Genna Styles-Lyas

Director of AEP6 Community Engagement & Equity for Americans for the Arts

Identifying and Connecting with Rural BIPOC Arts & Culture Communities

As AEP6 Director, Community Engagement & Equity, Genna’s key responsibilities include liaising between community partners and national consultants; developing and implementing resources that support engagement with the research study across cultural and arts organizations, especially those serving and centering on BIPOC communities; and all other aspects of the survey including the post-study evaluation. For over twelve years Genna worked as a Teaching Artist for arts organizations locally and nationally. Genna has most recently served as the Education & Engagement Program Manager at Everyman Theatre. During this time Genna served as a Panelist for the Maryland State Arts Council providing arts expertise for the evaluation of the Teaching Artist Roster applications, guiding the process with a focus on the principles of equity and justice within teaching artist opportunities. Genna also served as the Director of Education and Outreach at SPdp (Staycee Pearl dance project) in Pittsburgh, PA, where she helped developed artistic standards for the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards. Genna earned her Doctorate in Education in Out of School Learning with a focus on Teaching Artists in marginalized communities from the University of Pittsburgh and completed her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, with a concentration on arts education, from Northcentral University. With a BFA in Acting and a minor in Musical Theater from Point Park University Genna became a member of the Actor’s Equity Association, performing regionally, nationally, and internationally. Genna is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

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