Michael Seman - Director of Program
Michael.Seman@colostate.edu
Dr. Michael Seman is an assistant professor in the LEAP Institute for the Arts’ arts management program at Colorado State University. He received his doctorate in urban planning and public policy from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2014 and his work primarily examines the intersection of music, entrepreneurship, and economic development on the urban landscape. Before joining Colorado State University, Michael was Director of Creative Industries Research and Policy at the University of Colorado Denver College of Arts and Media.
Michael teaches both undergraduate and graduate students and is currently writing a book about music scenes and how they can transform cities for the University of Texas Press. His co-edited volume concerning the production and consumption of music in the digital age was published by Routledge in 2016 as part of their Contemporary Human Geography Series and Michael recently helped author music strategies for both the City of Denver and the State of Colorado. Michael’s work can also be found in many academic journals including Cities, Regional Science Policy and Practice, Applied Research in Economic Development, City, Culture and Society, Industrial Geographer, Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts, and most recently in Growth and Change.
National Public Radio, Vice, Wired, The Washington Post, and many regional media outlets seek Michael’s insight and he is often invited to speak at professional and civic events across the country. Prior to completing his graduate work, Michael spent several years as an executive at Creative Artists Agency in Beverly Hills, California where he focused on internal marketing and project development. Michael also managed daytime programming for the “35 Denton” and “Oaktopia” music festivals in Denton, Texas while earning his doctorate. He is represented by the Creative Class Group for speaking engagements.
Richard Andrews - Instructor
richard.andrews@colostate.edu
Richard S. Andrews is an author (Arts Entrepreneurship: Creating a New Venture in the Arts. Routledge, 2020), instructor, and Associate Director of the UC Berkeley Center for New Music and Audio Technologies (CNMAT), a leading research and training laboratory focused on the creative interaction between music and science. He is also Executive Director of the Eco Ensemble, UC Berkeley’s professional new music chamber group dedicated to contemporary music by emerging and established composers. He has over 20 years experience in arts management and specializes in arts entrepreneurship, fundraising, project management, marketing and organizational development. His research and teaching interests include the creation of modern cultural policies in the U.S. and France, the intersection of government arts policy and arts management/arts practice, and the impact of public/private support for the arts. He has developed and taught courses and workshops at UC Berkeley, the San Francisco Art Institute, Colorado State University, the UC Paris Study Center Program in French & European Studies, the Université Côte d’Azur (UCA) and the American University of Paris (AUP), and has lectured at the Savannah College of Art and Design SCAD/Lacoste, the Institute for American Universities, Parsons Paris, Arcadia University, San Francisco State University (SFSU), the University of San Francisco (USF) and the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne.
Emelie Borello - Instructor
eborello@colostate.edu
Emelie Borello is an instructor at Colorado State University for the LEAP Institute for the Arts, as well as a recent graduate from LEAP Master’s program. She has a strong background in management, human resources, and project planning as well as a decade of experience as a director and designer in the local Fort Collins community theatre. In addition to teaching, Emelie is working to create collaborative arts projects within the community, and looking toward pursing a doctoral program in sociology of arts and celebration in the near future.
Zhanna Gurvich - Instructor of Theater
Zhanna.Gurvich@colostate.edu
Zhanna Gurvich is an award-winning designer and painter who has designed for theatre, dance, opera, and film at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Joyce Theatre, Chautauqua Opera, and the Juilliard Theatre. Ms. Gurvich’s favorite designs include Radiance for Axial Theatre Co., Hello and Goodbye for Rattlestick Theatre, Ladies in Retirement and Chaos Theory for Pulse Ensemble Theatre, The Most Dangerous Room in the House for The Susan Marshall Dance Company, Tears for Violetta and Tierra del Nadie for Ballet Hispanico, The Seagull, Man and Superman, and Three Sisters for Juilliard, In the Air and La Llorona for Stageplays Theatre, Hansel and Gretel for Chautauqua Opera, Ping Pong Diplomacy, Havana Bourgeoisie, and Billboard for Reverie Productions, and Luck for Epic Rep. Ms. Gurvich received an HOLA Award for Outstanding Set Design for her work on La Llorona. She has painted for Scenic Art Studios, Goodspeed Opera House, Virginia Opera, Dallas Theatre Center, Mannes Opera, and The Mint Theatre Company, including critically acclaimed portraits for Mary Broome and a mural for Black Snow. Ms Gurvich is a member of United Scenic Artists Local 829 and holds a B.F.A. in Studio Art from Clark University, as well as an M.F.A. in Stage Design from Southern Methodist University, with a concentration in scenery and lighting design.
