2022 Cohort

Lisa Cortes Walden

Lisa Cortez Walden, Ph.D., creates workshop productions through Flor y Canto, in San Antonio, Texas. She has over 30 years of experience in producing plays, staged readings, and city-wide events, as well as in editing community-based anthologies. Some of her credits include the world premiere of Detained in the Desert, by Josefina Lopez (Guadalupe Theatre), a regional premiere of Blu, by Virginia Grise (Guadalupe Theatre), and Dos Pocitos, by Raúl Garza (Say Sí), a Tongue in the Mouth of the Dying, by Laurie Ann Guerrero, Texas Poets Laureate (2014). In addition, she has produced city-wide festivals for San Antonio and Austin, such as the Trail of Lights (Austin, Assistant to GM), Luminaria (San Antonio, Manager), Paletas y Poesía (San Antonio, Producer), The Chili Queen Symposium, (San Antonio, Producer) and Fusion Fest (San Antonio, Producer). 

When she’s not producing, she stays busy writing for young audiences. She is currently revising Miguelito y Su Mamá, about the butterflies wintering in Michoacán, Mexico. As well, she is working on Amá Chole, The One-Eyed Soldadera. website: www.flor-y-canto.com

Anant Das

Anant Das (“un-nunth”) (He/Him) is a Drama Desk Award winning and two-time Tony Nominated theatre and film creative producer and CEO of Broadway Boxed Up, the longest-running theatre-themed subscription box. He is a Co-Executive Producer of the film “Summoning the Spirit” and Executive Producer & General Manager of Chryssie Whitehead’s show, IN MY OWN LITTLE CORNER: MY MOODS, MY MOM, & ME. He is a co-producer of various Broadway and touring productions, including SMASH, GYPSY, THE WIZ, A BEAUTIFUL NOISE: THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL, HERE LIES LOVE, HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO, THE PIANO LESSON, and NEW YORK, NEW YORK, as well as KINKY BOOTS Off-Broadway and an Associate Producer of WINDFALL Off-West End. Anant has experience as an investor with JOB the Play, A STRANGE LOOP (Tony Award Winner for Best Musical), FAIRYCAKES, the Museum of Broadway, and the UK Tour of THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING…EARNEST?. With a background in financial valuation and computer science, Anant is passionate about the intersection of theatre, tech, and finance, as well as energized to increase access to both theatrical opportunities and theatre education. He is a proud advocate for the Broadway Education Alliance and The Roger Rees Awards, a 2022 member of both the TEDxBroadway Young Professionals cohort and the Theatre Producers of Color, and serves as a Board Member of: Broader than Broadway, the New York Theatre Workshop’s 4th Street Bar Association, The University of Virginia McIntire Young Alumni Council, and President of the University of Virginia’s Young Alumni Council.

Noemi De La Puenté

Cynthia L. Dorsey

Cynthia L. Dorsey is a highly accomplished multi-disciplinary artist committed to authentically representing communities of color on both stage and film. Cynthia has over two decades of experience as an arts educator. Her exceptional contributions in this realm led to a nomination for an Excellence in Theatre Education Tony Award.

Cynthia is the co-founder of SoulFLY Theatre Society. Her directorial and producing work has received both regional and national acclaim. Notably, she earned the Best Inspirational Director award for the short film “JUST” and Best Social Justice Film award for “Critical Missing” at the Urban Film Festival.

Cynthia was honored as a 2022/23 Prince Fellow. She currently serves as a Producing Fellow at P3 Productions and a Creative Producer at Musical Theater Factory. She was named a 2024 Women to Watch on Broadway.

As a writer, Cynthia’s work has been featured in Billie Holiday Theatre’s 50in50 Women Writers and the Netflix award-winning podcast, Mortified. Her freelance contributions can be found in popular lifestyle publications Madame Noire and XoNecole, and on her blog, Confessions of a Purse Carrier. She is a member of the Inaugural BIPOC Critics Lab at The Public Theater. Cynthia is not only breaking barriers in her artistic endeavors but is also contributing to critical discourse as an arts journalist.

In all her endeavors, it is Cynthia’s goal to liberate silenced stories of women of color from the page. Her work stands as testament to the transformative power of art and its capacity to challenge, uplift, and inspire.

