About ArtsPartners

Jenn Gordon

Executive Director

Jenn Gordon joined ArtsPartners as Executive Director in April of 2015. Previously she served as Manager for Concert and Artist Activities for North and South America for Steinway & Sons – New York. She is a Peoria native and is a graduate of the Interlochen Arts Academy and the University of Illinois where she earned a Bachelors in Music – Violin Performance. She grew up participating in lots of local theatre and music in Central Illinois and is thrilled to be back to raise her family and advocate for the arts in her home town.

• 309-258-1327
• jgordon@artspartners.net
• 820 SW Adams St. Peoria, IL 61602

Kenney Delaney

Program & Administrative Specialist

Kenney came on board at ArtsPartners as the Administrative Assistant in September of 2015. Hailing from Southern California, Kenney is a huge theatre enthusiast who attended Cal State Fullerton and worked as an Entertainment Costumer for the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim before transferring to Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois. He holds a Bachelor of Science with concentrations in Theatre, Youth Ministry, and Family and Consumer Science. Prior to working with ArtsPartners he has worked with several churches and non-profits in different capacities from Facilities Management to Graphic Designing. Kenney is ecstatic to be working with ArtsPartners to help empower the arts in the Peoria area.

• 309-676-2787
• admin2@artspartners.net
• 820 SW Adams St. Peoria, IL 61602

Kristan H. McKinsey, President

Director | Illinois Women Artists Project

Enjoying and stewarding the arts define Kristan McKinsey. Growing up in India and visiting museums with her older sister instilled a strong interest in arts and culture in her. She holds a BA in Art History with a Concentration in Asian Studies from Swarthmore College and an MA in Early American Culture from the Winterthur Museum Program at the University of Delaware. Between programs she trained as a modern dancer in New York, supporting herself as a financial analyst.

Degrees in hand, McKinsey enjoyed a 32-year professional museum career starting at the Saint Louis Art Museum where she oversaw research for the reinstallation of six period rooms and 3,000 square feet of galleries, moving on to the Evanston Historical Society outside Chicago, and concluding at the Lakeview Museum of Art and Sciences and its successor, the Peoria Riverfront Museum in Peoria, Illinois. She retired in 2016 to become Director of the Illinois Women Artists Project, a research and documentation project. McKinsey now also serves on this board and is President of the Fine Arts Society of Peoria.

Glen Harris, Vice President

Global Program Manager | Caterpillar Foundation

Pam Johnson, Treasurer

Chief Financial Officer | Heights Finance

Hiral Hudson, Secretary

Financial Advisor | Morgan Stanley Wealth Management

Hiral Hudson grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and moved to Peoria in 2008. She started her career at Edward Jones and joined Morgan Stanley in 2010, where she serves as a Financial Advisor on the Epley-Wolbeck Group. In addition to advice, Hiral educates and prepares her clients for any financial blind spots they may face. Hiral, her husband, Sam, and their two kids (Juliana, 7 and Charlie, 3) live in Brimfield, IL.

While not an artist herself, Hiral is an active member of the Peoria community. She recently won the “Community Leader of the Year” award from Women in Leadership for displaying outstanding community service and leadership. In addition to serving as ArtsPartners Secretary, Hiral actively helps organize Easter Seals and Brimfield Grade School Fundraisers, and is a sustaining member of the Junior League of Peoria. Hiral has dedicated herself to making Peoria a better place to live, work, play and raise a family.

Jay Babin

River City Labs; Caterpillar

Erin Buczynski

Director of Galleries | Bradley University

Erin Buczynski is the Director of Galleries, Exhibitions and Collections at Bradley University and an affiliate faculty member in the Department of Art and Design. Prior to joining Bradley University, she served as Program Director at Prairie Center of the Arts, an artist residency program and gallery. She received her Master of Fine Arts from Rochester Institute of Technology, Bachelor of Fine Arts from Alfred University, and additionally studied at Lorenzo de' Medici, The Art Institute of Florence, Italy. Buczynski is a member of the class of 2012 Peoria 40 leaders under 40 and an active artist who works in mediums of sculpture, painting, mixed media and installation.

Frannie Heine

Director of Domestic Fulfillment & Global Logistics | Maui Jim

Frannie was born and raised in Peoria, IL and attended Illinois State University, receiving her bachelor’s degree in HR Management and International Business. She has spent her career at Maui Jim Sunglasses where she’s held various roles across Human Resources, Global Operations and Supply Chain. Frannie’s passion for travel and exploring new cultures has led her to work closely with Maui Jim’s international teams, including a 5 year assignment in Dubai, UAE. She now leads the US Distribution and Logistics teams for Maui Jim.

• fheine@mauijim.com

Michelle Nielsen Ott

Director of Library Services | Methodist College

Michelle is the Director of Library Services at Methodist College in Peoria, IL. Before moving to Peoria, Illinois in 2009, she lived in Tennessee and Iowa. Michelle has a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a Master of Theological Studies from Vanderbilt University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Study of Religion from the University of Northern Iowa. Michelle joined the Arts Partners Board in 2017 and volunteers with the Sculpture Walk Peoria committee.

