Board of Directors & Committees

Arts Alive, Inc. is governed by a 19 member Board of Directors, supported by committees, and staffed by 2 part-time employees.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ellen Davis • President

New Kent County

Owner, Ellen Matthews Davis Consulting Services; Chairman to the Board of Directors for Rappahannock Community College, Elder at Providence Forge Presbyterian Church; BA – Political Science and History – University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill

Dawn Greggs • Vice President

Town of West Point, King William County

Development Manager with the Library of Virginia Foundation; Over 20 years of nonprofit experience with museums and cultural sites such as the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, the Valentine Museum, and the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation; BA Studio Art – Hollins University

Betsy Mountcastle • Vice President

Town of West Point, King William County

Former President of Arts Alive; Retired special education teacher; Past artist with the Virginia Commission for the Arts; BS in Education – East Carolina University

Winston Sheffield • Treasurer

Town of West Point

Bookkeeper and Registrar for West Point Middle and High School. She also earned her B.A. in History from University of Virginia.

R. F. "Rusty" Bailey

King & Queen County

Board of Supervisor for King and Queen County, Choir Director at Poroporone Baptist Church, and Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission Representative for King and Queen County.

Deborah T. Ball

Town of West Point, King William County

Vice Mayor for the Town of West Point; Serves on several boards, including Baylands Family Credit Union; Active member and leader at Mt. Nebo Baptist Church; Former Chief Deputy Commissioner of the Revenue for King William County; Attended Virginia Union University

Frederick L. “JB” Benson, Jr.

New Kent County

New Kent County Transportation Safety Commission and Executive Committee of the New Kent County Republican Party; 35 year career in the communications industry and owned Nightfire Entertainment before its merger with East Coast Entertainment; BS Industrial Engineering – Virginia Tech

Farron Cowles • Ushers Committee Chair

New Kent County

Retired New Kent County Social Studies Teacher; Member of the New Kent Historical Commission and First Baptist Church in West Point; Active Community Volunteer; BS Social Science – Longwood College

Timothy Dice • Marketing Committee Chair

Town of West Point, King William County

An ordained minister and Family Service Counselor at Williamsburg Memorial Park; Active supporter of the arts and children’s events in the Tidewater area; BA English – Chapman University – MDiv – Texas Christian University

Beverly Hammond • Presenters Committee Chair and Technology Committee Chair

Town of West Point, King William County

Retired elementary school teacher, West Point High School Drama Director and Drama Club Sponsor; BS Elementary and Child Development Education University of Delaware; Master’s Degrees Early Childhood Education and Curriculum and Instruction – Virginia Commonwealth University

Patricia Hilton

King & Queen County

Accountant/Financial Analyst with WestRock; Actively involved in local church and civic organizations; BA Economics – College of William and Mary; MBA – Averett University

Natasha L. Brown

Town of West Point, King William County

Director of Financial Services for King William County; Over 13 years of financial experience

Sue Kurfees • Visual Arts Committee Co-Chair

Town of West Point, King William County

Retired art teacher – West Point Schools; Served with the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Teacher Advisory Council; BFA Fine Arts Education – Virginia Commonwealth University

James (Jim) Parrett • Visual Arts Committee Co-Chair

King William County

Nearly 50 years in industries including Shipbuilding, Nuclear Power and Wood products; Member of the King & Queen Ruritan Club and the Mattaponi Crime Solvers; AAS in Engineering Design Technology – Old Dominion University

Denise Ragsdale

Town of West Point, King William County

Aquatics Director at Chickahominy YMCA; Actively involved in community and art-related affairs, particularly within the schools; BS Human Development and Small Business – Virginia Commonwealth University

John Ragsdale

Town of West Point, King William County

Owner of Sandston Cleaners, Inc.; Serves on the West Point Town Council; Former West Point School Board representative

Laura Richards

New Kent County

Active member of Providence Forge Presbyterian Church; Former First grade teacher with New Kent County Public Schools; BS Elementary Education/Psychology and MA Education – College of William & Mary

Brenda Holmes Thompson

King & Queen County

Senior Financial Manager at WestRock Corporation (VA Mill); Active member of First Baptist Church – serves as Treasurer, Sunday School Teacher and a contributing member of various auxiliaries and committees; BS Accounting – Hampton University

Amanda Vincent

King William County

First grade teacher at Cool Spring Primary School in King William County; BS Psychology and MT (Masters of Teaching) Elementary Education – University of Virginia

Linda Walton

King William County

Loan Servicing Associate with Credit Services Team of C&F Bank with over 38 years of banking experience. Active member of Colosse Baptist Church, currently serving as Director of Journey Group. Facilitator of GriefShare, Assistant Treasurer, and Ordinance Committee member. Treasurer of Colosse Cemetery Association, serving on the board for over 20 years. Married to Sheriff Jeff Walton, have two sons and one grandson, and one granddaughter.

