Spector Gay Consulting

Caralyn Spector is a Philadelphia native who has been working in the nonprofit and commercial arts sectors for more than 30 years. Her work supports leaders, artists, and neighbors who are making the institutions and neighborhoods they live in/serve more joyful, equitable, and welcoming places – places where each person can bring their authentic selves. Caralyn is a co-founder of Spector|Gay Consulting with Val Gay and the senior managing associate for Roz McPherson and The ROZ Group. Prior to consulting, Ms. Spector was most recently a program officer on the Creative Communities team of the William Penn Foundation (2018-2020) where her portfolio focused on operating support for arts organizations across Philadelphia. She also served as Interim President and CEO for DataArts (2017-2018), bringing big data to the arts and culture sector. During the Obama Administration (2009-2017), she served as Deputy and Chief of Staff to the Senior Deputy Chair and the Senior Policy Advisor to the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. Ms. Spector also serves on the board of Fresh Artists and the Philadelphia Cultural Fund. Caralyn received her B.A. from Barnard College and her M.A. in Creative Leadership from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design. She lives in Wynnewood with her husband, Al, and her two spicy daughters, Eva and Sadie.