Join the Arts Administrators of Color Network at the Arts Education Partnership Annual Convening for an interactive gathering designed to connect Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and Global Majority-identifying artists and arts administrators. This session will feature community-building activities that invite you to reflect on your personal leadership journey and what you are currently navigating in your work, share what you need and what you can offer to peers in the space, and connect with others across roles and regions. Come build community, exchange insights, and celebrate 10 years of the Arts Administrators of Color Network and the relationships, leadership, and collective impact that continue to shape our field.
Erika Hawthorne (she/her) is a nonprofit leader with over a decade of experience advancing equity-centered initiatives across the arts, philanthropy, education, and public sectors. As Executive Director of the Arts Administrators of Color Network (AAC), she leads national programs, partnerships, and strategy that strengthen community, develop leadership, and expand resources and visibility for arts administrators and cultural workers of the global majority, collectively reaching more than 15,000 arts leaders nationwide.
Her experience spans grantmaking, public funding, national network engagement, and organizational strategy, including roles with the Bainum Family Foundation, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Leading Changemakers, and the Arts Education Partnership, where she supported a national network of more than 140 organizations. She also served as Director of Membership and Communications for Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy, leading national engagement strategy for a community of thousands of philanthropic leaders.
A founding leader of AAC, Erika has contributed to the organization since its inception as a participant, volunteer, board member, and now Executive Director, bringing deep institutional knowledge and a long-standing commitment to building infrastructure that connects and sustains artists and arts administrators of the global majority nationwide.
Grounded in early arts training and community-based arts education, Erika’s formative experiences shaped both her belief in the power of the arts and her commitment to expanding access and creative opportunity. She studied Communication and Culture at Howard University and holds a master’s degree in Arts Management and a graduate certificate in Nonprofit Management from American University.
Nafeesah Symonette, M.A.
Co-Founder & Executive Director, DEYA: Detroit Excellence in Youth Arts
Michigan Arts & Cultural Council Appointed Council Member
Arts Education & Culturally Responsive Teaching National Consultant
Co-Founder & Principal Consultant: Symonette Consulting Group, LLC
Nafeesah Symonette is a visual artist, educator, public speaker and passionate advocate for equitable youth arts access, ensuring exposure while honoring cultural heritage. Her artistic journey began over 30 years ago in Detroit under the mentorship of Mrs. Joyce Ivory, founder of Young Artists & Co., Inc.
A former K-12 certified arts educator, Symonette dedicated 13 years to teaching high school visual arts in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. Her excellence in arts education was recognized in 2011 when D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray awarded her the Mayor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Visual Art Secondary Teaching. She holds a Master of Arts in Arts Administration & Management from Eastern Michigan University and serves as an ambassador for the programs. Symonette is the former Art School Manager at Paint Creek Center for the Arts (PCCA), where she contributed to the renowned Art & Apples Festival, one of Michigan’s top fine arts festivals while co-chairing the Anton Art Center’s I.D.E.A. Advisory Council. As an Adjunct Professor and University Supervisor at Oakland University, she prepared the next generation of arts educators through the lens of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy.
She continues to play a pivotal role in arts education advocacy and policy, including her appointment by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer to the Michigan Arts and Cultural Council, where she serves as Vice-Chair and Chair of the Arts Education Committee. Additionally, serving on the Arts Education Partnership (AEP) National Advisory Board, advocating for transformative arts education policies nationwide.
Alongside her husband, Nicholas Symonette, Jr., she is Co-Founder and Principal Consultant at Symonette Consulting Group, where she works on projects with Mi-Creative Potential, Michigan Arts Education Instruction and Assessment Project (MAEIA) and the National Art Education Association (NAEA).
In 2021, Symonette co-founded Detroit Excellence in Youth Arts (DEYA) with Rick Sperling, founder emeritus of Mosaic Youth Theatre Detroit, in collaboration with The Children’s Foundation and Connect Detroit. As DEYA’s Executive Director, she leads systemic change efforts to create equitable, access to high-impact arts experiences for Detroit youth.