Leadership

Alex Wasalinko

Alex Wasalinko is a poet, writer, artist, and educator born in Scranton, PA and currently based in Philadelphia.

She received her B.A. in English literature and philosophy with minors in art history and French from the University of Scranton, where she was also an editor and production manager of the campus literary magazine, Esprit.  Inspired by an artwriting course while studying at the University of Edinburgh, Alex chose to pursue her passion for writing poetry full-time; she received an MRes in creative writing with a concentration in ekphrastic poetry from the University of Strathclyde.  Her thesis, Searching for Phoebe, examines the life and career of Scottish artist Phoebe Anna Traquair through original poems written in response to Traquair’s expansive body of work.

Prior to starting her role as Marketing, Communications, and Onboarding Coordinator at ArtistYear, Alex served as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Creative Writing Fellow for two years at Alexander Adaire Elementary School in Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood.

While living in Scranton, she taught children’s afterschool art classes and managed the class’s social media under the mentorship of a local artist and art educator.  In 2019, Alex was a research assistant and guest alumni playwright for the University of Scranton’s original oral history play, The Porches Project, which presented the history and evolution of Scranton’s historic Hill Section via community members’ stories.  She has also held various roles as an arts educator across Philadelphia and has freelanced as a copywriter and copyeditor.

In her spare time, alongside continuing her artistic work, Alex enjoys practicing photography, cooking, and spending time with her cat, Marcel.  You can find her creative writing published in Sixfold, Writers Room’s Anthology 6 and 7, The Ekphrastic Review, and literary collections released by Giovanni’s Room, Tiny Spoon, Recenter Press, and Perennial Press.

Betsaleel (Bets) Charmelus

A facilitator, community advocate, musician and an auditory story-teller, Betsaleel (Bets) Charmelus is the National Program Director of ArtistYear. Previously, he served as ArtistYear’s Philadelphia Lead, managing and providing professional development to Philadelphia AmeriCorps Fellows, and serving as program liaison to the School District of Philadelphia.

Bets brings a Trauma-Informed approach to his work as National Program Director. He has served as a lead instructor for the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation’s Trauma Informed Practice for Teaching Artists course in Philadelphia, and as program director for the anti-violence, music non-profit Beyond the Bars. As the primary architect and leader of the Professional Development Training Program at ArtistYear, Bets integrates arts learning with Trauma-Informed principles to support Fellows in creating safe, inclusive, creative spaces for students.

Previously, Bets was a music instructor for survivors of sexual trauma with Joseph J. Peters Institute’s B.O.S.S. Program (Boys Overcoming Stigma and Shame) and was a coordinator for men’s mental health support groups. As a performer, he is an aural storyteller in the acclaimed, all-black rock band ill Fated Natives. In all facets, Bets is passionate about finding and claiming new spaces, building strong, inter-connected communities, and exploring the difference between questioning oneself and asking oneself questions.

Bets is a graduate of Temple University where he received a bachelor’s degree in Information Science and Technology. He resides in West Philadelphia.

Eugene Cottrell

Before joining ArtistYear as the North Carolina Lead, Eugene Cottrell was a decorated educator and band director in North Carolina public schools.

He began his 25 year teaching career as an assistant director of bands at West Point Middle and High Schools in West Point, Mississippi.  In 1999 he moved to Northwood High School and Horton Middle School in Pittsboro, NC where he  was challenged with rebuilding a program that had been neglected and fallen to only 28 enrolled students.  Within 3 years the total number of students at Horton and Northwood grew exponentially to over 130 enrolled in the band program. After 6 years the program at Northwood had grown large enough to allow for full time high school duties.  Under Eugene’s leadership, both schools’ bands garnered superior ratings, with the Marching Chargers of Northwood racking up 1st places awards at local, regional and national competitions. More than one administrator commented that “the Marching Chargers are giant slayers” because they had defeated so many bands larger than them for overall grand championship honors.

After 15 years at Northwood, Eugene moved to Pinecrest High School in Southern Pines, NC. Before retiring in 2021 his wind ensembles, jazz bands and chamber ensembles racked up superior ratings in state competitions while playing college level literature from the grade V and VI  NC state lists.  During his time at Pinecrest High School, Eugene saw the Marching Patriots almost double in size and receive countless 1st place caption awards and numerous grand championships for best band of the day.

