Staff

Erin Armington

Education Coordinator

Erin Armington

earmington@artscouncilofprinceton.org (609) 924-8777 x102

Over the past 20 years, Erin Armington has taken classes with long time instructors Libby Ramage and Bob Jenkins, volunteered for Communiversity, and worked as a counselor at the Summer Camp program. After graduating from Rutgers University, she worked for several years in customer service and administration, and spent a year as an AmeriCorps member at the College of New Jersey, collaborating with local arts organizations. As a lifetime lover of the arts and arts education, she is excited to be the Office Administrator for such a long running community nonprofit.

Courtney Brettle

Director of Development

Courtney Brettle

Barbara DiLorenzo

Outreach Program Manager

Barbara DiLorenzo

Barbara DiLorenzo began her teaching career with The Creative Center in New York City, where she worked specifically with seniors and cancer survivors. In 2013, she completed their Creative Aging Training program–learning valuable information about how to work with physical and mental challenges present in some of her students. After moving to New Jersey, and teaching all ages and abilities at the Arts Council of Princeton, Barbara is enjoying her new role as Outreach Program Manager. In this role, she is searching for populations of people who benefit from art instruction–but may not have the resources necessary to ensure a consistent, quality art experience. She coordinates after school art programs, as well as classes at nursing homes and hospitals. Her biggest joy is teaching ArtsExchange, the program with talented young artists from HomeFront in Trenton, NJ. Barbara is also a fine artist and illustrator, with two picture books to be published in the coming year. Look for RENATO AND THE LION (Viking) in bookstores on June 20, 2017–and QUINCY (Little Bee Books) to be released in the spring of 2018. To see more of her work, please visit: barbaradilorenzo.com.

Maria Evans

Artistic Director

Maria Evans

mevans@artscouncilofprinceton.org
(609) 924-8777 x105

Maria Evans graduated from Humboldt State University with a BA in Art and Design. Maria apprenticed with sculptor Craig Nutt while living in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and attending the University of Alabama. She moved to Princeton in 1993 after her husband (a book conservator) was hired at Princeton University. Maria began her work with the Arts Council of Princeton in 1998 teaching children's ceramics classes. Maria served as ACP's Gallery Manager for four years before becoming the Community Arts Manager and now serves as the Artistic Director for the organization.

Mark Germond

Director of Operations

Mark Germond

mgermond@artscouncilofprinceton.org
(609) 924-8777 x107

Mark Germond's business management background includes store design, construction management, lease negotiation, and retail operations management for Williams-Sonoma, Marimekko, Conran's, and Anthropologie. He has worked for The Arts Council of Princeton since September of 1994. His responsibilities include operations management, financial and benefits management, facilities management, and IT systems management and gallery installations. He holds a BA in English Literature and is also an accomplished woodworker.

Beth Harrison

Assistant to the Executive Director

Beth Harrison

Ten years ago Beth began volunteering at the Arts Council, winning the Volunteer of the Year award with her daughter in 2011. The majority of her career has been spent in higher education, healthcare, and non-profit management. She holds an undergraduate degree from Douglass College, Rutgers University and a Masters Degree from New York University. Starting in Facilities, she now works as the Assistant to the Executive Director, Taneshia Nash Laird. Beth lives in Princeton with her family, including their rescue dog who participated in the ACP Summer Camp, Pets of Princeton: Photography.

Melissa Kuscin

Program Coordinator

Melissa Kuscin

mkuscin@artscouncilofprinceton.org
(609) 924-8777 x110

Melissa graduated from Rider University with a BA in Arts Administration emphasizing in visual arts. Before working with the ACP, she has enjoyed working in various roles of nonprofit arts organizations, including Gallery Management at the Trenton City Museum at Ellarslie and Arts Education at the Montclair Art Museum. Melissa is a practicing artist, focusing on drawing and painting.

