Experience

Ragamala Dance Company

• United States
• Performing Arts
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Managing Director

  • Apr 2022 - Present

• Director Of Operations

  • Oct 2020 - Apr 2022

  During a staff consolidation, I took on most of the responsibilities of Ragamala’s outgoing Managing Director, while maintaining leadership over the Community Engagement and Touring departments. The new responsibilities include:• Oversee all financial aspects of Ragamala, including $800,000 annual budget and varied program budgets, cash flow and financial tracking, and partnerships with financial auditor, insurance broker, and payroll processor. Despite instability caused by COVID-19, I led Ragamala to a financial surplus in 2019-2020 and 2020-2021.• RaiseMN Campaign Institute cohort member for GiveMN’s fundraising leadership program. Through the course of the program, I successfully directed a $100,000 fundraising campaign for Ragamala to move into a brand new building and developed an annual fundraising plan to support Ragamala’s annual donor pipeline.• Primary contact between Ragamala’s board of directors and staff. Lead a working group of board and staff to develop an updated 5-year strategic plan for 2022-2027, revisiting and revising the 2016-2021 strategic plan.• Lead employee evaluation and compensation reviews for all staff. Work with Artistic Directors to revise staff salary structure in order to give all employees well-deserved annual raises.• Supervise Ragamala’s move into a brand new building in summer 2021, leading staff and partners to customize architectural details, negotiate long-term lease, build-out custom dance studio, and move from Ragamala’s longtime home of more than 25 years.• Continue to lead Ragamala’s touring programs, including September 2021 national tour and world premiere of a new large-scale work, commissioned by nine major national dance presenters. • Lead Ragamala’s pivot to digital engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic, including 20+ online performances, artist talks, and other video content, reaching over 10,000 viewers.

• Director of Engagement and Company Manager

  • Sep 2016 - Sep 2020

  Coming out of a 2015-2016 strategic planning process with the DeVos Institute for Arts Management at the University of Maryland, Ragamala added a new position and I was promoted in order to create and realize this position. • Develop Ragamala's recurring and one-off community projects, including Ragamala Rooted, Ode to Navarathri, Mia's Family Day, Walker Art Center's Free First Saturday, India Association of Minnesota’s IndiaFest, visual art exhibits, open rehearsals, work-in-progress showings, film screenings, and more.• Foster awareness of and access to Ragamala's work through audience engagement strategies aimed at both strengthening the depth of experience with Ragamala’s current audiences and widening the breadth of opportunity for new audiences to access Ragamala’s work.• Direct audience engagement series and programs with support from national programs including Dance/USA's Engaging Dance Audiences, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation's Building Demand for the Arts, Knight Foundation’s Knight Arts Challenge, and more.• Manage and oversee all touring logistics for approximately 15 weeks of touring each year, starting from initial conversations with the agent, presenter, and/or venue, to tour budgeting, to planning outreach/engagement /residency activities, all the way through to the execution of the tour. • Coordinate with national and international presenting and commissioning partners, including Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, American Dance Festival, Northrop, Dartmouth College, Harris Theater, University of Washington, New York University in Abu Dhabi, Joyce Theater, University of Texas, Jacob’s Pillow, and more.• Write, negotiate, and maintain performance contracts, technical riders, commissioning agreements, and residency agreements with presenters, venues, artists, and technicians.

• Office Manager

  • Jul 2015 - Aug 2016

  • Oversaw diverse office operations for internationally-acclaimed non-profit bharatanatyam dance company, including support for tours, contracts, local and national/international production management, fundraising and community outreach.• Managed and edited audio and video for performances, grant applications and marketing.• Designed all printed and electronic promotional materials in-house using InDesign.• Managed accounts payable, accounts receivable and all physical and electronic financial record keeping in Quickbooks.

• Project Manager for Ode to Navarathri festival

  • Aug 2015 - Nov 2015

  A temporary Knight Foundation-funded position to develop the first annual Ode to Navarathri festival. 2015's Ode to Navarathri Festival was a free three-day celebration in which Ragamala transformed Landmark Center in downtown Saint Paul into a South Indian living room and invited the Twin Cities community to share a look back at the annual festival of Navarathri, a time when families welcome neighbors into their homes for a celebration rooted in the sharing of art.Since 2015, the continued development of Ode to Navarathri was incorporated into my Director of Engagement position at Ragamala, and the festival has blossomed into an anticipated annual event on Ragamala's season. 2016's iteration took place in Ragamala's home studios in the Calhoun Arts Building. 2017's iteration took place as a part of the Walker Arts Center's Free First Saturday: All Around the World.“The festival of Navarathri is deeply rooted in symbolism and ancient stories, but is also informal and warm. According to Artistic Director Ranee Ramaswamy, ‘The important thing is, art is bigger than you. You share what you have. We’re hoping to bring that feeling of oneness that connects community with the arts.'” — MINNPOSTPress:• https://www.minnpost.com/artscape/2015/11/ragamala-dance-open-house-sound-unseen-film-festival-starts• http://www.startribune.com/celebrate-india-s-navarathri-festival-at-landmark-center-this-weekend/348887711/• http://www.startribune.com/top-dance-of-2015-dazzling-moments-here-there-and-everywhere/362873341/• http://www.citypages.com/calendar/ragamala-dance-company-ode-to-navarathri/397770051



Carleton College

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Educational Associate in Production Management

  • Jul 2014 - Jun 2015

  • Managed and analyzed production budget for Theater and Dance departments.• Organized and executed the details of guest artists’ visits.• Scheduled student, staff, faculty and guest use of production spaces. • Wrote legal contracts for leased equipment. • Maintained the ‘Theater and Dance’ and ‘Arts at Carleton’ websites using Reason CMS.

• Technical Theater Assistant

  • Sep 2010 - Jun 2014

  • Provided leadership for other team members, supervised student workers, & delegated tasks.• Constructed & painted sets, hung & focused lights, and organized the theater for all events.