Speaker Bios
Joe Riley
Mayor, Charleston, South Carolina

Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. is widely considered one of the most visionary and highly effective governmental leaders in America. First elected Mayor in December 1975, Mayor Riley is serving an unprecedented ninth term. Under his leadership, Charleston has increased its commitment to racial harmony and progress, achieved a substantial decrease in crime, experienced a remarkable revitalization of its historic downtown business district, seen the creation and growth of Spoleto Festival U.S. A., built the beautiful Waterfront Park, developed nationally-acclaimed affordable housing, and experienced unprecedented growth in Charleston’s size and population. Mayor Riley has led a city government with an impressive record of innovation in public safety, housing, arts and culture, children’s issues, the creation of park and other public spaces, and economic revitalization and development. The City of Charleston is recognized as one of the most livable and progressive cities in the United States.

Charleston has a long and distinguished tradition of leadership in the arts, a tradition which began over 300 years ago. The Charleston Museum was this country’s first; America’s first opera was presented in Charleston. The beautiful Dock Street Theatre harks back to the original theatre building established more than 250 years ago with the production of “the Recruiting Officer” presented in 1736. Under the leadership of Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr., Charleston has experienced a tremendous arts renaissance that has reinforced Charleston’s international reputation as a leading city in the arts and has stimulated growth and development in the arts statewide. Since Riley’s Administration began in 1975, his special focus on the arts has resulted in the establishment of Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston in 1977; the development of the Charleston Symphony into one of the nation’s finest regional orchestras; the home of Charleston Ballet Theatre since 1988, South Carolina’s professional dance company; the establishment of Piccolo Spoleto and MOJA Arts Festivals in 1979; and the on-going activities of the many fine arts organizations and galleries which thrive in the Lowcountry. Riley’s long-range arts plans include the development of a new symphony hall to be located near the beautiful Charleston Waterfront Park.

Monica Bilak
 Economic Development Director and Main Street Manager

Monica Bilak has been actively involved in community economic development projects for more than 10 years. She is currently the Economic Development Director and Main Street Manager for the Paducah Renaissance Alliance (PRA). She works with both artists and business owners to establish and develop business plans and strategies which will grow the community’s economy through new business and entrepreneurship. Bilak serves as an advocate and a liaison between the Renaissance Area’s businesses and artists and Paducah’s city officials.

Prior to her work in Paducah, Bilak spent three years in Kenya, East Africa, working as an educational specialist and consultant. Her role there included aiding women in business by helping them with micro loans and business plan development. Her work in Kenya equipped women to be successful, independent business owners.

Bilak returned to the United States in 2002 and continued to promote Kenyan businesses through the development of a Fair Trade import shop she established in Paducah, Ky. The shop sold products created by third world producers and artisans.

Bilak’s efforts are not limited to the business world. With her husband, Paul, she also co-founded Project AIDS Orphan, a non-profit humanitarian relief organization for Kenyan children who are in crisis as a result to the AIDS pandemic.

Through Project AIDS Orphan, the Bilaks help to provide food, clothing, education and health care for needy people in Kenya. The Bilaks have initiated three community development projects in Kenya through this program. Projects include the development of a working farm, clean and accessible water sources, and the design and building of a new health clinic coming to the area in the near future.

In addition to her work in Paducah and Kenya, Ms. Bilak has worked as an international educational consultant for in Casablanca, Morocco. Her extensive economic development knowledge and expertise, both domestically and internationally, allow her to serve as a valuable mentor to artists, entrepreneurs, and other small business owners.

Joy Gieseke
 Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce in Mineral Point Wisconsin
Joy Gieseke has been the Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce in Mineral Point Wisconsin since 2001. She earned a Bachelor degree in Community & Regional Planning and a Master’s degree in Rural Sociology from Iowa State University. Prior to moving to Wisconsin, she held a variety of professional and volunteer positions in community and economic development in Iowa and Kansas. It was an unplanned trip through Mineral Point ten years ago that convinced Joy that she had found the place that would somehow become home. Similar stories are found throughout town, stories of a community that seems to have a magical pull to draw people in. It’s more than just the arts and artists in town, but that is a big part of it. Besides her day job, Joy is active with the local historical society, and several other community projects. In her spare time, she enjoys walking, bicycling, a little running now and then, cross-country skiing …. and for a slower pace, reading and knitting.
Jeremy Morris

Project Manager, Wheeling National Heritage Area
Received his B.S. in Landscape Architecture from West Virginia University’s Davis College of Agricultre and Foresty in 2000. From 2000 until 2005 worked as the Project Coordinator at West Virginia University for the West Virginia Community Design Team where he lead teams of design, planning, and health professional in rural planning charettes throughout West Virginia. Additionally during this time he co-coordinated the Appalachian Forest Heritage Area, a program seeking to bring together West Virginia’s forest industry, forest recreation, forest history, and forest artists under a coordinated tourism and education effort.