In 2005 Eugene was awarded the Mr. Holland’s Opus Award which recognizes music teachers who best demonstrate the spirit and dedication of “Mr. Holland” portrayed by Richard Dreyfuss in the 1995 hit movie, Mr. Holland’s Opus.  In 2011 Eugene was awarded the Jackson Parkhurst for Special Achievement by the North Carolina Symphony.  This award recognizes NC teachers “that make a lasting difference in the lives of students of all abilities and backgrounds, serve the community in an exemplary manner as a role model in music education, instill a love for music in children and inspire students to reach appropriately high musical standards.”

Eugene graduated from Concord College in Athens, WV.  He lives in Sanford, NC with his wife Leslie; his two children are currently enrolled in college. In addition to his music and teaching practices, Eugene is a published photographer with his photos appearing in North Carolina galleries. He also loves golf…more than it loves him back.

Julia Durkin

Philadelphia-suburb native Julia Durkin grew up surrounded by the arts as a musician and visual artist where she gained a deep appreciation for the impact of arts education. She brings this perspective and passion to her role as Chief Finance Officer and Director of Human Resources at ArtistYear. Julia leads finance, compliance, and human resource planning and implementation in addition to supporting ArtistYear’s operations, strategy, and realization.

Prior to ArtistYear Julia served as Operations Director for Play On Philly, where she created the Human Resources department, guided the organization through six years of successful financial audits, and managed the budget growth from $1.2 million in 2013 to $2.4 million in 2018.

She has also served as Operations Director and Director of Compliance for Senator Bob Casey’s successful 2012 reelection campaign.

Julia received a Bachelor of the Arts with a double major in Performance Studies and Political Science at Northwestern University. She also holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania, and a certification in Human Resources from the Society for Human Resources.

As a lifelong musician, she studied bassoon with Shirley Curtiss, performed in chamber ensembles at Philadelphia’s Settlement Music School, performed in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association All-State Orchestra under the direction of Rossen Milanov, and participated in numerous musical theatre productions over the years.

She currently resides within the suburbs of Philadelphia with her husband, their two sons, and miniature goldendoodle, Lucy.  She also enjoys painting and using chalk pastels in her spare time.

Kate Curtin

Kate Curtin is ArtistYear’s North Carolina Lead, serving as a liaison to Moore County Schools and Lee County Schools, and providing mentorship, professional development, and day-to-day supervision for the ArtistYear NC Fellows.  She grew up surrounded by the arts and is deeply committed to bringing all youth the same opportunity.

Kate received her Bachelor of Arts with a double major in History and French from Hofstra University.  Kate is a U.S. Army Veteran and the Youth Program Director for the Arts Council of Moore County. In her role with the Arts Council, Kate is responsible for bringing educational performing artists into the rural county’s 23 schools, reaching over 15,000 students each year. She created the RePaint Art Supply Drive which distributes donated art supplies to Moore County’s public schools and is the organizer of the annual Young People’s Fine Arts Festival showcasing K-12 youth art from across Moore County. 

Over the past 12 years, Kate has volunteered extensively within the Moore County Public School system, primarily in Title 1 schools.  She served as the Southern Pines Primary’s PTA Vice-President, Southern Pines Elementary’s PTA Treasurer, and Southern Middle School’s Parent Advisory Committee liaison, School Improvement Team member, PTA Treasurer and President. She was the co-founder and chair of the Military Family Council and the Pineland “Thundering Herd,” a travel basketball team for at-risk male teens.  Kate currently serves on the Moore County Historical Association’s Board of Trustees and is a swim team coach for the Southern Pines Elks.  

Maryanne Braine

Originally from Columbus, Ohio, Maryanne Braine is an artist and photographer who is committed to addressing inequities in our society through arts education and national service.  She served two AmeriCorps service terms with City Year New York and Reading Partners New York. During her service with City Year, Maryanne designed and implemented an after-school arts curriculum at a public elementary school in East Harlem. While serving with Reading Partners, she ran a tutoring center for K-4th grade students out of a charter school in The Bronx. During her time serving with AmeriCorps she witnessed how the creative arts can positively impact communities and provide a platform for youth to tell their stories.

