Staff List
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Rani Arbo (she/her/hers)
Campus and Community Engagement Manager
860-685-5925
Read MoreRani Arbo came to the Center for the Arts with career/life experience that included two early years working in community engagement in higher education; 25 years in band management and promotion as a nationally touring artist; 20 years as a freelance writer and editor; and 20 years of being an arts-engaged resident of downtown Middletown. At the CFA, her main focus is linking the Center’s programming to student and faculty research and to the curriculum; helping to design and support visiting artist residencies; assisting with internal campus marketing; and being a relationship-builder between Wesleyan and the Middletown community. -
Kyle Clary Beaudette (she/her/hers)
Assistant Director of Events and Ticketing
860-685-3310
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Jennifer Calienes (she/her/hers)
Interim Director
860-685-2076
Read MoreJennifer Calienes joined the CFA in 2020 as the Interim Director of the Center for the Arts. Calienes has been a national arts consultant since 2014, designing and launching new initiatives with Urban Bush Women, the New England Foundation for the Arts, AXIS Dance Company, and the National Center for Choreography at the University of Akron. She served as Interim Deputy Director at Jacob’s Pillow Dance in 2018. Prior to her consulting practice she served as the founding Executive and Artistic Director and Associate in Dance at the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography at Florida State University (2004-2014). From 1999–2004, Calienes served as Program Manager for the National Dance Project, a program of the New England Foundation for the Arts. Calienes is an active advocate for contemporary artists, and has served as panelist, chair and facilitator for programs at The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, The MAP Fund, National Endowment for the Arts and United States Artists. Calienes is an NDP Advisor and holds a Bachelor of Science in Arts Administration with a Dance Concentration from Butler University. -
Charles Carroll (he/him/his)
Assistant Technical Director/Scenery Specialist
860-685-3438
Read MoreRelevant work experience: Colorado Women’s College ATD/ hand, various Dance companies as hand/electrician, Bonfies Theater (Denver Center for the Performing Arts) carpenter, Feline Presents rock and roll master carpenter, Warner Brother Studios carpenter, Dallas Ballet TD, Goodspeed Opera House ATD, New York Renaissance Faire Production Manager (weekends/site carpenter), Wesleyan University ATD/ scenery specialist (34 years), Mohegan Sun, Foxwoods, Crew 538 (hand/electrician).
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Benjamin Chaffee (he/him/his)
Associate Director of Visual Arts
860-685-3288
Read MoreBenjamin Chaffee ’00 is the Associate Director of Visual Arts in the Center for the Arts (CFA), Wesleyan University where he curates/organizes exhibitions in the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery and the gallery at the Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies. Prior to joining the CFA, Chaffee worked as the Director of Corbett vs. Dempsey, Chicago, Illinois from 2012–2018, the Director of Tony Wight Gallery, Chicago, and at Barbara Krakow Gallery, Boston. Originally from New Hampshire, he holds a BA in Earth and Environmental Science from Wesleyan University and an MFA in Studio Art: Sound from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is an Adjunct Instructor in Art in the Art Studio Program at Wesleyan and has also worked as a freelance curator, visiting lecturer, and exhibiting artist. -
Andrew Chatfield (he/him/his)
Director, Arts Communication
860-685-2806
Read MoreAndrew Chatfield MALS ’19 has substantial experience in non-profit arts communications, publications, and marketing, including creating content for expansive online and social media presences, media relations, advertising, messaging, brand management, and overseeing design and public imagery. He has focused on reporting and analysis as well as strategic planning and implementation, and his specialties include copy writing for all collateral, from brochures and websites to print and radio advertising campaigns. Prior to Wesleyan, he worked for the International Festival of Arts and Ideas in New Haven, and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra and the Greater Hartford Arts Council. He received a B.A. in Music from Syracuse University (’99), and a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies with a concentration in the Arts from Wesleyan University (’19). He is a professional musician in four groups: the jazz quartet Stanley Maxwell, jazz/blues group The Castlefield Trio, and both ’80s and ’90s cover bands. -