David Pyle - Instructor
david.pyle@colostate.edu
David's 35-year career in the arts and business has been fueled by his education in music, painting, and chemistry. He's managed consumer brands in the artist's products category, serving as Director of Marketing for Winsor+Newton and then Brand Director for Liquitex. In 2000, his book, What Every Artist Needs to Know About Paints and Colors, was published by Krause. Over the last 15 years, he’s served as Publisher for the largest media brands in the fine art-making and crafting categories, most recently as Senior Vice President/Group Publisher with F+W Media managingThe Artist’s Magazine, American Artist, Watercolor Artist, Interweave Knits, Love of Quilting and, online, ArtistsNework.com, ArtistsNetwork.TV, QuiltingDaily.com and Interweave.com and more.
Through it all he's continued to paint and he just finished a project with the Central City Opera as "Painter in Residence" for their 2021 season. In 2020, he left the corporate media world and launched a number of art-making initiatives, a new marketing services group called Pyle Creative Studio, and a series of educational resources for the art and science community.
Jack Rogers - Instructor
jack.rogers@colostate.edu
Jack has worked in the performing arts for over 24 years. During that time he has been an artist, and advocate, a tour manager, a festival producer, a venue director, and worn countless other hats. Jack received his BFA in Acting with a minor in dance and a concentration in music from Long Island University at CW Post. Jack has received multiple awards for his performance work both professionally and academically. He received his MPA in Nonprofit Management from Georgia State University. As an advocate, Jack served as Vice President of Programming for the Georgia Arts Network, the state’s official arts advocacy organization. Jack has served as a juror on programming committees for the City of Atlanta’s Office of Cultural Affairs, the Georgia Assembly of Community Arts Agencies, Georgia Presenters, and the Southern Arts Federation’s Performing Arts Exchange. Jack’s interests include multi-disciplinary collaboration, event management-safety and security, advocacy, and performing arts programming. Jack is a member of Actor’s Equity of America, Americans for the Arts, the International Association of Venue Managers, and the Western Arts Alliance. Jack currently provides administrative, artistic, and operational leadership to The Lincoln Center, a multi-venue events facility and Northern Colorado’s largest performing arts presenter.
Mike Solo - Instructor
Mike.Solo@colostate.edu
Mike Solo is the Creative Director in the marketing office of The School of Music, Theatre and Dance at Colorado State University. His degrees are in Design and Digital Media and he currently teaches Technology in the Arts and Creating your Arts Career for the Arts Management program.
Jill Stilwell - Instructor
stilwell@colostate.edu
Jill has 25 years of experience in the public arts and culture sector. From 2003 to 2016, Jill was the Director of Cultural Services for the City of Fort Collins. In this role, she spearheaded Fort Collins’ first Cultural Plan and nominated the City for the 2011 Governor’s Arts Award, which the community received. She was proud to direct the Department’s two largest capital projects: the $8.4 million renovation of the Lincoln Center and the $27 million public/private partnership that is the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery.
Jill has facilitated large vision-oriented projects, like master plans and community cultural plans, but also enjoys the personal aspects of team building and board development. Jill shares her experience with others as an adjunct faculty member at the LEAP Institute for the Arts at Colorado State University and at Front Range Community College. She teaches courses in arts management and museum studies and learns as much from her students as they do from her. Jill also engages with her local community through activities like presenting at Start-Up Week.
Jill has a bachelor’s degree in fine art from Colorado State University and a master’s degree in art history and museum studies from the University of Denver. She is certified through the International Association of Public Participation (IAP2) in planning effective public participation processes.