Prior to ArtistYear, she worked at NYC Service, a division of the Mayor’s Office of New York City. In her role as NYC Service Year Support Coordinator, she created and managed professional development programming and networking opportunities to strengthen the current AmeriCorps member and alumni community throughout NYC. This work allowed her to advocate for the AmeriCorps population while helping members leverage their own service experiences to meet career goals.

Maryanne continues to pursue art making, specializing in alternative and analog photography processes such as cyanotypes, mordancage, emulsion lifts, and gel transfers. Her work has been featured in collective exhibitions nationally and internationally, including China, India, and New Zealand. She was an artist-in-residence at The Spruce Residency in Indiana, PA in 2019.

Maryanne received her BA in Studio Art from Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana in 2014 and her MFA in Photography & Related Media at Parsons School of Design, The New School in New York City in 2018.

She currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.

Maggie Phillips

Maggie Phillips is an educator and movement artist who uses performance, digital media, and experimentation to explore connection and storytelling. She has extensive training in contemporary dance and dance improvisation. As Philadelphia Lead, Maggie mentors a large cohort of Fellows and through that hopes to cultivate courageous, thoughtful, and innovative leaders in the teaching artistry field.

Maggie previously supported our onboarding and program coordination, and served as ArtistYear’s ACCESS (Artists Connecting Creatively to Enrich and Support Schools) Lead. Maggie managed Fellows as they served in Philadelphia schools and as content creators in partnership with YouTube Kids. Maggie also served for two years as an ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow — As a member of the Class of 2020 at F. Amedee Bregy School in Philadelphia, and as a Senior member of the Class of 2021 with ArtistYear ACCESS.

Maggie Phillips is originally from Eau Claire, WI and grew up immersed in dance, music, and competitive figure skating. Maggie is a graduate of Middlebury College where she received a dual bachelor’s degree in chemistry and dance.

Nick Lenio

Nick Lenio is ArtistYear’s Colorado Lead, serving as the mentor and manager of AmeriCorps Fellows serving in the Roaring Fork School District and Greater Denver area.

Nick has been teaching music in Pennsylvania and Colorado public schools since 2009. He has witnessed first-hand the transformative power that music can have on young people of every background and firmly believes that every young person should be exposed to arts education.

Nick started his education career at the age of 22, serving as the Director of Bands at Lebanon High School in Lebanon, PA. During that time, participation in band classes doubled at the school. In 2012, Nick moved across the country to live in the Rocky Mountains and accepted a position as Director of Bands for 5th-12th grade at Basalt Middle and High Schools in Basalt, CO. He taught full-time in this position for 7 years and grew the band program from about 150 students to over 320 students. He transformed the high school band into the “Basalt StreetHorns”, a New Orleans-style street band that performed at many community events and opened for musical artists such as Train, Andy Grammer, Michael Franti, and Lionel Richie. He also took that group to New Orleans for a week in 2018 to have an immersive experience of listening, learning, and performing on the streets and in the city’s clubs. In 2016, Nick was a semi-finalist for the GRAMMY Music Educator Award.

In 2013, Nick began teaching an after-school guitar class through Lead Guitar and in 2019, he became Lead Guitar’s Regional Director for Colorado, teaching and supervising programs in the Roaring Fork Valley and in Denver public schools.

Nick received his Bachelor of Science degree in Music Education from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2009 and his Master of Music degree in Instrumental Conducting from Messiah University in 2013. He is an active musician in the Roaring Fork Valley who performs on solo acoustic guitar, classical guitar, and plays bass guitar in a funk/reggae band. When he’s not teaching or performing, Nick finds his peace while mountain trail running, rock climbing, and backcountry snowboarding with his wife and two yellow labs.

Rebecca Imani C. Graham

Rebecca Graham is a musician and educator of both vocal and instrumental music. They work with each ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellow class to achieve their highest potential as teaching artists, classroom educators, and dedicated citizen-artists.