Arysbells Figueredo

Hailing from Miami, Arysbells is a Latina Producer and Company Manager based in New York City. With over ten years of experience as a freelance stage manager, she primarily focused on new works. In 2021, she made a significant career shift when she began working in company management at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center for the Shucked workshop. She later made her Broadway debut as a fellow with the Theatre Leadership Project with Chicago. Arysbells is deeply committed to fostering equitable practices across the industry, dedicating her efforts to leading workshops focused on anti-bullying. Her genuine passion shines through in her advocacy for transformative change, as she strives to cultivate supportive and positive work environments within the theater community. Selected Credits include: A Wonderful World (Broadway), Another Shot (Off-Broadway), On Your Feet! (National Tour), Kinky Boots (Off-Broadway), Come From Away (National Tour). Proud ATPAM Member. BA from the University of Florida.

Yesenia Garcia Herrington

Yesenia Garcia Herrington (she/her/ella) is an Austin-based actress, director, educator, and entrepreneur. Originally from the Rio Grande Valley, she is graduate of Southwestern University and The University of Texas at Austin MFA Acting Program, her film and television credits include the award-winning documentary Horton Foote: The Road to Home, the award winning National Geographic mini-series The Long Road Home, CW’s Walker, HBO’s The Leftovers, AMC’s The Son, among others. On stage, her role as Carolina in the National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere of The Madres by Stephanie Allison Walker earned her a Broadway World Austin nomination for Best Leading Actress. She is currently an Assistant Professor and the Head of the B.F.A. Performance and Production program at Texas State University. She is the founder of C2C Multimedia, a company focused on elevating arts education and media for underrepresented populations. In 2015, she was invited by President Barack Obama to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the National Endowment of the Arts at The White House. In 2022, she was nationally recognized with the Uta Hagen Award from the Kennedy Center American College and Theatre Festival for her work as an arts educator and industry professional. She is represented byThe Acting Group.

Vanessa Immink

Vanessa Immink (Ngāti Hāua, Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa) is a multi-award-winning theatre maker, programmer and producer from Aotearoa New Zealand. 

Currently she is a Creative Producer at Auckland Live, programming and activating many of Aotearoa’s most loved performing arts venues. Vanessa has previously worked across festivals such as Adelaide Fringe Festival, leading Māori Pasifika and global Indigenous arts festival Kia Mau Festival and rangatahi development live performance festival Pūtahi Festival. She has produced multiple projects of various scales – from independent solo shows to large scale commercial projects like Blue Man Group, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Singin’ in the Rain, CATS,Cirque du Soleil and Hamilton. She is the Executive Producer of te reo Māori musical Whakapaupakihi, currently in development. 

Vanessa was the initial project producer for Māori advocacy organisation, Ngā Hua Toi, and is the founder and Executive Producer of VOLT, a digital educational platform for Aotearoa’s live performance sector where community can access resources, tutors, training, templates and more. 

With a degree in musical theatre, Vanessa loves advocating for new Aotearoa musicals and cabaret, as well as First Nation/Indigenous storytelling. She champions work that brings communities together to share stories that encourage the world to foster empathy and equity.

Sergio Mexia

Sergio Mexia is a Mexican-Canadian creative producer based in Toronto. Holding degrees that include The Vancouver Institute of Media Arts and the Acting Studio NY, he has close to two decades of experience in TV, film and advertising. He has had the opportunity to produce and direct music videos, commercials, live experiences and art installations in US, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica and Cuba for clients like Joss Stone, Coca-Cola, LEGO, FIFA, Colgate and Panasonic.

His theater work encompasses both commercial and non-profit productions, like Kinky Boots (Off-Broadway), And Then They Came (Toronto) and Letters to Leigh (Mexico, Toronto). smexia.com

Afsheen Misaghi

Afsheen Misaghi is a producer, performer, and artist of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent.

He began his work by researching the intersections of race and entertainment, leading an initiative to collect and present data on the University of Florida’s long-standing issues with racism and diversity in arts education. Afsheen has been involved with Broadway for Racial Justice’s Casting Directive, the Theatre Producers of Color (TPOC) initiative, holds a certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace from the University of South Florida, and has served as an Implicit Bias Trainer.

Afsheen, along with three former TPOC cohort members, founded DMQR Productions, aiming to advance the American theater canon by elevating historically underrepresented voices both onstage and off. He has been credited as a co-producer on numerous Broadway projects, including New York, New York, The Piano Lesson, Gypsy, and The Wiz, and has been nominated for two Tony Awards®. He is also an associate producer at Runyonland Productions.

