(LEFT) Donna Walker-Kuhne (RIGHT) John McEwen
(BALTIMORE, MD) -- At its June 2025 annual board meeting, Mid Atlantic Arts welcomed a new board member (Geoffrey Kershner ) and elected its 2025-2026 officers. Two of the officers: Donna Walker-Kuhne (Chair) and John McEwen (Secretary) have connections to the New Jersey arts world.
Geoffrey Kershner (VA) has served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Academy Center of the Arts for a decade and was the founding Artistic Director of Endstation Theatre Company. A National Arts Strategies’ Chief Executive Fellow, he currently chairs Virginians for the Arts, advises the Radically Rural Conference’s arts track, and is the inaugural director of the low-residency MFA in Arts Administration at Randolph College.
Additionally, Mid Atlantic Arts elected the following officers for fiscal year 2026: Donna Walker-Kuhne, Chair; James Lemons, Vice Chair; John McEwen, Secretary; and Nicholas Hawkins, Treasurer.
Chair, Donna Walker-Kuhne (NY) is an award-winning thought leader, writer and strategist for community engagement, audience development, and social justice. She is President of Walker International Communications Group, a 30-year-old boutique marketing and audience development consulting agency. She is also Senior Advisor, Diversity, Equity Inclusion at New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), co-founder of Impact Broadway, lecturer and keynote presenter for international arts conferences, adjunct professor at New York University and Columbia University. She has received 50 awards, including the 2024 A Planter of Seeds Award, The Black Seed.
Vice Chair, James Lemons (NY) is the Executive Director of the Lake Placid Center for the Arts (LPCA) and former Chairman of the Board of the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism. Lemons has served as a panelist/moderator for the Association of Presenting Arts Professionals, Autopistes Circus Network, PEA Southwest, and the Adirondack Nonprofit Network. He has also served as a grant reviewer for the New York State Council of the Arts, CNY Arts, and the Essex County Arts Alliance.
Secretary, John McEwen (NJ) is the Executive Director of New Jersey Theatre Alliance, a service organization for the state and region’s 44 professional theatres. Under his leadership the Alliance completed a successful endowment campaign, and has lead several initiatives benefiting the state’s entire arts sector including The Creating Change Network, the Arts and Culture Administrators of Color Network, and the Cultural Access Network Projects.
McEwen has served on the boards of ArtPride New Jersey and New Jersey Center for NonProfits, and is a trustee for the Fund for ther New Jersey Blind. Prior to the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, McEwen served as Vice President for Development of the New Jersey Network Foundation (NJN), where he was responsible for providing the leadership for the annual fund in support of NJN Public Television and Radio’s programs and services. Before joining NJN, he served as the Director of Development for Paper Mill Playhouse. McEwen has been recognized by numerous state and national organizations for his work in arts access, fundraising, and advocacy.
Treasurer, Nicholas Hawkins (NY) is an attorney at Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP, where he assists clients with intellectual property management, private equity and venture capital financing, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate governance. In addition to his work as an attorney, he is active in a range of community and professional organizations. He serves as the current Vice President of the Board of Directors for Baltimore Clayworks, and is the former Chair of the Intellectual Property Section of the Maryland State Bar Association. Hawkins has also served as interim Executive Director and Art Law Clinic Director for Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, a Maryland nonprofit that provides legal services to creatives throughout the state.
With the new slate of officers, Mid Atlantic Arts also thanks departing board member Carlos Ruiz for his steadfast service to the arts in Puerto Rico. They wish him all the best in his future endeavors.
Mid Atlantic Arts supports artists, presenters, and organizations through unique programming, grant support, partnerships, and information sharing. Created in 1979, Mid Atlantic Arts is aligned with the region’s state arts councils and the National Endowment for the Arts. They combine state and federal funding with private support from corporations, foundations, and individuals to nurture diverse artistic expression while connecting people to meaningful arts experiences within our region and beyond.