A graduate of Ithaca College’s James J. Whalen School of Music, Rebecca earned her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education with a concentration in trumpet in 2010. Upon graduating, they spent a year in service as the Family Communications Americorps VISTA at New Roots Charter School, a start-up high school in Ithaca, NY where they were later brought on as the full-time Music Director. Over the course of two years at New Roots, Rebecca taught and developed sustainability and social justice arts curriculum for grades 9-12 with classes including chorus, jazz ensemble, chamber ensemble, a student-led rock band, music theory and appreciation.

Since moving to Philadelphia in 2013, Rebecca has worked as a vocal Teaching Artist with Musicopia’s FAME (Fostering Artistry and Musical Excellence) and residency programs. Rebecca’s Complaint Choir program has been hailed as “innovative” and “highly popular” and is often requested by school communities looking to better engage their “at-risk” and neurodivergent students. Rebecca served on the Musicopia Board of Directors from 2015-2017 as the Teaching Artist liaison. They also worked with Philadelphia Youth Orchestra’s Tune Up Philly program as a brass faculty member and Site Supervisor, working closely with the Director to ensure continued program-wide success amongst faculty and students.

Rebecca joined ArtistYear in January 2018 as the City Lead of Philadelphia.

You can catch Rebecca performing under the moniker Honeychile, and with the Philly-based hip hop collective Hardwork Movement.

Stephanie Markman Mayén

As ArtistYear’s Chief Development Officer, Stephanie Mayen is responsible for the full range of funding development activities for ArtistYear, ensuring stability and responsible growth for the organization over the short- and long-term.

Stephanie has been committed to public education since the beginning of her career, spending the first portion of her professional life in the classroom. She taught middle school English as a Teach For America Corps Member in St. Louis and went on to teach in a high-performing charter school. She parlayed her experience in the classroom into her work with the National Math and Science Initiative (NMSI).

Stephanie joined NMSI in 2014 as Grants Manager and held a number of positions during her seven years with the organization, rising to Director of Fundraising and Operations by the end of her tenure. During her time at NMSI, she developed and supported NMSI’s strategic growth strategy, led NMSI’s federal fundraising efforts, raised over $30 million dollars from public and private sources, developed processes and procedures for the organization, and developed fundraising strategies to diversify funding for the organization, all with the goal of maximizing impact and student success.

Stephanie earned a Master’s degree in secondary education from the University of Missouri – St. Louis and Bachelors’ degrees in English and communications from Southern Methodist University. She resides in Dallas with her husband Elliot and their dog, Tron. They enjoy traveling, being outdoors, and taking advantage of all Dallas has to offer.

Stu Warshawer

An experienced educator, school leader, and builder, Stu Warshawer is CEO of ArtistYear. He previously served as ArtistYear’s Chief Program Officer, developing, managing, and evaluating ArtistYear programming, ensuring the program yields our vision of positive outcomes for students, schools, and AmeriCorps Fellows.

Stu began his career in education in 2003 and brings extensive experience working in New York City, Philadelphia, and Camden Title I Schools. In 2019, he became a KIPP Fisher Fellow and founded a High School in Camden, NJ. Prior to launching a school with KIPP, Stu served as a Principal for 5 years with Mastery Charter Schools, leading the team at Harrity Upper School in West Philadelphia to breakthrough student achievement results. Stu hosted several ArtistYear Fellows during his tenure at Harrity. In 2019, Harrity was recognized by the School District of Philadelphia for advancing two categories on the city’s School Progress Report between 2014 – 2018.

Prior to serving as a principal, Stu served as a middle school teacher in New York City public schools, and as a Dean of Students for Achievement First Charter Schools in Brooklyn. In addition to being a career educator and school leader, Stu is a father, husband, an avid rock climber and competitive athlete who was featured with his students on season 10 of NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior.”

Stu grew up in Media, PA and graduated from Williams College with a Bachelor of Arts in Religion.

Utsa Hazarika

Utsa Hazarika is an artist and writer based in Queens, New York. Her research-based practice ranges across video, installation and photography, and explores how an interdisciplinary dialogue can push us to think about power, memory and resistance. Her work has been exhibited in India and the United States, and she has been awarded residencies and fellowships internationally, including by the Queens Museum, Asian Cultural Council, and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in the United States; Lijiang Studio in China; and Khoj International Artists’ Association in India.

