Our Staff
John V. Brown, Jr., J.D.
Vice Provost for the Arts
Director of the Jazz Program
Professor of the Practice of Music
Bassist, composer, educator and actor John Brown is a native of Fayetteville, North Carolina, and currently resides in Durham, NC. He is a graduate of the School of Music at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and the School of Law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
John joined Duke University’s music department as an adjunct instructor in 2001, becoming assistant professor of the practice of music and director of the Duke Jazz Program in 2003. That same year he founded Jazz @ the Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture, a weekly live jazz jam session open to campus and community, now driven by student leadership in the Duke University Union. He began his tenure as Duke’s first full-time Vice Provost for the Arts on July 1, 2020.
Ask John Brown about:
- Jazz @ the Mary Lou
- Student collaborations with the VPA office
- The life of a performer
jbrown@duke.edu
Aaron Shackelford
Director of Programming
A native Midwesterner, Aaron attended Butler University for his undergraduate degree and worked for several years in social services before beginning graduate school. He holds a Master’s and Doctorate in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
For the past decade, Aaron has been at the forefront of integrating the arts into academic institutions and presenting innovative creative experiences. He served as the inaugural Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow for Arts@TheCore at Carolina Performing Arts, and then as Director of Engagement. After several years as the Director of Programming for the Fine Arts Center at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst, Aaron returned to the south as Director of Georgia Tech Arts at the Georgia Institute of Technology. In this role Aaron led the organization through the Covid-19 pandemic, creating the award-winning Skyline Series of outdoor performances in the middle of a parking lot and bringing innovative VR and other technology-based installations to campus. He joined the Duke Arts team in April 2023.
Ask Aaron Shackelford about:
- Arts programming & curation
- Art & technology
- Negotiating the arts industry
aaron.shackelford@duke.edu
Frances Howorth
Director of Marketing and Communications
Originally from Oxford, Mississippi, Frances lived in New York City for 17 years before relocating to Durham, North Carolina in 2020. Frances has a Bachelor’s Degree in History from Barnard College and a Master’s Degree in Performing Arts Administration from New York University. She is an adjunct professor at Winthrop University, where she teaches Marketing in their Online Master of Arts in Arts Administration Program.
Frances has worked for some of the nation’s leading arts institutions in communications, marketing, ticketing, audience engagement, and audience development. She began her career in the Artistic Department at American Ballet Theatre before working in marketing at Jazz at Lincoln Center and The Town Hall. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Frances served as the Director of Marketing and Digital Strategy for Off-Broadway’s Irish Repertory Theatre, where she led the company’s transition to become “the leader in streaming theater productions” (Theatermania), expanding audiences by over 50 percent. She joined the team at Duke Arts in May 2022.
Ask Frances Howorth about:
- Live Event Marketing
- Social Media Advertising
- Arts in NYC
frances.howorth@duke.edu
Paul Kartcheske
Production Manager
Paul Kartcheske is the Production Manager for Duke Arts. Being part of the events community for over 30 yrs. Paul has been involved in many areas of the arts from performer to funder. He has worked in theatre, film, TV, visual arts, teacher, and as consultant on projects. Paul has a BA in Cinema, a MBA, and a Master of Environmental Management from Duke (’07). He enjoys drawing from his interdisciplinary arts background and a love of getting to know people to create unique solutions for a variety of challenges, both for his professional and personal projects. As a son of two Marines, he has lived in many places, but North Carolina is home. Paul enjoys drawing, collecting, and helping friends with art projects.
Ask Paul Kartcheske about:
- Cinema/Film
- Theatre/Live Performance
- Getting involved with the Arts
paul.kartcheske@duke.edu
Brian Valentyn
Manager of Campus & Community Initiatives
As Manager of Campus & Community Initiatives, Brian Valentyn works with artists, faculty, and community partners to devise in-depth residencies and commissioned projects. He also oversees grant writing strategy for the office. Brian received his Ph.D. in 2012 from the Department of English at Duke, where he completed a dissertation on experimental art and ethics. As a student, he was the recipient of Andrew W. Mellon and James B. Duke fellowships and was selected as a Franklin Humanities Institute fellow in 2010-11. He went on to teach American literature at Auburn University, winning the English department’s Award for Teaching Excellence in 2016. A native of the Chicago area, Brian has had a lifelong interest in the arts and counts performing at Lincoln Center’s Essentially Ellington festival in 1998 as a transformative moment personally and professionally. Before coming to Duke in 2005, he served on the Hancher Auditorium Advisory committee as an undergraduate at the University of Iowa, where he studied English, philosophy, and creative writing.
Ask Brian Valentyn about:
- Building community through the arts
- Producing & commissioning new work
- Forging interdisciplinary connections
brian.valentyn@duke.edu
Bill Fick
Duke Arts Visual and Studio Art Manager
Lecturing Fellow in the Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies
Bill Fick has been a practicing artist and educator for more than 30 years and has been a lecturing fellow in the Duke Department of Art, Art History and Visual studies for 16 years. He has a deep interest in making art and promoting art by others – especially those in the local arts community.
His current work focuses on monsters, clowns, misfits and low-life characters that reflect society’s ever-growing anxieties and insecurities. These images are presented in a variety of forms including prints, posters, and t-shirts.
Bill studied at Duke (‘86) and majored in Art. He then completed his MFA (Painting and Printmaking) at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Ask Bill Fick about:
- Printmaking
- Pursuing a career in the arts
- Engaging with the local arts community
bill.fick@duke.edu
Ashley Bostian
Marketing Manager
Originally from North Carolina, Ashley has traveled and resided in multiple states, as well as Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Ashley holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music and Mass Communications from Emory & Henry College.