Fiona Coffey (she/her/hers)
Associate Director for Programming and Performing Arts
860-685-2693
Read MoreFiona Coffey holds a Ph.D. in theatre history from Tufts University. Previous to this, she received an M. Phil. in Irish theatre and film from Trinity College, Dublin and a B.A. from Stanford University. Between her masters and doctorate, she spent several years at the William Morris and Harry Walker agencies, working with artists, politicians, and celebrities. This industry and practical experience greatly informs her teaching and scholarship, both of which emphasize the importance of connecting theory with practice. Her research centers around Irish drama with a focus on women dramatists and theatrical responses to the sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland. Her first book, "Political Acts: Women in Northern Irish Theatre, 1921-2012" was published by Syracuse University Press (2016). -
Jennifer Diglio (she/her/hers)
Accounting Specialist
860-685-2695
Read MoreJennifer Diglio joined the Center for the Arts as the Accounting Specialist in 2018. She has worked in a variety of different accounting positions prior to Wesleyan, from public accounting to an international accountant at a private consulting firm. However, her favorite working environment is in a university setting! She grew to love working with faculty and students from her Accountant position at Yale University, as well as her role as Grants Coordinator at Yale's affiliate lab, the John B. Pierce Laboratory. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Southern Connecticut State University. -
John Elmore (he/him/his)
Art Director
860-685-2692
Read MoreJohn Elmore MALS ’97 (Art Director) has been designing for the Center for the Arts since 1996. He became interested in graphic design while working as the arts editor for the Oberlin College student newspaper. He continued studies in graphic design at Wesleyan while also doing graduate work in education. His work at Wesleyan combines interests in both design and education as well as his passion for performing and visual arts. In addition to his work in print, web, and video design for the CFA, Elmore has designed book covers for academic presses and has also taught graphic design classes.
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Joseph Fonseca (he/him/his)
Technical Associate
Read MoreJoseph X. Fonseca graduated with a BFA in Design and Technology from UCONN in 2016. After graduating he went on to teach design and technical practice at Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School in New Haven, CT. Joe continues to freelance in Scenic and Lighting Design on projects throughout New England. In his spare time he enjoys playing basketball and spending time with his family. -
Drew Gray (he/him/his)
General Manager
860-685-2675
Read MoreDrew Gray has been the General Manager at the CFA since the summer of 2019. Previous to Wesleyan, he worked at Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, CT for 10 years, holding multiple roles, the last of which being Associate Producer. He graduated from Bard College in 2004. -
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Robyn Joyce (she/her/hers)
Manager: Patricelli ’92 Theater
Read MoreRobyn Joyce previously served as the Lighting Designer/Operations Manager/Artist Instructor at the CREC Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts (2009–2019), designing and overseeing more than 100 productions & events during her time there. She also is a prolific freelance Lighting Designer and Stage Manager, working with many theaters in Connecticut, including: Seven Angels, Blue Fire Stage Company, CONNetic Dance, Hartbeat Ensemble, The Hartford Gay Men's Chorus, Sonia Plumb Dance Company, among many others. Prior to moving to Connecticut, Robyn worked for Walt Disney World in Orlando, FL, as a lighting and pyro technician, starting in the night clubs at Pleasure Island, moving to Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Hollywood Studios, and ending at Magic Kingdom. She is a current member of IATSE Local 84 and USITT. -
Rosemary Lennox (she/her/hers)
Exhibitions Manager and ICPP Program Manager
860-685-3283
Read MoreRosemary Lennox is the Exhibitions Manager at the CFA where she oversees the organization of exhibitions and related programming at the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery and the gallery at the Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies. She is also the Program Manager for the Institute for Curatorial Practice in Performance, a low-residency graduate program in performance curation. Before coming to the CFA, Lennox worked as an Arts Registrar and Collections Manager for a Private Foundation in NYC and was a Public Art Consultant for the State of Connecticut and the City of Hartford. She is originally from Canada and holds an M.A. in Art History from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. -
