OUR BOARD

ahava silkey-jones

Board President
Vice Provost, School of Creative Arts, Entertainment and Design, Dallas College

Ahava Silkey-Jones is an accomplished community leader with an extensive national portfolio in arts administration, school administration, and nonprofit leadership. She has a passion for civic engagement and building equitable access to high-quality arts experiences.  Ahava is currently serving as Vice Provost for the School of Creative Arts, Entertainment and Design at Dallas College serving over 20,000 students annually.  Ahava is a member of the 2022 Business Council for the Arts Leadership Arts Institute Cohort serving the city of Dallas and 

is a Co-Founder and Board President of the Professional Theatre and Dance Youth Academy and serves as a Board Member for the ROHO Collective, supporting artists of color in Minneapolis. Ahava served as a Commissioner with the Minneapolis Arts Commission from 2020-2023 and was a 2021 Policy Fellow with the Humphrey School of Public Affairs.  Ahava holds an Ed.M. in Arts in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education, an M.A. in Educational Leadership from Roosevelt University, and a B.A. from DePaul University.

Johnny Figel

Board Vice President
Senior Consultant, Latz & Company

Johnny Figel currently works as an Associate at Latz & Company, a professional services firm specializing in fundraising and non-profit organizational development. Outside of this experience, Johnny serves on the governing board for Madison Street Theatre and the Young Professionals Board for Beat the Streets Chicago. He also supports Erika’s Lighthouse as charity runner for their Chicago Marathon Team Resilience.

Jazmine Reynolds

Board Member, Secretary
Principal Event Manager, GCM Grosvenor
Jazmine’s work with GCM Grosvenor involves planning and managing large conferences, meetings, and other corporate events of sizes from 25 to 1,000 attendees.

Robbie Balan

Board Treasurer
Founder, Lead Designer, OffBalans Branding
Robbie founded OffBalans Branding in 2009, designing websites from the ground up, developing product packaging, and creating visual corporate identities. With her degrees in architecture, fine arts, and product design, Robbie is adept at tackling projects across disciplines for a wide range of clients from engineering firms to personal care companies to non-profits.

Holly Fischer

Board Member
Former Executive Director, DaVinci Academy of Arts and Science

Holly Fischer has worked in education for thirty years, both in the private sector and public. Holly joined the DaVinci Academy of Arts and Science in 2008 as a charter member of the teaching staff, moved into operations to oversee the 25 million dollar expansion project, and then served as the school’s Executive Director.  Her work to further academic excellence, promote the arts as critical in a well rounded education, and create an equitable space for all learners helped establish DaVinci Academy as a high quality and successful charter school. Although she will always be a teacher at heart, she has a passion for growth and expansion of award winning educational models to ensure all students have access to exceptional educational opportunities. Holly believes deeply that continuous learning and caring for others are keys to a happy life and she is excited to contribute to the mission and vision of the Professional Theatre and Dance Youth Academy as a board member. 

Dianna Gladstone

Board Member
Business Intelligence Analyst, Cabinetworks Group

Jarred Brown

Board Member
Assistant Director, UChicago Charter School Donoghue Campus
Jarred has twenty-two years of experience in the field of education. He has worked at several Chicago schools on the south side, beginning with teaching and moving into administration. Jarred’s administration positions have included Asst. Principle at Lionel Hampton Fine Arts and Performing Arts Elementary and Director, UChicago Charter School, Woodson Campus. Jarred is currently the Assistant Director for UChicago Charter School, Donoghue Campus.