Meet Our Team
Brittany Wilson
Founder
Brittany Wilson is a Queens native who began her training at the Edge School of the Arts. She later pursued a double major in Dance and Exercise Science at Lehman College in the Bronx. Upon graduation she was presented with the Modern Dance Choreography award for her senior project entitled “Isn’t It Pretty To Think So”. She has been choreographing original pieces for 14 years which includes producing her first evening length concert in 2011 entitled “Fresh”. Her performance credits include Lehman College, Green Space, Dixon Place, Alchemical Theatre, Harlem School of the Arts, The Secret Theatre and Downtown Art. Her director, choreographer, producer credits include acting Artistic Director of Herbert H Dance Company at Lehman College from 2014-2018.
Her journey as an arts administrator began in 2016 when she applied for Pentacle's "Cultivating Leadership in Dance" internship. The experience led to opportunities such as interning with Dance Films Association, Abraham.In.Motion and securing an Administrative Coordinator position at Bridging Education & Art Together (BEAT). She served as the Administrative Coordinator from 2017-2019 and the Program Director from 2019-2021. In November 2021, she joined Hi-ARTS as their General Manager. Her passion for the arts exceeded the stage when she discovered there were more ways to contribute. This understanding led her to launch her fiscally sponsored grant organization, B. Wilson Foundation (f.k.a B. Wilson Producing Scholars), that benefits emerging dance producers/choreographers by providing financial and administrative support.
In addition, Brittany teaches dance to children ages 5-12. She previously served as a member of the DanceNYC Junior Committee, a 2019 Queens Council on the Arts, Art Producer and as the Company Manager of MODArts Dance Collective. She now serves as the Board Chair of MODArts Dance Collective. She has been a featured speaker and consultant at the Dance/NYC Symposium, Arts of Administrators of Color Convening, and Pentacle. These opportunities continue to inspire Brittany to support the dance community through artistic and administrative mentorship, advocacy for youth and artists, and financially supporting aspiring dance producers.
Madelyn Sher
Advisory Board Member
Madelyn Sher is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and producer from New York City. She has a B.A. in Dance (honors) and B.A. in Philosophy (honors) from Lehman College/Macaulay Honors College, where she graduated summa cum laude. Her choreography has been seen at Theater for the New City, SMUSH Gallery, Downtown Art, Triskelion Arts, The Baumann, Lehman College, and the Paradise Factory. A freelance dancer, Madelyn has performed in dance works by various artists and companies including REDi Dance Company, Amirov Dance Theater, Vangeline Theater, Rina Espiritu, Kelsey Burns, Kinematik Dance Theater, Bronx Arts Ensemble/Children's Theater Company, Herbert H. Dance Company, Ni'ja Whitson, and others. Madelyn values public, accessible art as a vehicle for community engagement, arts appreciation, and environmental awareness. She produces Groundswell Series, an annual site-specific outdoor dance festival that brings dance into shared spaces in parks and playgrounds in Brooklyn, NY. She is currently pursuing her MFA in Choreography and Performance at Smith College.
Philip Akogu
Advisory Board Member
Philip Akogu moved to New York in 2004, and attended The American Musical and Dramatic Academy. He would then go on to attend Herbert H. Lehman College where he would complete his undergraduate degree, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance/Theatre, and graduating with honors. Philip received his Master’s of Science for Teachers from Pace University, also graduating with honors, and is a Special Education Teacher with the New York City Department of Education. He is a member of the Council for Exceptional Children. In addition, he has appeared in Off-Broadway productions and is a member of the Actors Equity Association.
Dr. Brittany Chambers
Advisory Board Member
Dr. Brittany Chambers is a researcher, education advocate, dancer, and martial artist, who is passionate about curating opportunities for youth and adults at the periphery of access. She currently spearheads two initiatives at Verizon as a Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility, Verizon Community Forward and Verizon Innovative Learning STEM Achievers, that are aligned with her passion. Verizon Community Forward curates local ecosystems of support that prepare youth and adults for jobs of the future by capacity building through the renovation of city spaces–in libraries and recreation centers–into innovative learning centers and the expansion of existing city programs offered by local education partners. The program is currently in 5+ cities. She also leads Verizon Innovative Learning STEM Achievers, a program that provides middle school students in under-resourced communities with the opportunity to gain exposure to careers in STEM fields during the summer months on 40+ college campuses nationwide. These programs collectively serve over ten thousand students annually. Dr. Chambers also holds a Doctorate in Education from Columbia University and is grateful for the role her former experiences have played on her journey: her family’s twenty years in the entrepreneurial/nonprofit realm and experiences at Johnson & Johnson, Forbes, The Recording Academy/GRAMMYs, and more. She brings to her role on the B. Wilson Foundation board varied experience in the arts, philanthropic giving, strategic development, education, marketing, and journalism.
Brittany Grier
Advisory Board Member
Brittany Grier is an interdisciplinary teaching artist, performer, educator, as well as a cultural arts organizer. She began at Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Dance Theater and continued her training, leading to a B.A. in dance, at CUNY Lehman College. Further education has emerged as 2018-2020 Community Actionist with Gibney Dance, a recipient of Sydnie L. Mosley Dances' PD for The People, as well as hyperlocal community engagement Liaison in Brooklyn and Harlem. Some of her lineage includes Youssouf Koumbassa, Marie Brooks, Esther Grant, Michael Manswell, Nicholas Leichter, Adia Whitaker, as well as Kim Holmes to name a few. Current collaborations are with Movement of The People Dance Company, Sydnie L. Mosley Dances and periodically as a guest artist with Ebony Noelle Golden. Brittany’s focus is to share tools for embodied storytelling practices, uplift communities of the African Diaspora who want their stories heard, and build sustainable places of care that honor our humanity.
John Bass Tournas
Advisory Board Member
John Bass Tournas is a musician and educator originally from Cambridge, MA. He graduated from Harvard University with a BA in Social Anthropology in 2016, and a Masters of Education in 2020. He has worked as a digital music instructor in NYC and Boston, and has also taught 6th Grade English Language Arts. He has played saxophone across North America and has produced beats for artists whose projects have appeared in Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and more. In 2017-2018, he was resident music composer at the Herbert H. Dance Company at Lehman College. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, he has developed this passion for composition by participating in several film-scoring classes and working with filmmakers across the globe, diving deeper into the world of sonic storytelling and collaboration with visual media.
Kristine Lin is a creative producer and designer from Queens, New York. She graduated from Hunter College with a dual degree in Art History and Child Psychology. After graduation, she worked at various creative agencies and started freelancing as a graphic designer. As a creative producer, she's helped develop multiple digital interactives at cultural and health institutions such as the Smithsonian Museum of American History, M+ Museum in Hong Kong, and New York University Langone Hospital.