Ariana Molokwu (she/her/hers)
AAI Associate Producer
860-658-2123
Read MoreAriana Molokwu is the Associate Producer for the Antiracism Arts Initiative, a position that welcomes her back to Wesleyan’s Center for the Arts. Ariana had previously worked as the CFA Program Coordinator for three years and as the ICPP Project Manager in spring 2020. Her professional background is in arts administration, venue management, and concert production. She previously worked for Kidcity Children’s Museum, the Xfinity Theatre, the Oakdale Theatre, various music festivals, and has briefly served on the Board of Directors for the Women Composers Festival of Hartford. Ariana graduated from UCONN in 2014 with a B.A. in both Psychology and Communications, and a minor in Music. A dancer for 13+ years, a violinist for 11, and with 10 years of experience in musical theater and the visual arts, Ariana is grateful to be immersed in the arts on a daily basis while working with students at a university focused on a better tomorrow. -
Hanna Oravec (she/her/hers)
Assistant Director for Programs
860-685-2687
Read MoreHanna Oravec joined Wesleyan University’s Center for the Arts as the Assistant Director for Programs in 2011. Working with students, faculty, and staff, she produces over 300 events each year that engage multiple disciplines and identities, expanding to include virtual events in 2020 and beyond. Hanna has served on the board of New England Presenters since 2017, first as treasurer and currently as president. She is an alum of APAP’s Emerging Leaders Institute and National Arts Strategies’ Executive Program in Arts and Culture Strategy. She holds a BFA in Theatre/Stage Management from Penn State University, and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Nonprofit Leadership at the University of Pennsylvania. -
Robert Russo (he/him/his)
Assistant Technical Director/Sound and Video Specialist
860-685-3540
Read MoreRelevant work experience: Operations Manager/Engineer: Snow Sound Inc., Operating Engineer: Post Newsweek/WFSB TV-3, RRAE: Freelance Audio Engineer & Technical event planner, Chief Engineer: Pine brook Productions Pine Brook Recording Studio, Chief Engineer: Studio 1, Professional Musician
Education: Recording Institute of America: Recording Engineering, Middlesex Community College: Broadcast Telecommunications- Television Production & Engineering, Education: Recording Institute of America: Recording Engineering, SWAS-Wesleyan University.
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Suzanne Sadler (she/her/hers)
Technical Director/Manager of CFA Theater
860-685-3607
Read MoreSuzanne Sadler originated on the west coast, landing in Connecticut for work at Goodspeed Musicals for 5 1/2 seasons as the AME and light board operator before joining the team at Wesleyan’s CFA/Theater and Dance departments. Suzanne has worked at Sacramento Theatrical Lighting, designing, engineering, and installing lighting, sets, and staging for concerts, trade shows, ballet, and opera. Other theaters she has had the pleasure of working for include Santa Fe Opera (electrician), Hartford Stage (electrician), Theaterworks (electrician), Western Stage (electrician/rigger/ME), Sacramento Theater Company (electrician/board op), B Street Theater (designer), and The Show Below (Assistant designer). When not working at Wesleyan, Suzanne enjoys designing sets and lights at Calvary Fellowship in West Hartford, leading a regional volunteer team for Love 146, and hiking, biking, and traveling.
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Kate TenEyck
Art Studio Technician, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Art
860-685-3670
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Paul Theriault (he/him/his)
Art Preparator
Read MorePaul Theriault is the Art Preparator for the Ezra and Cecile Zilkha Gallery and the gallery at the Mansfield Freeman Center for East Asian Studies. Since 2019 he has overseen the installation of eight gallery exhibitions and assisted Art Studio Program students with senior thesis installations. Prior to working with Wesleyan University, he worked closely with curators and artists at Artspace New Haven for over a decade. He has also worked with the architecture studio of Kent Bloomer and Versteeg Art Fabricators. Paul is also a practicing artist working primarily in the field of electronic media. He lives in the Cedar Hill neighborhood of New Haven with his partner Monique and their two dogs, Rupert and George.
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