Graham joined Americans for the Arts in 2004 and ensures that the organization is marketing and communicating effectively to a broad spectrum of stakeholders and partners.  Before joining Americans for the Arts, Graham served for five years as marketing specialist for the Fulton County Arts Council in Atlanta, and also worked with the Business Volunteers for the Arts program at the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. In addition, Graham taught English Composition at the University of Alaska Anchorage, where he also created training curricula for university staff and educational programs for Alaska Native youth.

Graham earned a B.A. in English and art history from Emory University and an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Alaska, Anchorage. Committed to community involvement, Graham served for four years on the Metro Atlanta Ryan White HIV Planning Council, was a member of the Atlanta Victory Fund, and is a graduate of the Atlanta Diversity Leadership Academy.

A short story writer and poet, his works have been featured in The Signal, The Lullwater Review, Creative Loafing, and the Anchorage Daily News. Graham was a recipient of the District of Columbia’s Larry Neal Award for Fiction and he currently teaches creative writing at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda.

Chad M. Bauman is the director of communications at Arena Stage, where he supervises the marketing, media relations, publications, sales, and front of house departments. Founded by Zelda Fichandler, Arena Stage was one of the nation’s original resident theaters. In the fall of 2010, Arena Stage will open the Mead Center for American Theater, a 200,000 square foot, three theater complex making it "the largest performing arts complex to open since the Kennedy Center (The Washington Post)."

Previously, he was the director of marketing and communications at Americans for the Arts where he was responsible for all earned revenue goals, branding, and strategic communications. Chad is a prolific speaker who has presented sessions at the National Arts Marketing Conference for the past five years, and the author of a widely read arts marketing blog (www.arts-marketing.blogspot.com). In addition to his work as a speaker and consultant, he is an adjunct professor in the graduate arts management program at Drexel University. Chad holds an M.F.A. in theater management and producing from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), and a  B.S.Ed in speech and theater education summa cum laude from the Honors College of Missouri State University.
 

Former Director California Arts Council, President California Assembly of Local Arts Agencies, and Executive Director of LINES Ballet Barry Hessenius is an author, consultant, blogger, and public speaker. Barry published his work Hardball Lobbying for Nonprofits in 2007 (Macmillan & Company, New York). He conducted a two-phase study with reports released in 2007 and 2009 for the Hewlett Foundation on the issue of generational management and succession in the arts. He authored several other studies including the California Arts Advocacy Handbook, the Local Arts Agency Funding Study for the Aspen Institute, and the City Arts Agency Tool Kit. He is author of the most widely read blog in the nonprofit arts field, Barry's Blog http://blog.westaf.org/.

A founding member and Vice-Chair of California Arts Advocates and the United Statewide Community Arts Association, he was also been a board member of the National Association of State Arts Agencies (NASAA), the California Alliance for Arts Educators (CAAE), California CultureNet, the California State Summer School for the Arts, the California Travel Industry Association (CalTIA), and a member of the State Superintendent’s Task Force on Arts Education.  Barry is currently on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Architectural Foundation.
 

Gary P. Steuer began serving on October 1, 2008 as chief cultural officer for the City of Philadelphia, directing the newly created Office of Arts Culture and the Creative Economy, appointed by Mayor Michael Nutter. Prior to that, he served as vice president for private sector affairs at Americans for the Arts, the national service organization for local arts agencies. He also had the additional title of executive director of the Arts & Business Council of Americans for the Arts. He was responsible for leading efforts to stimulate more private sector support for the arts, including promoting partnership between the arts and business, as well as overseeing services to the national network of Arts & Business Councils, Business Committee for the Arts affiliates, and United Arts Funds. He also managed strategic partnerships with such organizations as The Conference Board, Council on Foundations, Independent Sector, and Grantmakers in the Arts. He served as president and CEO of the Arts & Business Council from 1996 to 2005, when the council merged its operations with Americans for the Arts. From 1993 to 1996, Gary was director of New York programs for the council. Under his leadership the council’s budget grew by more than 400 percent and included the creation of such programs as the National Arts Marketing Project, with a total of moer than $5 million in support from American Express to date; the Met Life Foundation National Arts Forums; and the New York State Cultural Tourism Initiative.

Earlier in his career he was executive director of National Actors Theatre on Broadway, director of the Capital Funding Initiative of the New York State Council on the Arts, managing director of the Vineyard Theatre, director of programs for the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York, an aide to a United States Congressman, and a commercial theater producer. Gary has written, lectured, and taught extensively on arts management and policy issues. He has served on many boards of directors and funding and advisory panels for local, statewide, and national organizations.