Through her work on Artreach India’s innovative arts programs, Utsa managed art education projects focused on women and children in low-income communities and shelters for the homeless in Delhi. She has since worked on educational initiatives in the arts at The New School Art Collection, and the CASA Teaching Residency at the Queens Museum, which engages K-12 students in the NYC Borough of Queens public schools.

Through both independent projects, and work with local and international organizations, Utsa has over a decade of engagement with community-based research, advocacy and education. Her work has focused on indigenous communities and marginalized urban communities in South and South East Asia, and immigrant communities in Britain and the United States. Her art and academic research has been published internationally including in Ethnos: Journal of Anthropology (UK), Trans Asia Photography Review (US) and The Caravan (India). She holds an MFA in Fine Arts from The New School and an MPhil in Social Anthropology from the University of Cambridge.

Margo Drakos

Committed to a life of service that harnesses the innovative power of technology and the transformative potential of the arts, Founder and Trustee Chair of ArtistYear, Margo Drakos is a concert cellist, founder of tech companies, impact investor, and proud active duty Military spouse. Margo served as CEO of ArtistYear from its inception in 2016 to 2021.

 Margo is Managing Director of Draper Richards Kaplan Fdt. (DRK), a global venture philanthropy firm supporting early stage, high-impact social enterprises. In this role, she serves on the Boards of Ameelio, Public Rights Project, and Rocket Learning. Margo has spent the past decade working with private and public sector institutions leveraging technology and strategic alignment to realize scale, revenue generation, and sustainability. In this capacity, Margo served as Partner and Chief Technology Officer at McChrystal Group LLC.

Margo has spent the past decade working with private and public sector institutions leveraging technology and strategic alignment to realize scale, revenue generation, and sustainability. She has recruited, led, and motivated matrix and dispersed organizations of engineering, product, marketing, and growth teams in the non-profit and commercial spaces while maintaining high-quality standards.  Until 2017, Margo spent four years as Chief Technology Officer and at McChrystal Group LLC, a software and service company designed to optimize organizational performance.

Margo began working as a professional musician at age four, performing on national radio and television commercials.  Over the course of her career as a cellist she performed as a soloist, chamber, and orchestral musician on the world’s preeminent stages on five continents. Margo entered music conservatory at fifteen as a double major in cello and composition and graduated from Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in 1999. She served as Artist-in-Residence and Cello and Chamber Music faculty member at the Aspen Music Festival and Manhattan School of Music from 2002-2008. Margo’s positions included cellist of the American String Quartet, Principal Cellist of the Oregon, San Diego, and Seattle Symphonies, and Associate Principal of Pittsburgh Symphony.  She toured regularly with “Musicians from Marlboro” and has recorded and produced for Sony Classical, Naxos, Arabesque, and Longhorn Records.

In 2007, embracing the power of technology to democratize access to the arts, Margo co-founded and led her first start-up, InstantEncore.com, the world’s leading provider of web and mobile technology to the performing arts. In that role, Margo executed strategic partnerships to enable some of the first live web and mobile concert streaming and download events from Carnegie Hall to the Sydney Opera House.  In 2011, she was made a Partner at the SwitchCase Group, the lead investor in InstantEncore.

In 2010, Margo was honored as a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, a community of extraordinary global leaders under forty. Margo has been invited to speak on technology, entrepreneurship, and the arts at institutions and events including Americans for the Arts, Carnegie Mellon University, the Global Competitiveness Forum of Saudi Arabia, TechVenture in Singapore and the World Economic Forum at Davos.

Margo received a Masters in Human Rights from Columbia University and holds Executive Degrees in Global Leadership and Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School and Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Her publications have appeared in the Aspen Institute Magazine, The International Affairs Review, The Stanford Social Innovation Review, and The Cornell International Law Journal.

ArtistYear Trustees

Margo Drakos, ArtistYear Founder & Chair of the Board

Eric Booth

Robert Carpenter, PhD.

Polly Kahn