A native New Yorker of Caribbean heritage, Rasu brings more than 15 years of experience advocating for the Brooklyn cultural and creative community to the organization. Most recently, Rasu applied his dynamic cross-cultural curatorial skills as the Cultural Network Curator at Lambent Foundation, where he translated Lambent’s core values and organizational practice to foster collaboration and exchange among grant partners in New York City, New Orleans, and Nairobi, Kenya. Prior to Lambent, he served as Director of Recruitment and Community Engagement for the New Museum’s art and tech incubator, NEW INC, where he built a professional network of artists, designers, technologists, and entrepreneurs into a cohesive workspace that reflects New York’s diverse and multi-faceted artists. Rasu is also a reputable facilitator in the cultural sector, the founder of Coup d’état BROOKLYN and Coup d’état Arts, and was a producer for Afropunk.

Why do you work for BAC?

“I have always believed in the role the arts has to play in shaping and enriching communities and I have been fortunate to have spent my entire career in public service, seeking out opportunities in which I can support this important work. You will hear me say time and time again, there is nowhere quite like Brooklyn and it is an honor and a privilege to be able to serve the artists and communities of Brooklyn through my role at Brooklyn Arts Council.”

What Brooklyn neighborhood(s) do you feel most connected to and why?

“It was love at first sight for this Northern British girl. From my first visit to Brooklyn in 2006, (a very different DUMBO) to moving to Bed Stuy in 2021, this vibrant, energetic, full of life, crazy borough captured a piece of my heart that can never be replaced. It is no coincidence that Brooklyn Arts Council was my first port of call when I arrived from the UK and I will be forever grateful to this borough for the career, community and forever friends it has given me. There really is nowhere quite like Brooklyn!”

Bio

Emma Cookson is an arts manager and cultural programmer with over 13 years of experience leading and influencing local, national and international cultural programs and policies. With a BA (First Class Hons) in Drama and English and a Diploma in Leadership & Management, Emma started her career in the British Council's Arts Team, before spending 8 years at an outer London borough arts service where she worked with artists & creative practitioners, community organizations, development agencies and civic leaders to develop and deliver high quality and innovative cultural programs and projects with the aim of increasing and improving access to arts and culture.

Underpinning all of Emma's work is the belief that arts & culture should be available to everyone. She is committed to advocating for artists & the arts and excited by the role they have to play in improving and enriching people, place and community.

Originally from the north of England, New York City is one of Emma's lifelong passions. Others include food, travel, books, running and her rescue pup Delilah.

Why do you work for BAC?

“I work for BAC because it is a values driven, artist centered organization committed to seeing Brooklyn artists and communities thrive. My colleagues at BAC are thoughtful, caring, deeply embedded in Brooklyn communities and committed to providing responsive programs that fit the unique needs of the partners we serve.”

What Brooklyn neighborhood(s) do you feel most connected to and why?

“I feel most connected to Kensington, Ditmas Park, and Flatbush where I’ve called home for many years. I can be spotted in Prospect Park on the daily. I also have an affinity for Clinton Hill where spent much of my time serving neighbors and building partnerships in my previous leadership role at JACK!”

Bio

Skye E. Kowaleski (they/them) is a Brooklyn-based, multidisciplinary creator and facilitator dedicated to cultivating creative spaces for learning, transformation, and liberation. They have over 15-years of experience creating and directing new theatrical work, organizing artistic and educational events, and creatively and administratively supporting artists, educators, and change-makers in New York City. Their theatrical work as a writer and director has been seen at The Bushwick Starr, JACK, Woolly Mammoth Theater Company, The Brick, Ars Nova, University Settlement, The Bowery Poetry Club, and more. Their essays and articles have appeared in publications such as Salty Magazine, Media Diversity Institute, and The Re/Visionist. They have held previous positions at The League of Independent Theater, The Public, The Times Center, Collaborate Consulting (a trans-led DEI firm), and as Associate Director of Young Jean Lee’s Theater Company and Town Stages. Most recently they served as Co-Director of Clinton-Hill performance meets civic space, JACK, and currently serve on the board of the Downtown Brooklyn Arts Alliance. When not in an art space, they consult and educate on gender inclusivity for clients such as Mount Sinai Hospital, teach breathwork, and work with local community organizers. Skye holds B.F.A in Drama and Psychology from NYU (Experimental Theater Wing) and a master’s degree in Women’s and Gender History from Sarah Lawrence College.

