Day Eight Artistic Director Robert Bettmann founded the DCAA Steering Committee in 2007, and the DCAA Board in 2009. He is currently Board Chair. Mr. Bettmann is a dancer, choreographer, writer, and editor, founder of the non-profit Day Eight, managing editor of the arts magazine Bourgeon, and author of the book Somatic Ecology.
Randall Pyles applies his extensive technology background, particularly in liquid crystal displays (LCDs), to serve his clients’ intellectual property needs. He joined the DCAA board in 2010. His technical experience encompasses all aspects of design, manufacturing, and prior to graduating from law school, Randy gained over 25 years of experience in engineering and technical management roles, including positions in businesses ranging from a very small, closely-held company to a Fortune 100 corporation. Jobs as Chief Engineer and Director of Engineering inform transactional service including negotiation and execution of contracts, non-disclosure agreements, and reseller and representation agreements. Randy also has a working knowledge of federal acquisition regulations, government cost reporting, and export compliance.
Laurenellen McCann is a digital Jane of All Trades. Based in Washington, DC, she specializes in creative strategy, online engagement and campaign organizing, editorial review, multimedia content production, and research. She joined the DCAA board in 2011. She believes that knowledge is power and that we should use the online world to get offline (and to make our online experiences richer). Laurenellen is currently an Organizer at the Sunlight Foundation.
Andrew Wright is an active musician, web entrepreneur and public affairs advisor and strategist based in Washington, DC. He joined the DCAA board in 2011. He is the Co-founder & CEO of Grasshop, an online platform for grassroots advocacy and member communications. He has helped organizations organize and advocate their positions and causes for more than 14 years.
Arnold Hammer joined the Board of the DC Advocates for the Arts in 2011. He is a retired attorney who advised presidential appointees and argued cases in the courts of appeals, in the context of working for the National Labor Relations Board, the Department of Labor and the Federal Labor Relations Authority. His undergraduate degree is from Cornell University, and his law degree from Georgetown University. He is a life member of the board of his synagogue, a large urban congregation, and past treasurer and vice president of the congregation. He is currently on the board of the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington, and serves as chair of the Home's ethics committee. Mr. Hammer and his wife have lived in the area for 40 years, and have three adult sons.
Amber Robles-Gordon joined the DCAA board in 2010. Her goal in life is to continue to infuse personal and professional interactions, with the healing power of art. She believes art is a state of mind. She is a mixed media artist, working in collage, photography, pastels, acrylic, watercolors and oil paint sticks. She is also the founder of Black Artists of DC, a consortium for visual artists.
Naomi Ayala, poet, teacher, translator, administrator and educational consultant, joined the Board of the DC Advocates for the Arts in 2010. She is the author of This Side of Early (Curbstone Press, 2008) and Wild Animals on the Moon (Curbstone Press, 1997). Her third collection of poems is forthcoming from Bilingual Review Press in 2009. Naomi’s poetry has appeared in Ploughshares, Poetry Daily, Gargoyle, Saheb Ghalam Daily (Afghanistan), and MARGIN: Exploring Modern Magical Realism.
Artomatic founder George Koch joined the DCAA steering committee in 2007, and was a founding member of the DCAA board in 2010. Mr. Koch is the founder and Board Chair Emeritus of Artomatic, inc. Artomatic is a free to the general public art festival in DC that celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2009. In 2009, the event featured nine floors of visual and installation art, theater performances, dance and comedy, three music stages, street performances such as fire dancing and drum troupes, and a film screening theater. 52,500 people attended Artomatic in 2008. Over 1,000 visual artists and 600 performing artists exhibiting with Artomatic in 2009.
Ava Spece, Executive Director of DCYOP served on the Board of the DCAA 2009/2010. The DC Youth Orchestra Program provides music classes and ensemble training to all students who wish to participate. Because of the program's unique structure and curriculum, no child is turned away and every child is challenged by being placed in a level appropriate to his or her ability. DCYOP accepts all students, regardless of experience or income level.
Dorothy McSweeny, Board Chair of the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, joined the DCAA Advisory Board in 2009. The Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation supports the richness and diversity of the region’s arts resources and promotes wider access to the art and artists of the region, nation and world. The Foundation serves the states and territories of Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, the US Virgin Islands, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Doug Mann, Board Chair for the Maryland Citizens for the Arts, joined the DCAA Advisory Board in 2009. Maryland Citizens for the Arts, Inc. is a statewide arts advocacy organization, founded in 1977 to represent all Maryland artists and arts organizations of all disciplines. Our principal mission is to promote adequate funding for the Maryland State Arts Council and to advocate for the arts at the state and federal levels. MCA’s advocacy services fall within two categories: educating (lobbying) state lawmakers about the arts and informing Maryland citizens about how they can support public arts funding.
E. Ethelbert Miller, Poet and Board Chair of the Institute for Policy Studies, joined the DCAA Advisory Board in 2009. The Institute for Policy Studies turns Ideas into Action for Peace, Justice and the Environment. We strengthen social movements with independent research, visionary thinking, and links to the grassroots, scholars and elected officials. Since 1963, we have empowered people to build healthy and democratic societies in communities, the US, and the world.
DC Film Founder and executive director Jon Gann joined the DCAA Advisory Board in 2009. The DC Film Alliance (DCFA) serves and strengthens the media arts in the greater Washington DC region by bringing together filmmakers and the public to participate in diverse film, video, television, and multimedia events.
Ed Lazere, Founder and Executive Director of the DC Fiscal Policy Institute, joined the DCAA Advisory Board in 2009. The DC Fiscal Policy Institute conducts research and public education on budget and tax issues in the District of Columbia, with a particular emphasis on issues that affect low- and moderate-income residents. By preparing timely analyses that are used by policy makers, the media, and the public, DCFPI seeks to inform public debates on budget and tax issues and to ensure that the needs of lower-income residents are considered in those debates.
Wanda Aikens, Executive Director of Ward 7 Arts Collaborative, joined the DCAA Advisory Board in 2010. The mission of the Ward 7 Arts Collaborative is to foster awareness of, support for, and participation in the arts among community residents and visitors of all ages, and to preserve and enhance our local community's cultural and entertainment heritage.