Mary Jo Papich

The Jazz Education Network

Mary Jo Papich, known for her leadership in arts education has spread the good news of the arts from the heart of the midwest to South Africa! She is Cofounder of the Jazz Education Network (June 1, 2008) which is now in 44 countries. Serving public school education for 35+ years as teacher and fine arts administrator for Niles D219, Highland Park HS D113 and Peoria #150 her vision is that all children will know and benefit from the arts.

Recent honors include: Medal of Honor from Midwest Clinic, Outstanding Service to Music by Tau Beta Sigma, DownBeat’s Lifetime Jazz Ed Achievement Award, Outstanding Jazz Educator from Chicago Jazz Institute, Tau Beta Sigma’s Outstanding Service to Music award, the Arts Inspiration Award - The Art Center HP, Women in Jazz Award from the Chicago Jazz Ensemble. Papich is on the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic Advisory Board, past ILMEA Board and Highland Park Cultural Arts Commission, selection committee for the Grammy Museum Foundation Music Educator of the Year award and has served National Endowment for the Arts grant selection. HPHS Patrons of the Arts annually award a Highland Park High School student the MJ Papich Leadership Scholarship and JEN has honored her with giving the Mary Jo Papich Women In Jazz Scholarship to deserving students at their annual conference.

Papich is the editor of Rehearsing the Jazz Band and The Jazz Educator’s Cookbook-Creative Recipes for Players and Teachers. Both books are published by Meredith Music and distributed by Hal Leonard Music, proceeds to Jazz Education Network.

MJ is a graduate of Truman State (MO) and Bradley University (IL) graduating from Albia (IA) Community High School, where she was inducted in to the Hall of Fame. Her professional affiliations include JEN, ILMEA, NAfME/MENC, Sigma Alpha Iota Alumnae, ArtsPartners of Central Illinois board member. She credits her students for her continued inspiration.

Megan Pedigo

Director of Marketing | Easterseals of Central IL

Stacy Peterson

Communications Manager | City of Peoria

Fadi Rustom

Attorney | Hall, Rustom, & Fritz

Joe Spanier

River City Labs

Lynette Woelfle Steger

Educator | Community Advocate

Lynette joined the ArtsPartners of Central Illinois Board in 2018. An active community advocate, she has been a member of the Peoria Sculpture Walk committee since it opened in 2015 and its Chair for the last three years. Lynette has overseen the lifelong learning education, marketing, and operations for long-term care communities in Peoria. She was the first Peoria Area Representative to the State of Illinois AARP Executive Council and Managing Editor of 50 Plus News & Views magazine. In Tazewell County, she chaired the first Human Rights Committee in Pekin and has been President of the Pekin Public Library Board, President of the Friends Board of the Tazewell County Children’s Advocacy Center, and served on the Pekin Hospital Community Advisory Board. Lynette is a licensed Illinois Secondary Education history teacher, with endorsements in political science, sociology, and anthropology. Born and raised in central Illinois and a graduate of Bradley University, she and her husband Joel moved back from New York in 2001 to raise their two sons near their grandparents in Pekin.

Nicole Sutherland

Marketing Manager | Cullinan Properties

As Marketing Manager at Cullinan Properties, Nicole is responsible for implementation of marketing strategies for projects and developments such as Levee District, EastPort Plaza, East Court Village and all Peoria area office properties. Nicole also manages all aspects of Cullinan Properties’ presence at regional and national industry trade shows including on-site coordination and vendor relations. She brings more than 10 years of marketing and event management experience to the team.

Prior to joining Cullinan Properties in 2011, Nicole was an Event Manager at the Peoria Civic Center. There, she was an integral part of the Event Services team specializing in exhibit hall, theater, arena and meeting space management. Nicole holds a Bachelor of Applied Science Degree from Illinois State University.

Nicole is an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Along with her fellow marketing team members, she has been the recipient of three American Advertising Awards. Active in the Peoria community, Nicole currently serves on the Board of Directors for ArtsPartners of Central Illinois and Springdale Historical Preservation Foundation while also lending her time to volunteer committees throughout the area. A graduate of the Peoria Chamber of Commerce's 43rd Annual Leadership School, Nicole has also been recognized as one of Peoria Magazine’s 40 Leaders Under Forty.

Dr. Maegan Gilliland Wright

Director of Marketing and Communications | Peoria Symphony Orchestra

Mae holds a Master’s Degree and Doctor of Philosophy in the digital humanities field from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. In addition to her work at the Peoria Symphony Orchestra as the Director of Marketing and Communications, Mae manages the social media and digital marketing for Peoria Magazines. She is a freelance writer, ghostwriter, and consultant. Mae is on the ArtsPartners of Central Illinois Board of Directors and has been the chair of Sky Art Peoria (formerly ArtPop Peoria) since 2015. She also sits on the board of ART, Inc. Mae is a member of Americans for the Arts. In her spare time, Mae enjoys gardening with her husband Jonathan, listening to podcasts and traveling to new places.