Staff BiographiesArts Commission staff are listed below in alphabetical order:
Kurt Beidler joined WSAC in September 2007 as the half time Information Technology Specialist. Kurt retired from DSHS in January 2007 with over 34 years experience in information technology. He also managed a parallel career in the Army National Guard and Reserves, retiring as Lieutenant Colonel in 2005. He holds a BS in business from City University in Bellevue and is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College in Leavenworth Kansas. Kurt’s hobbies include building sports cars, carpentry projects, and anything mechanical. He lives in Olympia with his wife Toni and their two cats. He has two daughters, in Centralia and Portland, and a son in Olympia.
Bitsy Bidwell is manager of the Community Arts Development Program, a position she has held since 1987. She also serves as the Accessibility Coordinator for WSAC. Prior to her tenure in Washington, she served the Idaho Commission on the Arts as Artists in Education Coordinator. She is dedicated to dog rescue and placement, and currently has six small dogs. A former professional actress and costume designer, she now enjoys being an arts dilettante and patron. She holds a BA from Hastings College and an MA from Western State College of Colorado.
Adam Fah became the half-time Conservation Technician for the Art in Public Places Program in September 2007. He facilitates conservation projects, art handling, and partner agency training for the care of more than 4600 artworks located statewide, and helps shape the conservation review process for new acquisitions to the State Art Collection. Since 2000, Adam has owned and operated a studio specializing in conservation and restoration of metal sculpture. He is a professional patineur, and enjoys facilitating bronze castings for artist Philip McCracken.
Mark Gerth was hired as Communications Program Manager in February 2004. Before moving to the Pacific Northwest in 1996, he worked as a manager for a firm specializing in fundraising and marketing for cultural non-profits. Having worked for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Dallas Symphony, The Vancouver Playhouse in British Columbia, and many other great institutions, he is well used to the intricacies of art organizations. He holds a BA from The Evergreen State College and is an artist working in sculpture and experimental puppetry.
Janae Huber is the Collections Manager for the Art in Public Places program, stewarding the care of the State art collection, as well as our ongoing relationship with statewide partners. Before joining WSAC in 2005, Janae was the Registrar at Tacoma Art Museum. Janae has also held curatorial positions at the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, where she completed two undergraduate degrees at the University of Arizona, in Art History and German Studies. Janae serves as chair of the Olympia Arts Commission.
Lisa Jaret joined the WSAC staff in September 2005 as the Arts in Education Program Manager, and is enjoying managing WSAC’s arts education grant programs and strengthening arts education opportunities. Previously, Lisa worked at Seattle Children’s Theatre for 13 years, serving as the Administrative Director of Education Programs for the last nine of those years. She was also involved with Spectrum Dance Theater in Seattle for several years as a volunteer and a board member. Lisa holds a Masters in Not-For-Profit Leadership from Seattle University and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley.
Esther Luttikhuizen is a Project Manager for the Art in Public Places Program and works with WSAC partners to facilitate the commission of new artwork in K-12 schools throughout Washington State. Esther is former Director of Kittredge Gallery at the University of Puget Sound, Tacoma. She holds an MFA in studio art from the University of Washington, and a BA from Hope College. She lives in Seattle with her spouse, Brad Claypool, and two great cats.
Lou MacMillan joined the WSAC staff as Deputy Director in December 2005. He has over 20 years of state government experience, mostly in capital budget and finance. He worked as the Capital Budget and Financial Manager for the Legislative Building Rehabilitation Project from 2002-2005, Capital Budget Manager in the Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction (2001), and Capital Budget Specialist for the Department of General Administration (1990-2000). Lou holds an MS in International Relations from Troy State University, and a BA from Western Washington University. He enjoys landscape and architectural photography, cycling, reading and travel. Lou and his wife, Vickie, have two children in college.
Leslie Pope joined the WSAC staff in March 2007 as an Office Assistant 3 supporting the Deputy Director, and the Community Arts and Folk Arts Program Managers. She has over 20 years of office experience working in both the public and private sectors, and holds a BS in Business Administration from California State University at Chico. Singing in choirs throughout her school years, Leslie toured Europe one summer with America’s Youth in Concert, and has played the piano for many years. She enjoys painting, creative writing, crafts, and gardening.
Christel Ratliff has worked for WSAC since September 1994. She has worked in Administration, Community Arts Development, Folk Arts, Art in Public Places and currently Grants to Organizations and Arts in Education, which completes her journey through all WSAC programs. She moved to the Northwest in September 1992 from Florida, where she was employed by the University of Miami as an Intake Counselor at the International Student and Scholar Services office. She grew up and went to school in Germany. Christel is fluent in English with a proficiency in French and holds a certificate as a Translator/Interpreter from the Inlingua School of Languages in Saarbruecken, Germany.
Deane Shellman came to WSAC in 2002, and now serves as Administrative Assistant for the Art in Public Places Program. She previously worked at the Washington Center for the Performing Arts as a House Manager, Box Office Assistant and Marketing Assistant, and also at Harlequin Productions as Company Manager. Deane graduated in 1994 from Western Washington University with a degree in Theatre Arts (emphasis in Stage Management and Directing) and worked in the Theatre Department as Publicist until 1997, when she moved to Olympia. Working behind the scenes on many community and semi-professional productions has prepared Deane for the wild ups and downs of the Arts Commission.
Willie Smyth has been the Manager of the Folk Arts program since 1991. Before coming to WSAC, he created and managed the Folk Arts program for the State Arts Council of Oklahoma. In the last six years, he has served on grant panels for the NEA, WESTAF, Idaho Arts Commission, and Oregon Folklife program. He received his PhD in Folklore/Theater Arts from UCLA and has an MA from UCLA in Folklore and an MA from UCSB in Religious Studies/Asian Studies.
Mike Sweney became a Project Manager in the Art in Public Places Program in August 2007. After fifteen years as a contemporary art dealer in Manhattan, Mike was the director of Davidson Contemporary and board vice president of the Center on Contemporary Art in Seattle prior to joining the WSAC staff. Mike currently serves on the Tacoma Arts Commission and lives in Tacoma with his wife, So Heui Kwon, and their three children. He holds a BA in Art History and Studio Art from Oberlin College in Ohio.
Alice Taylor is Program Manager with the Art in Public Places program, facilitating acquisition processes with community-appointed art selection panels for legislated percent-for-art allocations. Before coming to WSAC in 2002, Alice held positions as Arts Supervisor for the City of Lynnwood and Marketing Director for Seattle Children’s Theatre. Alice completed graduate courses in Arts Administration at Golden State University in San Francisco.
Kris Tucker is the Executive Director.
Mayumi Tsutakawa started at WSAC in 2002, managing the Arts Participation Initiative, a four-year project to strengthen arts participation in low income, ethnic, rural and disabled communities. She was named manager of Grants to Organizations in 2005. Mayumi formerly served as manager of cultural resources for King County, directing the King County Arts Commission, Public Art and Historic Preservation programs; director of external relations at the Wing Luke Asian Museum; and reporter and editor at The Seattle Times. Mayumi received her Masters of Communications and BA in East Asian Studies from the University of Washington.
Mike Yonker has been an Accountant with the Washington State Arts Commission since 1992. He is a graduate of Olympia High School and South Puget Sound Community College, with an Associate of Arts degree in Accounting. Mike is a Vietnam-era veteran; he served in Germany and at Fort Lewis. He has made Olympia his home for over 50 years. |
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