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WAC Senior staff biographies

Northwest Arkansas Times

Posted on Sunday, October 29, 2006

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· WAC Senior staff biographies (10-29-2006)
Learning curve: Nadine Baum Studios serve as WAC's education wing (10-29-2006)
Many credit WAC for bring Dickson Street out of the doldrums (10-29-2006)
Other facility uses (10-29-2006)
Parking lot was hot topic during WAC's formative years (10-29-2006)

Anita Scism

President/CEO

Now in her eighth year as president and chief executive officer, Scism joined the center's staff as director of financial affairs prior to the 1991 opening, bringing with her more than 15 years of experience in banking and legal professions. She was promoted to senior vice president, and then, interim president in 1997 and named president and CEO in 1998. She oversees 45 employees, four facilities, a $7 million annual budget, $13 million in endowments and more than 350 events each year. In the past year, she has led an image-and-branding initiative, an organizational restructuring and the start-up phase of a $20 million program endowment. She also is working on a conceptual plan for a new, larger performing arts hall.

In October 2000, she was selected as one of six arts presenters from the United States to participate in the U.S./China Performing Arts Cultural Exchange. In January 2004, she was elected to the national board of the Association of Performing Arts Presenters and serves on its Executive and Financial Affairs Committee. She is also a member of Southwest Performing Arts Presenters and Americans for the Arts.

Jenni Taylor Swain

Senior Vice President of Programs

As WAC's vice president of education and outreach from 1990-1999, Swain originated several of the center's community arts programs, including the Visiting Artists Residency programs, in which performers share their knowledge and experiences with the community, and the Arts with Education Institute, or AWE, a professional-development workshop for teachers. She oversees the development and planning of WAC's performing and visual arts programs and the Classroom Series, which serves school in Northwest Arkansas.

She is the chairman of WAC's Artistic Advisory Committee and initiated a community-based public art committee; spearheaded a public art request for bids for Fencescape, a permanent outdoor art exhibit to be constructed outside Nadine Baum Studios; and was involved in securing the Ken Stout mural permanently installed in WAC's balcony lobby.

Swain is a Governing Board Member of the Southwest Arts Presenters. She previously served as WAC's representative to the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts' Partners in Education program and as an arts education development consultant for the Center for Arts and Sciences of West Virginia. In 2005, Swain became part of the League of American Theatres and Producers.

Swain has a bachelor's degree in speech communication from the University of Texas and a master's degree in speech communication from the University of Arkansas as well as additional non-degree course work at New York University and the American College in Paris.

Terri Trotter

Vice President of External Affairs

Trotter joined the WAC staff in the fall of 1998 and now supervises staff responsible for marketing and promotions, public relations, corporate sponsorships, foundation relations and fund-raising. She has 15 years of experience in the arts and entertainment industry, previously serving as director of sales for a corporate special-events company in Chicago and as marketing and promotions director for radio stations in Chicago, Indianapolis and Minneapolis. She is active in helping form a regional arts alliance in Northwest Arkansas and forming a cultural arts district in downtown Fayetteville. She has a degree in communication studies from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., and a master's degree in telecommunications from Indiana University.

Tim Vogt

Vice President of Finance and Planning

Recently promoted to his new position, Vogt has served as WAC's finance manager for the past two years, overseeing the center's accounting, budgeting, payroll and cash management. His previous positions include director of finance and administration for Maynard Inc. in Fayetteville, finance manager at J.B. Hunt Transport in Lowell and youth pastor at Garden Valley Church in Garden City, Kan. Vogt has a bachelor's degree in business administration and accounting from Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan., and a master's degree in business administration from John Brown University.

Josh Marchesi

Vice President of Operations

Marchesi is originally from San Francisco, where he worked as a production manager and technical director in theaters throughout the Bay Area for more than 25 years. He has worked in theater in a variety of capacities, including acting, directing, lighting, set designing, stage managing and teaching. He also ran the Saratoga High School drama program in California for three years. His artistic and technical work has been seen on many stages, including American Conservatory Theater, Theaterworks, Marin Theatre Company, Mendocino Theatre Company, the Seattle Fringe Festival and the Janlyn Dance Company. He joined the WAC staff in February and provided lighting for TheatreSquared's production of "Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse."