The Community DEAI Advisory Committee serves as the primary point of communication for feedback, questions, concerns and collaborative opportunities between Tessitura and our member community. If you would like to get in touch with this committee, please email CommunityDEAI@tessituranetwork.com.

View the Committee Charter ›

Brandon Brown (he/him)

Associate Director of Development Operations
Woodruff Arts Center
Atlanta, Georgia

Brandon Brown is the Associate Director of Development Operations at the Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta, Georgia. He has more than 11 years of experience with Tessitura, helping teams manage donor records and supporting fundraising efforts.

Brandon earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Florida A&M University and a master’s degree in public administration from Georgia State University. At the Woodruff Arts Center, he works to improve processes and tools that help engage donors and support successful campaigns. He has also attended many Tessitura conferences, sharing ideas and learning from others in the community.

Brandon is passionate about making the arts more diverse, equitable, accessible and inclusive. He believes it’s important to give back to the same programs that helped shape who he is today. Serving on Tessitura’s Community DEAI Advisory Committee gives him a chance to help create meaningful change in arts organizations.

In his free time, Brandon enjoys cheering for Georgia sports teams, spending time with his family and supporting the arts.

Samantha Cantu (they/them)

Patron Services Manager
Opera Colorado
Denver, Colorado

Samantha Cantu is a queer, genderfluid, neurodivergent, Chicano activist who hails from a tiny industrial town in Southeast Texas. They now reside in Denver where they are the Patron Services Manager of Opera Colorado. Driven by their own lived experiences of poverty and hardship, Samantha is always willing to roll up their sleeves and do the hard work needed. Samantha enjoys exploring all the facets of Colorado whilst juggling spending time with their kiddo, tending to their many friendships and giving back to the community. They love singing karaoke, psychoanalyzing fictional characters and playing a good immersive video game.

Ashley Dawson (she/her)

Director of Marketing and Database Services
The Granada Theatre
Santa Barbara, California

Ashley Dawson, Director of Marketing and Database Services at The Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara, is a multiracial woman with Black, White, and Indigenous roots dedicated to creating a welcoming, inclusive environment for all.

Ashley began her career as a box office associate at Detroit Opera, where she first worked with Tessitura. At The Granada Theatre, she advanced through roles in ticketing and database support before becoming a director. She now leads the marketing, ticketing, and database teams. Ashley holds a bachelor's degree in music, with a focus on arts administration, from Bowling Green State University. She is a fall 2024 graduate of the Tessitura Career Accelerator program.

As a member of the DEAI Advisory Committee, Ashley is eager to learn from different perspectives and share her own. She strives to bring new ideas to her organization and the arts community, improving workplace culture and live performances by supporting DEAI efforts.

Outside of work, Ashley enjoys spending time with her husband and two dogs, Ludwig and Luna. She loves expressing her creativity through music and crafts, or relaxing with a cozy video game.

Jane Duong (she/her)

CRM and Ticketing Manager
National Gallery of Australia
Parkes, Australia

Jane is a queer, Chinese-Vietnamese Australian arts administrator and photographer. She treads with care on Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country (Kamberri/Canberra, Australia).

Jane is currently the CRM and Ticketing Manager at the National Gallery of Australia. She previously held various positions at the National Portrait Gallery for over a decade. Her career has focused on removing barriers to access for audiences. She aims to make the arts accessible for everyone, regardless of ability or disability. Her intention is to create welcoming and inclusive spaces for all.

When she is not working in galleries, she enjoys collaborating on photo projects. These include Hold On: Treasures from Rainbows (2022), Raising the Flag: Matter of Pride (2019) and Queerberra (2017).

Jane joined the PhotoAccess Board in September 2023. PhotoAccess is a nonprofit organization based in Kamberri/Canberra. It is dedicated to making, sharing and investigating photographic culture. It does this in the interest of artistic expression, cultural participation and positive social change.

Jordan Edwards (she/they)

Director of Ticketing
Long Center for the Performing Arts
Austin, Texas

Jordan is a queer, neurodivergent woman who has spent the last 15 years in box offices and marketing for arts and cultural nonprofit organizations. She likes to say that she literally grew up in a music venue (feel free to ask her about it!).

She has worked at nonprofits ranging from ballet companies to NPR affiliates. This includes working as an instructor at the Tessitura Center for Professional Development. She particularly enjoys training, mentoring and coming up with creative solutions to problems.

Jordan has co-chaired the LGBTQIA+ Tessitura Community since January of 2022. In her free time, she likes to read with her cats, craft, learn languages and play board games.

