Recipients of Ross McKeen Memorial Awards for
Leadership Development Announced
Over $22,000 Awarded to Portland-area Arts Professionals
March 10, 2022 — PORTLAND, OREGON. In tribute to one of Portland’s most beloved arts leaders, 15 Portland arts professionals have been named as the recipients of the Ross McKeen Memorial Awards for Leadership Development. The awards program was developed to honor McKeen, who was a leading figure in the Portland arts community for over 25 years and became well-known for his thoughtful mentorship and support of his colleagues. After his death in March of 2021, a group of friends came together to commemorate his generous spirit by creating this one-time award fund. Support for the fund came through grants from the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, the Autzen Foundation, and over 70 individuals who made gifts in honor of Ross McKeen.
Arts professionals from the greater Portland area at all stages in their careers were invited to submit proposals to fund opportunities that would further their professional development, including activities such as attending a conference, taking a course, or finding the time and space to deepen their own artistic practice in service to their leadership. The award recipients represent a range of experience in the exciting variety of arts disciplines in the Portland community, emblematic of the healthy arts ecology McKeen spent his career actively nurturing.
“Ross would be so glad that such a wide variety of individuals received funding,” said Robin Remmick, McKeen’s wife, a retired arts administrator. “He would be honored and grateful to have his name associated with these grants.”
AWARD RECIPIENTS AND PROJECTS
Recipient | Organizational Affiliation | Position | Use of funds |
|---|---|---|---|
Kazuyo Ito | Taiko | Artistic Director | PCC classes |
Steve Wenig | Oregon Symphony | Vice President & General Manager | Professional Leadership Coaching |
Emily Ryan | Portland Center Stage | Development Associate | TLCC (Tessitura) Conference fee and lodging |
Erin Yanke | Outside The Frame | Operations Manager | Video Editing course and software |
Jenni Green Miller | Hand2Mouth | Education Director | Wax Factory Artists Residency |
Michael Crenshaw | Education Without Borders | Arts Educator, Mentor & Social Justice Activist | Tanzania Cultural Exchange |
Ben Moorad | New Room Studios | Founder (Co-Founder Write Around Portland) | Mentorship and thought partnership support for building residency program. |
Marian Rose Lucas | Siren Nation | Board Member Siren Nation | NAO Membership & Board Leadership Training |
Emmeline Eao | Independent Publishing Resource Center | Co-Director - Membership & Community Projects | Southern Graphics Council Intl Conference |
Jakelen Diaz | Independent Publishing Resource Center | Studio Manager | Southern Graphics Council Intl Conference |
Lucille Dawson | Hand2Mouth | Executive Director | Sou'Wester Lodge - Writing Residency |
Harper Quinn | Independent Publishing Resource Center | Co-Director - Program Director | Sou’Wester Lodge - Artist Residency |
Eboni Lovell | Profile Theatre | Director of Communications | Mentorship in Public Relations |
Anina Bennett | Siren Nation | Board Member Siren Nation | WVDO Membership & Professional Development |
Cristina Marino | Cathedral Park Performing Arts Collective | Executive Director | Nonprofit Leadership Lab Membership & Professional Development |
About the Ross McKeen Awards Volunteers
The steering committee for the McKeen Awards included his friends and sometime co-workers Jeff Hawthorne, Tomi Douglas, and Cynthia Fuhrman; his friends and colleagues in promoting support for the arts Gretchen Schackel and Michelle Reynolds; and most importantly, his wife and frequent business partner, Robin Remmick.
The selection panel for the final awards included Portland arts colleagues and friends Kim Kalapus, Kimberly Howard Wade, Janine Twining, Sharon Martell, and Matthew Jones.