Phoebe Moore

Sujotta Pace

Sujotta Pace, C.S.A. (She/Her) is a freelance Casting Professional specializing in short films, new media content, podcasts and plays (NY and regionally). She is also a part of the Roundabout Theatre Company/C12 Casting team (Broadway, off-Broadway) and serves on the Board of Directors of the Casting Society. Among her casting director credits are Cats: The Jellicle Ball and the upcoming world premiere of Bad Kreyol. As an associate, she has worked on the world premiere of Hippest Trip – The Soul Train Musical (Regional), & Juliet (Broadway), Home (Broadway), Yellow Face (Broadway),Tammy Faye: A New Broadway Musical (Broadway), and the soon-to-be-released Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical (Broadway). Sujotta believes in creating brave, creative, and collaborative spaces. Having been in the entertainment industry for over 20 years, her passion for actors, and casting is shown in her approach and the material she chooses to align herself with. Proud member of the TPOC Cohort #2! IG: @sujotta

Tricia Patrick

Tricia Patrick is an arts administrator who believes in the arts as a catalyst for conversation and change. Her pursuit of a performance career took her across the country and beyond, eventually landing in Berlin, Germany. There, she discovered her love for theater for young audiences, developing her skills as an educator and workshop facilitator. Upon her return to the United States, she took on the leadership of a small children’s theater company in New York City. With a desire to invest in her growing role as an arts administrator, she returned to academia. In 2019 she attained a Masters in Arts Administration and Entrepreneurship from the New School. She has worked as the Director of Community Engagement for Working Theater and the Director of Education and Public Engagement at MCC Theater in New York City. Tricia was a member of the inaugural 2020 BIPOC Leadership Circle and in the spring of 2022, she completed the Theater Producers of Color, Producing 101 certificate program. Her current role as Director of Education at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C. means that she now gets to call the nation’s capital her home. She is the daughter of an incredible mother, and the mother of an incredible daughter. 

Shernā Ann Phillips

Shernā Ann Phillips, Ph.D. (affectionately known as “Dr. Nae”) is an Atlanta-based writer and performer whose work is deeply influenced by her Baltimore roots. As a screenwriter, her debut feature-length script ranked in the Top 15% of the 2017 Academy Nicholl Fellowships, with readers praising it as “one of the most enjoyable family dramedy road trips” and lauding its “salty, naturalistic” dialogue.

In theater, she has written and produced several full-length plays, including The Cosby Satires and Double X, the latter recognized in the choreopoem entry on Wikipedia under her maiden name, S. Ann Johnson. A 2022 alumna of Theater Producers of Color, she serves as Vice President on the board of the Strand Theater Company in Baltimore, promoting women’s voices in the arts.

In addition to her creative work, Shernā is Senior Vice President of Marketing & Communications at Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta and teaches English at Spelman College, where she focuses on First-Year Composition and Writing & Editing for Digital Media. Her research delves into the intersections of race, gender, and activism, particularly the erasure and marginalization of Black women.

Explore more at www.shernation.com or follow her on Instagram @DrNaePhillips.

Carmen A. Quiñones

Carmen A. Quiñones (She/Her) is a proud Chicana hailing from San Diego, California working as an East Coast-based producer and arts administrator. Carmen is currently the Producing Associate at Hugo Six. Inspired by local regional theaters, Carmen spent many of her formative years interning at theaters including La Jolla Playhouse, the Old Globe, Second Stage, Syracuse Stage, and New Victory. She attended Syracuse University where she earned her BFA in Stage Management. Following graduation she worked to represent theatrical designers at the Rolfe Company. She also spent time with the Musical Theatre Factory as a line producer and worked at numerous theatrical institutions including the Rolfe Company, Playwrights Horizons, and most recently served as General Manager at McCarter Theatre Center. Carmen enjoys producing a range of projects, from plays to musicals, traditional to experimental, all while highlighting historically underrepresented voices in the American canon. Carmen is also passionate about creating equitable spaces in the American Theater and engaging with this work locally and globally. Recent Broadway co-producer credits include the recent revival of The Piano Lesson (Drama Desk Award), New York, New York, Grey House, How to Dance in Ohio, The Wiz, and Water for Elephants. Upcoming: Gypsy and Smash.

Adam Rei Siegel

Adam Rei Siegel is a theater industry professional who strives to spotlight stories and performers that are unconventional. Beginning as a theatrical and specialty talent agent in both LA and NY with McDonald Selznick Associates (MSA), he began performing in nightlife as a FDNY-licensed fire performer. With over 100 performances under his belt, he then began working to bring the talents of variety, specialty and unconventional voices to the theater community as well as venues like House of Yes, Norwood Club, Spring Studios, Public Hotel, Club Cumming and more. He has been the lead producer on four seasons of the immersive séance show The Other Side as well as an associate producer of the NYT critics pick Beyond Babel. As a contributing writer to W42ST Magazine on theater topics, he also gives back to the community by creating fundraising auction experiences for BC/EFA’s Leadership Council. He was as an Outreach Specialist at Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, ,Director of Special Events and Partnerships for the Brooklyn venue House of Yes and their Manhattan venue House of X, produces immersive corporate retreats for Red Bull’s marketing teams, and acts as Artistic Director for the non-alcoholic brand Curious Elixirs’ sober speakeasy in Williamsburg. He currently is Assistant Vice President of Events and Activations at the city agency New York City Economic Development Corporation where he oversees the events program at the largest publicly held commercial real estate portfolio in the country. More info at adamreisiegel.com

