Leadership
Simone Eccleston | Founder & Chief Genius Officer
Simone Eccleston has over 15 years of experience in celebrating and investing in the creative genius of artists and communities from the African Diaspora. She currently serves as the inaugural Director of Hip Hop Culture and Contemporary Music at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In her position, Simone is responsible for the creative leadership and artistic administration related to the Center-wide collective output of Hip Hop Culture Programming, in addition to introducing high-quality Contemporary Music and cross-genre programs. Since joining the Center, Simone has helped bring world-renowned performances and artists to Kennedy Center stages. She also established the Center’s first Hip Hop Culture Council, in partnership with Artistic Director Q-Tip. Prior to her appointment, she was the Director of Programming at Harlem Stage, one of the nation’s leading arts organizations committed to supporting visionary artists of color through the commissioning, development and presentation of their work. During her tenure as a member of the programming team, she commissioned master artists such as Meshell Ndegeocello, Robert Glasper and Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah through Harlem Stage’s WaterWorks program and over 90 emerging artists who have gone on to achieve substantial acclaim through the Harlem Stage Fund for New Work Program. She also served as the Director of Touring and Concert Productions at Revive Music Group. Simone currently serves as a Governor for the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the Recording Academy and is an inaugural Ambassador for the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective. She is also a Canonical Strategy Consultant for the Apollo Theater. Simone has served as a nominator and adjudicator for numerous granting organizations and was the APAP|NYC Conference Committee Co-Chair (2017-2018). For her outstanding achievements and commitment to service, she has been honored by The Root 100, the YBCA 100, the Washington Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” and the Jackie Robinson Foundation as a “42 under 40 to Watch” Distinguished Alumnus.
Advisory Committee
Indira Goodwine | Advisory Committee
Indira Goodwine is the Program Director for Dance at the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) where she directs NEFA’s National Dance Project and major dance initiatives in New England. With a dual background in dance and arts administration, she previously served as the Managing Director of Camille A. Brown & Dancers (CABD) where she shepherded the organization through the attainment of 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, established the organization’s founding Board of Directors, enhanced the institutional and individual fundraising efforts, and provided oversight of the development, implementation and continued growth of CABD’s dance engagement program, “EVERY BODY MOVE.” Prior to her leadership role with CABD, Indira held various positions at Harlem Stage that deepened community partnerships and supported the organization’s annual dance program, “E-Moves.” She is a 2016 New York Community Trust Fellow, American Express Leadership Academy Alumna, and Dance/USA DILT Program Alumna. Her contributions to the dance field via panels and other advocacy efforts have been acknowledged in the form of notable awards and citations. Indira holds a BFA in Dance Performance from Florida State University and an MA in Performing Arts Administration from New York University.
Courtney N. McMillian | Advisory Committee
Courtney N. McMillian is the Senior Director of Total Rewards for Twitter. She is an influential consensus builder known for driving competitive human resources strategies to attract, retain and reward top talent. Courtney began her career in compensation consulting and has served in HR leadership roles both domestically and globally. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and currently resides in the DC metro area.
Alison T. McNeil | Advisory Committee
Alison T. McNeil is a nationally recognized award winning strategic thinker and creative entrepreneur with nearly 20 years of experience in performing arts and education. She leads with the intention of creating resources, removing roadblocks and designing roadmaps to make arts and culture accessible to all. With technical expertise in nonprofit management, grantmaking, assessment and program evaluation, Alison has led multi-million-dollar change efforts that have directly informed policy, grantmaking, and strategic partnerships. Her efforts have also fortified leadership and secured grants that expand equity and access for women, emerging leaders and communities of color. Every effort she’s contributed to is in service to the communities noted above including launching McNeil Creative Enterprises and co-founding Third Eye Cultural Collaborative, Women of Color in the Arts (WOCA), and the Maynor Biggers Artist Fund. She has served as a thought leader on numerous grant panels, boards, conference panels, and advisory committees including the National Endowment for the Arts, Americans for the Arts, the Heinz Endowments, Association of Performing Arts Professionals, Step Afrika!, FRESHH Inc. Theatre Company, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Arts Council of Fairfax County, Alexandria Commission for the Arts and Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy.
Sadeeka Porter | Advisory Committee
Sadeeka Porter works in policy and program development for the Health Resources and Services Administration in the Department of Health and Human Services where she advises on federal investments in primary health care impacting patients in communities to advance the expansion of comprehensive health care through services and infrastructure. She has experience assessing current legal enabling environments and analysis of how current laws and regulations promote and/or hinder economic development in emerging markets overseas, and rural communities in the U.S. Her nonprofit management experience includes specializing in agriculture and small-to-medium enterprises and obtaining millions of dollars in operational and programmatic funding by implementing a systematic approach to proposal development, knowledge management, and strategic alliance formation. Sadeeka also brings knowledge of microfinance, micro-insurance, corporate finance, foreign direct investment, and international business and trade. She began her career as an attorney in the Corporate Finance and Securities practice at a major U.S. law firm, where she was involved in private equity transactions valuing over $350 million. Sadeeka has been a legal consultant on developing strategic frameworks for implementing business opportunities in several bilateral trade agreements including 15 CARICOM-Caribbean community countries, Latin and Central America, and Canada. Sadeeka holds a Bachelors of Arts from University of Pennsylvania (International Relations) and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. She currently resides in the Capitol Hill area with her husband who is an attorney in the DC area.