Isaac Freeman (they/them)

Head of Ticketing and Sales
Hampstead Theatre
London, United Kingdom

Isaac works as Head of Ticketing and Sales in London. They have only recently started in this role, but in previous roles, they championed access and diversity both for customers and staff. This work included implementing new web features, writing access guides and even marching in the Brighton Pride Parade. They have attended EU Ticketing Tessitura Community meetups as well as TLCC Gateshead. Isaac identifies as nonbinary and neurodiverse. They are passionate about helping workplaces implement adjustments to improve the working lives of disabled and neurodivergent people. They also care deeply about encouraging venues to consider how to enhance their access offerings. Isaac is a playwright and poet who holds a master’s degree in queer studies.

Nicki LeGrand (she/her)

Data Services and Analytics Specialist
Royal Winnipeg Ballet
Winnipeg, Manitoba

Nicki LeGrand is a Métis woman from Manitoba, Canada. Manitoba is on the lands of the Anishinaabeg (Ojibwe), Ininew (Cree), Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, and the National Homeland of the Red River Métis. Nicki is the Data Services and Analytics Specialist at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and champions the use of Tessitura across the organization. Currently, Nicki co-chairs the Winnipeg Tessitura Community and Women in Tech Tessitura Community. She is currently a board member for the Friends of Lower Fort Garry, which promotes Canada’s cultural heritage through awareness and education.

Nicki is a trained mezzo-soprano. She has a degree in vocal performance from the University of Manitoba. In 2023, she obtained a certification in database administration from the University of Calgary. She currently lives in Winnipeg with her husband, Ian. They enjoy trying new recipes on their many barbeques and smokers.

As a member of the Community DEAI Advisory Committee, Nicki advocates for women in the male-dominated tech industry. She also makes space for Indigenous history and voices to be celebrated and embraced.

Jade-Leigh Scott (she/they)

Venue Supervisor, Customer Service
Arts Centre Melbourne
Melbourne, Australia

Jade-Leigh Scott is an audience experience advocate and musician from Naarm (Melbourne, Australia). She has worked in the arts and live events sector for over 20 years in varying capacities and contexts. She currently works for Arts Centre Melbourne as a people leader in the Customer Service team.

Jade-Leigh is a proud queer, nonbinary trans woman. She is a trailblazer, forging a dual career as a trans orchestra conductor in Australia. Her journey to finding her authentic self has been inherently linked with her musical growth and training. Jade-Leigh's passion for the orchestra has driven her desire to reconnect the genre with a modern, diverse audience. This passion drives much of her advocacy work.

Jade-Leigh is a late-diagnosed Autistic ADHDer, and identifies as neurodivergent and disabled. She is a fierce advocate for the neurodivergent and disabled communities. She challenges the organisations she works with to create accessible spaces before there is a 'need.' Jade-Leigh's advocacy is founded on the principle that better access benefits everyone, even those who don't know they need it. This work has led Jade-Leigh to join Tessitura’s Community DEAI Advisory Committee.

Outside of their working life, Jade-Leigh is an avid gamer, and is usually listening to her latest hyperfixation pop artist.

Robyn Thomas (they/them)

CRM Systems Manager
Southbank Centre
London, United Kingdom

Robyn Thomas works as a CRM Systems Manager in London and has recently joined Southbank Centre. Before this, they worked at Dulwich Picture Gallery, where they helped to establish the Gallery’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion group and advocated for a staff wellbeing coach.

Robyn identifies as a queer, nonbinary person of colour, who is neurodivergent. In their career in the arts and culture, equal accessibility to the arts is central to everything they do. Robyn is driven by their own experience of mental health struggles, and how important creativity and access to the arts has been for them.

Robyn has a bachelor's degree in fine art and history of art. In their free time they like to write and spend time with their cat, Luna.

Sheriece Veazey-McNally (she/her)

Senior Manager, Prospect Research and Stewardship
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
Kansas City, Missouri

Sheriece is the Senior Manager of Prospect Research and Stewardship at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. She is a member of the development division and the major gifts team. She oversees prospect research, portfolio management and stewardship. Sheriece teaches a studio of voice students through UMKC Conservatory’s Academy. She is a singer who has recently worked with MTH, The Black Repertory Theatre of KC and the BMA Community Choir. She also participates in Nonprofit Connect’s BIPOC Nonprofit Professional Roundtable. She graduated from CSU with a master’s degree in arts leadership and cultural management. She earned an M.M. in voice from UMKC Conservatory and a B.A. in integrative arts from Penn State Altoona. She enjoys traveling, cooking and reading.

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