News

We are delighted to share our FY 2024 Board of Directors! Michael Pipkin serves as Board President, with Judy Nyquist as Board Secretary. The rest of our Board is comprised of a dedicated group of individuals committed to Arts Connect's mission to ensure access to high-quality arts education in creative writing, dance, music, theater and the visual arts for every student, beginning with the Houston ISD.

Our Board members are Michael Pipkin, CEO and Founder of Rushmore Resource Partners; Lauren Anderson, Lecturer and Educator at Houston Ballet; Suratha Elango, MD, Primary Care Pediatrician and Community Health Advocate with Texas Children's Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine; Brett Falkenhagen, Investment Advisor at PNC Private Bank; Caroline Goeser, PhD, W.T. and Louise J. Moran Chair of Learning and Interpretation at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Harrison Guy, Founder of Urban Souls Dance Company and Director of Arts and Culture for the 5th Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation and the Historic DeLUXE Theater; Judy Nyquist, Community Volunteer; Mike Rome, Dean of the Archie W. Dunham College of Business at Houston Christian University; and Todd Stein, President and CEO of Mid-America Arts Alliance.

Read full bios on our Leadership page, linked below.

Please join us in congratulating Taylor Bush on her new role as Associate Director of Arts Connect Houston! Since 2019, Taylor has been an invaluable member of the Arts Connect team.

Beginning with her work as Operations Coordinator and then as Fund and Communications Manager, Taylor has played a crucial part in growing the Arts Connect network from 30 partners to 90+ partners. In her most recent position as Director of Strategic Initiatives, Taylor innovated, developed, and led key efforts to broaden the scope and solidify the impact of the Arts Action Fund, Transformation/RISE Arts Initiative, Arts After School, and other pivotal initiatives.

“Taylor is a strong strategic thinker,” said Jack McBride, Interim Executive Director. “She has the unique ability to identify opportunities and analyze challenges, and is invested year after year in our community’s growth. Taylor excels in bringing together collaborators, a true embodiment of our collective impact mission. Her institutional knowledge of Arts Connect is unmatched, and she has been an integral force in expanding and deepening our work over the past five years. The support and expertise Taylor offers our community is invaluable. ”

We are so grateful for Taylor’s continued leadership with Arts Connect and look forward to working with her in this new capacity!

Arts Connect is thrilled that our Data Manager, Monique Mogilka, will be expanding her work with the organization starting this summer!

Monique oversees and manages our city’s artlook® data tracking platform that maps arts access for students across Houston. She is a key member of the Arts Connect team, and her work is essential in helping our organization advocate for arts education throughout the community. In her expanded role, Monique will offer increased support for data collection and in-depth analysis.

“Monique’s expertise is vital to Arts Connect,” said Taylor Bush, Associate Director. “In so many ways, data is foundational to our mission. We use data to improve our decision-making, identify where resources are most urgently needed, and better understand the community we serve. Monique understands the myriad of ways we can incorporate data and its analysis into our daily work. In the past year, Monique has already massively increased our data collection through growing efforts like the artlook® platform – we can’t wait to see what she’s able to do in this expanded position.”

We’re excited to continue working with Monique as she endeavors to help us expand arts education opportunities for all Houston students.

Eepi Chaad, Director of Partnerships & Learning, is the latest Guild Spotlight at the National Guild for Community Arts Education! Eepi shared about our work with the Guild and discussed how the arts bring communities together.

Our team is excited to introduce Meggie Monahan, who will be stepping in as interim Director of Partnerships & Learning starting June 1st. Meggie is a past partner and is versed in the Houston arts community as well as the collective work.

Meggie Monahan is a writer, educator, and certified yoga teacher whose greatest joy comes from living at the intersection of wonder, connection, and inquiry. She believes wholeheartedly in the alchemy of community partnerships and has spent over a decade teaching writing to students ranging from 5 to 75 years old. Originally from Philadelphia, Meggie moved to Houston in 2009 to study poetry. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston and a BA in English Literature from the Catholic University of America. Her poems have been featured in publications including Best New Poets, The Cortland Review, and The American Journal of Poetry.