Ellen Malavsky

Marketing/PR Consultant

Ellen Malavsky

emalavsky@artscouncilofprinceton.org

Ellen Malavsky began her career at a marketing agency in Princeton where she learned the creative side of the business working with many talented artists and designers. She spent her career consulting in various marketing and public relations roles with a particular expertise in marketing communications. Her focus at the Arts Council of Princeton is all-things marketing, public relations, media relations, media sponsors and social media strategy/management. Ellen is not in our office in Princeton full time. The best way to reach her is via email: emalavsky@artscouncilofprinceton.org.

Taneshia Nash Laird

Executive Director

Taneshia Nash Laird

tnlaird@artscouncilofprinceton.org
(609) 924-8777 x104

Taneshia Nash Laird is an accomplished leader with a remarkable career that reflects an unwavering dedication to leveraging the arts and innovation as a platform for community and economic development. In 2017, she was appointed the Executive Director of The Arts Council of Princeton, an award-winning nonprofit organization with a rich history of presenting community-focused, cultural programming in the greater Princeton, NJ region. She is only the third executive director since the organization's founding in 1967 and the first one of color. A graduate of Bernard Baruch College with an extensive career in business development, project management, strategic communications, and contract negotiation, Nash Laird has lead initiatives that have revitalized distressed communities and caused them to thrive. She has been featured in the New York times, Ebony, and Rolling Out, and regularly gives talks across the country on the intersection of the arts, innovation and economic development, and social entrepreneurship.

Stephanie Nazario

Financial Administrator

Stephanie Nazario

snazario@artscouncilofprinceton.org
(609) 924-8777 x111

Stephanie Nazario joined the Arts Council of Princeton as Financial Administrator in July of 2009. She has over seventeen years of experience in non-profit financial management including organizations such as Princeton in Africa, the Project on Ethnic Relations, and the Population Resource Center. She also worked previously as an audit field examiner for Trump Lender Services. Stephanie studied finance and computer information systems at Rider University where she received her degree in business administration.

Kathleen Preziosi

Ceramics Manager

Kathleen Preziosi

(609) 924-8777 x207

Kathleen Preziosi is head of the Ceramics Studio at the Arts Council of Princeton. She received her BA in Liberal Arts, specializing in the Studio Arts, Art History and Arts Management, from Sweet Briar College. Her work includes functional forms and explores the sculptural aspects of clay. She is in a constant state of exploration, stretching the parameters of this medium, currently throwing classic shapes and distorting them with applied assemblage.

Betsy Riley

Receptionist

Betsy Riley

Tom Seeland

Sound Engineer

Tom Seeland

As Sound Engineer for ACP, Tom is responsible for connecting the audience with the many musical productions we, at the Arts Council, have to offer. Tom has a broad range of experience in providing audio production for many diverse groups including international jazz festivals, rock bands and musical theatre — with groups ranging from singer/songwriters at a coffeehouse to venues with thousands of guests. Come see and hear the many culturally rich concerts that ACP has to offer!

Curry Simmel

Administrative Assistant

Curry Simmel

csimmel@artscouncilofprinceton.org
(609) 924-8777

Curry Simmel grew up in Princeton, attended Princeton High and graduated from Emerson College, Boston with a BA in Communications. She began her career as a page for NBC Studios in NYC and later moved to Vermont where she worked as an advertising copywriter at WCAX-TV in Burlington. After returning to the Princeton area, Curry managed retail accounts for Lenhart USA and Gillespie Advertising agencies and Lenox China and Crystal. Curry has been an active volunteer in many community organizations, joining the Arts Council of Princeton in 2010.

Emma Stephens

Development Associate

Emma Stephens

Emma Stephens is a graduate of Rider University, where she received her BA in Arts Administration with a concentration on the visual arts. She has always had a love of and appreciation for the arts and theater, which put her on the path to joining the ACP team. Her experience in customer service and administration makes her an ideal fit for our Development department.