Alexander Robertson

Alexander Robertson is a multi-Tony Award® nominated producer, actor, and creative. At the 2024 Tony Awards, his productions received 17 combined Tony nominations and 4 wins. Alexander’s producing credits include multiple broadway, film, and off-broadway productions, including the Tony-winning Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club starring Oscar-winner Eddie Redmayne; the Tony-winning Appropriate starring Emmy-winner Sarah Paulson, The Wiz, and The Piano Lesson. 

Alexander is also a founder of Emlex Entertainment, an entertainment company that specializes in creative development in virtual technology and live entertainment, and co-founded DMQR Productions to produce and support theatrical ventures while fostering stories of historically excluded and underrepresented communities.

Adan Sanchez

Roman Sanchez

Roman Sanchez is a Theatre Producer, Director, Educator and M.F.A. Candidate in Yale’s Theatre Management program. During his graduate studies, he served as the Associate Director of Development and Alumni Affairs, wrote a case study on Perseverance Theatre, and was mentored by Bill Rauch during a fellowship at PAC NYC. He has held positions at Yale Cabaret, Steppenwolf Theatre Company,California Arts Council, Lime Arts Productions, Teatro Espejo,Dell’Arte Inc., California State Summer School for the Arts, Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, and Theatre Workers Project. He is also the author of Preparing For College Theatre: A Guide For Performers, Technicians, and Designers. He has over 90 credits as a Theatre Practitioner and is a proud Associate Member of SDC.

Jacob Santo

Jacob Santo is an Afro-Latino Artistic Producer who is passionate about supporting Black, Brown, and Queer artists. He has a MFA in Theater Management from David Geffen School of Drama at Yale. In 2022, he was Co-Producing Artistic Director of Yale Summer Cabaret. Jacob was the first Yale Fellow at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem where he assisted in new work development. He is the former Newman’s Own Foundation Managing Director Fellow at Westport Country Playhouse, where he also hosted and produced the Instagram Live show Coffee Break. He is the founder of the Crescent Players of Color, a coalition formed between students and alumni of color at Southern Connecticut State University, from which he graduated with honors in 2019, earning both a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting and a B.A. in Theatre. Jacob was the 2019 recipient of The ASPIRE Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival LORT Leadership Award, Region 1 Finalist, and the KCACTF 2019 Arts Impact Award.

Ariana Sarfarazi

Ariana is an Iranian-American transactional entertainment attorney specializing in theater and the Executive Director of Noor Theatre, the only NYC-based nonprofit theater company dedicated to supporting the works of theater artists of Middle Eastern, Southwest Asian, and North African descent. As its Executive Director, Ariana leads overall operations at Noor, including artistic programming, fundraising, and financial planning, in addition to overseeing the theatre company’s strategic planning, developing institutional partnerships, and managing Board relations. As a theatrical attorney, Ariana has been named a “rising star” in NYC by SuperLawyers and represents producers and investors in the development, production, and financing of live stage productions; counsels not-for-profit theater companies; and advises a wide range of creative talent including Tony Award-winning bookwriters, composers, lyricists, directors, choreographers, and actors. Ariana serves on the board of Broadway for Arts Education, is a member of Theatre Producers of Color (TPOC) and the SWANA Writers Co-Op (a dialogue-based group for writers of SWANA descent) and is a volunteer pro bono attorney with Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. Once a proud “theatre kid” herself, Ariana enjoys singing, playing the piano/ukulele, writing, traveling the world every chance she can, and relishing in the healing power of music and the arts. 