Dominique Smith is a development leader and institutional strategist whose career sits at the intersection of social justice, public safety, and community advocacy. Before joining Brooklyn Arts Council as Director of Development & Institutional Advancement, Dominique spent six years building the research, evaluation, and funding infrastructure behind some of New York City's most consequential violence-prevention and poverty-reduction work. As a Senior Project Researcher & Data Analyst at the Citizens Crime Commission of New York City, she partnered with the NYC Department of Youth and Community Development and the NY State Division of Criminal Justice Services to turn community-based gun and gang violence reduction work into research that helped shape more than $2 million in public investment. She went on to lead impact measurement, and later the development department, at Urban Upbound in Queens, where she managed a $3M+ portfolio of institutional funding for economic mobility and poverty-reduction programs.

Across each of those roles, Dominique kept arriving at the same conclusion: policy and programming can open a door, but it's often art that gives someone the imagination to walk through it. That conviction is what brought her into the arts sector, where she now applies her fundraising, research, and advocacy background on behalf of Brooklyn's artists and cultural organizations.

Dominique holds an MA in General Psychology, with a focus in forensic psychology and the criminal justice system, from New York University, and a BA in Psychology with a minor in Africana Studies from Texas A&M University.

Rocco Praderio (he/him) is a Brooklyn-based arts administrator with 10 years of experience in facilitating artistic production, advocating for culture workers, and steering resources toward artists and arts organizations. Prior to joining Brooklyn Arts Council, he served on the Arts and Culture program team at the Mellon Foundation where he managed grants supporting the visual arts including organizational development for museums and alternative art spaces; artist archives and legacy projects; curatorial practice and training; and cultural heritage preservation, conservation, and restitution. Rocco has also worked in the performing arts, serving on staff at Actors’ Equity Association where he represented professional theatre actors and stage managers and enforced their collective bargaining agreements with producers. He holds a BA in Creative Writing from Ithaca College and an MS in Urban Policy with a concentration in cultural policy from The City University of New York, Hunter College. 

Why do you work for BAC?

“Because I love being a part of the glue that connects artists to funding and arts educations to schools!”

What Brooklyn neighborhood(s) do you feel most connected to and why?

“East New York, it's where my grandparents grew up!”

Bio

Allie Marotta (she/her) is a NYC-based arts educator, administrator, and collaborative theatre maker specializing in immersive, experiential, and devised theatre. Allie has presented work at NYC venues Teatro SEA, FringeNYC, Theater for the New City, Dixon Place, Theatre Row, and HERE Arts Center, and internationally in Ecuador, Greece, Argentina, and throughout the U.K. Allie has taught for various arts organizations throughout NYC and NJ including Marquis Studios, Queens Theatre, Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, Wingspan Arts, Falconworks Theatre, George Street Playhouse, and more. She is a NYC staff correspondent for No Proscenium and a founding creator of experiential theatre company You&I. Allie is also a healthcare and disability patient advocate. She works with grassroots organizations NY #insulin4all, Mutual Aid Diabetes, and the Campaign for NY Health. Education: MA Contemporary Performance Practices (RHUL), BA Acting, BA Directing (Pace University). www.allie-marotta.com

Why do you work for BAC?

“I work for BAC for a Sustainable Arts Brooklyn. Arts and Culture are such a big part of my life, and working for BAC assists with this narrative in a big way. I love connecting artists with like-minded organizations that understand the value of arts for the emotional sustenance that art brings to the Brooklyn community.”

What Brooklyn neighborhood(s) do you feel most connected to and why?

“I feel a connection to all of Brooklyn! As a Born and raised Brooklynite, all the enclaves are one big neighborhood. Wherever I roam, Brooklyn is home.”

Bio

Taeesha Muhammad (she/her) is an international artist and educator whose works inspire dialog about the power of language related to the Africans in the Americas from all Diasporas. Taeesha is a native New Yorker and has taught at various locations in and around Brooklyn, including Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn Public Library, Charter, Private, and Homeschool clusters. Internationally, she has conducted workshops in Morocco, Madrid, and Mexico. As a POC and a global citizen, her motivation is to seek opportunities that create dialog, understanding, and connections of cultural norms. It is our nuances that create our culture. Taeesha is the Co-Director of GAMA, Gathering All Muslim Artists, a Teaching Fellow at Arts Westchester, Visual Storyteller, Culture Bearer, and Curator.

Anvita Gattani is an artist and administrator who trained at NYU Tisch. She was selected for the Oscar Academy’s Gold Rising Program in 2022 and has been featured acting on HBO, NBC, regionally and Off-Broadway. Anvita is the Co-founder and Head of Programming at Saphlicks, a film organization dedicated to amplifying Sapphic voices in the LGBTQ+ community. They directed the award-winning Dystopian Film Alone, Alone, Alone on a Wide, Wide Sea and was named Minorities in Films Director's to Watch. She has taught Theatre and Film throughout Brooklyn Public Schools. In Hindi, Anvita means "who bridges the gaps" and it is their mission to utilize storytelling to bridge the gaps between different groups of people.