Her career began at the National Harbor in Washington, DC. As an artist and musician by trade, she gravitated towards Arts Marketing, with a special interest in University presentation. Ashley recently joined our team from the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts at Appalachian State University where she worked as the Assistant Director of Marketing, which later evolved into the Director of Creative Services.
Ashley is passionate about promoting the performing arts and connecting audiences with transformative cultural experiences.
Ask Ashley Bostian about:
- Performing Arts Marketing
- Branding Consistency
- Social Media Engagement
ashley.bostian@duke.edu
Cheryl Edson
Artist Services Coordinator
Cheryl is a native of Cornwall, New York and currently based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. She has worked as a theatre artist, stage manager, educator, and grant writer. Cheryl has been active in the local arts community for the past ten years, holding leadership roles with the National Women’s Theatre Festival, serving as resident stage manager with ShaLeigh Dance Works, being a teaching artist at the Durham Arts Council, and as a member of Bulldog Ensemble Theater. She has a B.A. in philosophy from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. She joined the Duke Arts team in July 2023.
Ask Cheryl Edson about:
- All things theatre
- Working on collaborative interdisciplinary projects
- The local arts community
cheryl.edson@duke.edu
Anna Wallace
Student Engagement Coordinator
Anna Wallace is a current resident and native of Durham, North Carolina. She holds a BFA in Ceramics from the Cleveland Institute of Art, and an MFA in Studio Art from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She is a practicing studio artist and arts educator. The work in Anna’s studio infiltrates, as if the rugs, chairs, and vessels sprouted legs and marched out of the home and into the white box of the gallery. The colors, pattern density, and visual stimulation demand we pay attention. Her practice spans sculpture, installation, and performance.
Ask Anna Wallace about:
- Mending clothes to make them last
- DukeCreate Workshops
- Social Practice Art
anna.wallace@duke.edu
Yesenia Martinez-Yanez
Marketing Specialist
Yesenia Martinez-Yanez is a graphic designer, artist, and marketing communicator from Timberlake, North Carolina. Attracted by the visual arts from an early age with drawing and painting, Yesenia set foot on the creative career path when she studied at Appalachian State University to receive her BFA in Graphic Design. She’s designed several books exploring experimental typography, imagery, and writing. Her journey to Duke began with joining the Marketing and Engagement team at the Nasher Museum of Art. To further deepen the connection between art and the public at the Nasher, she relaunched and rebranded a video series, The Art Minute, that features recollections of sentimental narratives from museum staff inspired by artworks on view. Yesenia continues to build the bridge between art and community through web and social media channels at Duke Arts. Yesenia joined the Duke Arts team in August 2022.
Ask Yesenia Martinez-Yanez about:
- Editorial Design
- Video Storytelling
- Marketing Design
yesenia.yanez@duke.edu
Carla Sturdivant
Business Manager
Carla Sturdivant is a Departmental Business Manager supporting Duke Arts. She started at Duke in 2003 with the Fuqua School of Business. She previously served as a Grants Administrator in the Pratt School of Engineering and most recently as the Departmental Business Manager in Romance Studies prior to joining PAS.
carla.sturdivant@duke.edu
Marika Niko
Duke Arts Admin Fellow
Marika Niko is a choreographer, arts administrator, mover, and thinker from Japan. After being a nomad for most of her life ‒ Thailand, UK, the Netherlands, UAE, Japan ‒ she is currently based in the US. She graduated from New York University Abu Dhabi with a BA in Theater and Duke University’s Dance: Embodied interdisciplinary Praxis with an MFA in Dance. In the two years between their studies, they worked as an External Relations Coordinator at a Japanese startup dance organization, Dance Base Yokohama, working to facilitate intercultural collaborations and international residencies. In their role as a Duke Arts Admin Fellow, she blends her identity as an artist/choreographer and her experience as an art administrator/organizer. One of her primary ongoing projects at Duke Arts is Meshroom (2022 to present), which is a social choreographic initiative that aims to propose alternative and interdisciplinary ways of relating and thinking through movement. They are interested in creating choreographies, happenings, or events that weave different relationships among humans, non-humans, space, and time, as a way to imagine, rehearse, and experience alternative forms of social organization.
Ask Marika Niko about:
- Interdisciplinary collaborations through/in/with dance
- Social choreography and Ankoku-butoh
- Crocheting
marika.niko@duke.edu
Creative Arts Student Team (CAST)
Alexa Jimenez
Student Affinity Group Engagement Coordinator
My name is Alexa Jimenez, and I am a junior at Duke University from Queens, New York. I am majoring in Political Science and Cultural Anthropology, and I am passionate about political engagement and mentorship in communities of color. I am involved in a few organizations on campus which I love being a part of, such as the Student Organization Finance Committee, and the America’s Hallowed Ground Bass Connections Group. In my free time I love to make jewelry for my brand Alexa’s Mushrooms, draw, and make ceramic art!
Ask Alexa Jimenez about:
- Marketing Your Small Business
- All Things DIY
- Community Engagement and Outreach
alexa.jimenez@duke.edu
Lily Annenberg
Social Media Coordinator
My name is Lily Annenberg, and I am a senior at Duke graduating this May 2024. I study Program II—I created my own major called “The American Dream: Critical History and Possible Future.” It examines how understanding older discourses about the American Dream, which suggest economic mobility and success might be obtained through hard work alone, might be reconsidered and reshaped through a critical assessment of the contemporary moment, looking specifically at new modes of consumerism, well-being, and technology. My professional interests include social media marketing, communications, entrepreneurship, environmental philanthropy, and documentary filmmaking.
Ask Lily Annenberg about:
- Resume Tips
- Creative Work/Career Advice
- Social Media Marketing