Paula Dean

New Kent County

Vice President Treasury Solutions Consultant for C&F Bank: 40 years of experience in the banking industry. Paula owns and operates Studio on the Bluff in New Kent, where many art workshops and day retreats are hosted. She uses this open studio space to empower her community to become more creative. Paula’s work has been published and exhibited across the United States.

STAFF

Arts Alive is pleased to announce its new partnership with Strategic Solutions by Tricia, LLC. The SST team will be providing leadership and marketing support to the arts organization. Arts Alive is excited to continue to provide visual and performing arts to the community through programming, classes, summer camp, and the Season Series of exceptional national talent.

With experience helping the Town of Front Royal, Virginia’s Small Businesses, and the d’Art Center in Norfolk, Virginia, our team is excited to continue to unite Virginia communities through the arts.

Tricia Hudson • Executive Director

Tricia has served the nonprofit, corporate, and higher education communities as a fundraising executive since 1996 and as a consultant since 2014. During her career, she has raised over $50 million dollars in private support of various organizations and served on several boards in the Hampton Roads community.

Elizabeth Kahl • Marketing Coordinator

Elizabeth has expanded the marketing and branding for many nonprofits and small businesses, including the Portsmouth Museums Foundation and minority-owned businesses in Norfolk. She is also an artist and loves to paint and draw in her free time!

Cheyenne Moore • Administrative Assistant

Cheyenne is a humanitarian with an affinity for details and has nearly a decade of experience in customer service. She supports the team at SST as an Administrative Assistant. Cheyenne holds a BFA in Photography from San Jose State and a MNR in Sustainability from Virginia Tech. Outside of work you can find Cheyenne running, taking pictures, or researching sustainability issues.

Phyllis Fedele - Operations Coordinator

Phyllis is a seasoned Office Manager and Development Specialist. Early in her career, she served her country in the United States Navy. Since then, she has held administrative management positions at the American Heart Association and Virginia Wesleyan College. Phyllis earned her Bachelor of Science in Multidisciplinary Studies from Liberty University. She is married to a US Navy retired veteran, has two adult daughters and two grandchildren. Her family also includes Annie, the family dog.

CommitteeS

Presenters Committee

Beverly Hammond, Chair
JB Benson
Scott Boyd
Marianna Chestnutt
Mary & Tim Dice
Sherrie Hill
Earlene Lawson
Betsy Mountcastle
James (Jim) Parrett
Denise Ragsdale
Rosanne Reddin
Sam Sitter
Lorraine Swedo
Jo White

Visual Arts Committee

Sue Kurfees, Co-Chair
Jim Parrett, Co-Chair
Deborah Ball
Nita Bunting
Ellen Davidson
Jean Forbes
Barbara Hartmann
Patricia Hilton
Gudrun Kiel-Bullock
Bill & Sally McClintock
Mary Montague Sikes
Anne Wilcox

Finance Committee

Winston Sheffield, Chair
Ellen Davis
Dawn Greggs

Usher Committee

Farron Cowles, Chair
Dottie Brandon
Barbara & Phil Hayes
Martha Martin
Maggi Parker
Jo White
Charlotte Woodall

Marketing Committee

Tim Dice, Chair
JB Benson
Sue Kurfees

Hospitality Committee

Mary Dice
Tim Dice

Want to join a committee? Request to volunteer!

Arts Alive, Inc.

P.O. Box 906

West Point, VA 23181

(804) 843-3475

info@artsaliveinc.org

Hours: Mon, Tues, Thurs from 10am-4:30pm

Support Us When You Shop

You can help Arts Alive raise money to support the many valuable programs we provide in the community.

EN595

Arts Alive, Inc.
P.O. Box 906
West Point, VA 23181
(804) 843-3475
info@artsaliveinc.org

Support Us When You Shop

You can help Arts Alive raise money to support the many valuable programs we provide in the community.