Malkia Stampley

Malkia Stampley is a stage director, arts advocate and producer, specializing in new works, musicals, contemporary classics and curated projects. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Malkia attended Marquette University where she studied theater arts. She was a Resident Artist at Skylight Music Theater and Acting Intern at Milwaukee Repertory Theater. She is an alum of Broadway for Racial Justice’s Casting Directive Fellowship (BFRJ) and Theater Producers of Color (TPOC) 2022 Producing 101. She is Goodman Theatre’s BOLD Artistic Producer and a freelance director and actor in the Chicago area. Malkia is a part of the LORT EDI 2022-23 Mentee Program and was named a BOLD theater artist in October 2022. Theater directing credits include Chicago Shakespeare, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, TimeLine Theatre, Black Arts MKE, First Stage, Skylight Music Theater, American Players Theatre, Shattered Globe, Raven Theater, Milwaukee Black Theater Festival, Farmers Alley Theatre. Malkia co-authored LINES which premiered at Theatre LILA in 2018. TV and film credits include 61st Street,Shameless, Work in Progress, The Chi, Chicago PD, Chicago Med. Films include Native Son, Beats, Small Town Wisconsin, Killing Eleanor and several short films by independent filmmakers with an extensive voiceover career. Malkia is a proud member of Actors Equity Association and Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA). Malkia co-founded Bronzeville Arts Ensemble in 2013 to address the lack of diversity in Wisconsin Theater and served three years as Producing Artistic Director. Her directorial debut, a modern conceptualized BLACK NATIVITY by Langston Hughes, at Marcus Center for the Performing Arts in 2016, continues to be an annual Milwaukee holiday favorite after three years under her direction. Malkia co-founded the Milwaukee Black Theater Festival in 2020 in response to the economic, social and racial challenges following the murder of George Floyd, aiming to amplify Black voices through theater in the Midwest and served as the founding Artistic Producer.

Riza Takahashi

Riza Takahashi is a producer based in New York City, currently working as an Assistant Producer at Tom Kirdahy Productions, on Gypsystarring Audra McDonald, Hadestown, Little Shop of Horrors, and multiple other musicals and plays in development. Her Co-Producing credits include A Beautiful Noise, andKinky Boots Off Broadway. Highlights from her past independent projects include producing, directing, and starring in the music video“I Choose Joy”, creative directing the interview series“Authentically You”, and script translation consultant for the first international production of Mean Girls in Japan produced by Amuse, Inc. Prior to her producing career, she was in Mean Girls on Broadway as one of the original cast members. She was born and raised in Japan and, at the age of 16, she left Japan by herself to pursue her dream of being on Broadway. Through her unique experiences as an immigrant on Broadway, she has learned how important it is to have representation both onstage and off for the younger generation of BIPOC artists. She has now made it her mission to encourage the industry to change from within.rizatakahashi.com/@rizatakahashi

Simon Tran

Simon Tran is an educator, cultural producer, and writer. As a queer, first-generation Vietnamese American, he aims to amplify the stories of immigrants, BIPOC, and misrepresented groups through arts programming, events, community-centered storytelling, and research.

For the past 8 years, Simon has created, directed, and curated performances, experiences, and events in theatre, community forums, journalism, and entertainment. He’s worked at cultural institutions like the Center for Asian American Media, Sundance Film Festival, WBEZ Chicago, The Moth, and Seattle Arts & Lectures. As an actor/writer, he’s performed at Steppenwolf, The Second City, iO Theater, and NBC’s Chicago PD, among others. His writing has been featured in The Seattle Times, KUOW, Seattle Art Museum, Green Shirt Studio, The University of Washington, and Re: Asian Magazine. Simon graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in Drama Performance and the Comparative History of Ideas. He co-founded the UW’s first social justice-centered sketch comedy group. 

As a community organizer and educator, Simon participated in the Community Leadership Corps program through The Obama Foundation and was a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Vietnam. Now based in Seattle, Simon hopes to support Asian American storytelling in theatre and independent film. IG: simondtran

Rhonda Wilson

Rhonda Wilson is the visionary Founding Executive Director of the Star Center Theatre, an organization she built from the ground up to promote inclusivity and diversity in the arts. With over two decades of experience as a producer, director, educator, and award-winning actress, she has dedicated her career to creating spaces for marginalized voices to shine.

A proud graduate of the University of Florida, Rhonda has impacted her community by using the arts as a tool for education and empowerment. Her passion for theatre education has been recognized through numerous honors, including being named a Finalist for Excellence in Theatre Education from The Tony Award and Carnegie Mellon, a University of Florida Leadership Award recipient, and several national, state, and local awards for her commitment to the arts. Rhonda’s accolades include the Governor’s Award for Community Investment in Youth, the Sara Spencer Child Drama Award from the Southeastern Theatre Conference, and the Florida Distinguished Career Award, to name a few.

Rhonda has also been featured in USA Today for her contributions to theater education and is a sought-after speaker, including giving a TEDx Talk on the power of the arts to create change. Whether she’s behind the scenes or on stage, Rhonda continues to inspire the next generation of artists and cultivate a thriving artistic community where everyone has the chance to sparkle and shine.

Ziyue Yang