Since 2005 he has been employed by the Wheeling National Heritage Area Corporation where he serves as project manager, overseeing historic preservation and historic interpretation projects. He is also serves as the Administrator of the Wheeling Historic Landmarks Commission, Vice-President of the Presevation Alliance of WV and President of the National Road Alliance of WV. Member of the Friends of Wheeling. Jeremy is married to Mihaela Szabo, who works at West Liberty University.
Connie Zamora

Director of Long Term Care Services, Halifax Regional Health System
Since joining Halifax Regional Health System in 1991, Mrs. Zamora has served as the Administrator of the Woodview, Director of Planning and Business Development and currently holds the position of Director of Long Term Care Services. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from East Tennessee State University. She is a member of the Planetree Steering Committee for the Health System overseeing the introduction of healing arts initiatives into the hospital and long term care facilities. She has held leadership positions in the Virginia Health Care Association and the American College of Health Care Administrators and currently serves on number of community committees including the school system’s Halifax Vocational Foundation and the Healthy Families Halifax Advisory Board.
Gregory L. Rutledge
  Architect - Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas + Company
During his 21 years with Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas + Company, Gregory L. Rutledge, AIA, has helped position the firm as a leader in historic preservation. His knowledge of architectural history and preservation technology serve him well in this role, whether it is renovating a national landmark or teaching clients how to care for and adapt historic buildings. He particularly enjoys projects with the potential to revitalize communities, such as the Prizery Community Arts Center in South Boston, Va., and preservation planning to save national treasures, such as historic Fort Monroe. Greg was honored with the Preservation Award from the Virginia Society of the American Institute of Architects. He is a frequent lecturer on architectural history and is an active member of the Association for Preservation Technology International.
Ben Capozzi
 Curriculum Coordinator Digital Art & Design Program, Southern Virginia Higher Education Center
Ben Capozzi is the curriculum coordinator for the Digital Art & Design program at the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center in South Boston, VA. His courses comprise one half of the Business of Art & Design program, a regional initiative aimed at developing creative human capital through innovation, collaborative learning, digital literacy, real-world experience, and an emphasis on design. Helping artists, students and businesses leverage technology to access greater opportunities is what he's all about.

Ben graduated from Virginia Tech in 2005 with a BFA in Art & Art History. He has been in South Boston since August 2008, before which time he published comic books, taught for VPI's Faculty Development Institute, and worked as a freelance brand design consultant. He's currently a Masters student in Education and Instructional Technology at his alma mater.
Suzanne Vega
 Singer Songwriter
Widely regarded as one of the most brilliant songwriters of her generation, Suzanne Vega emerged as a leading figure of the folk-music revival of the early 1980s when, accompanying herself on acoustic guitar, she sang what has been labeled contemporary folk or neo-folk songs of her own creation in Greenwich Village clubs. Since the release of her self-titled, critically acclaimed 1985 debut album, she has given sold-out concerts in many of the world's best-known halls. In performances devoid of outward drama that nevertheless convey deep emotion, Vega sings in a distinctive, clear vibrato-less voice that has been described as "a cool, dry sandpaper- brushed near-whisper" and as "plaintive but disarmingly powerful.
Marian Van Landingham In 1974, Marian Van Landingham proposed the concept for the Torpedo Factory Art Center to the Alexandria, Va., Bicentennial Commission and the City Council, and became its first Director. An artist, with B.A.. and M.A. degrees in political science, she was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1982 representing Alexandria, and parts of Fairfax and Arlington Counties until retirement in 2005. She has received numerous awards for her legislative work, and for establishing the Torpedo Factory. In 2004, she organized a national conference on how to start and operate visual arts centers. Marian retains a painting studio in the Torpedo Factory and remains active in local political and civic activities.
Dr. Jennifer Foley Paul Mellon Statewide Educator at VMFA
Dr. Jennifer Foley is the Paul Mellon Statewide Educator at VMFA and an art historian and photographer. She is also a board member of Artomatic, the washington, D.C.-based bi-annual art extravaganza whose mission is to strengthen the ties of the city’s art community through the temporary repurposing of commercial spaces. In 2009 the month-long event included more than 1000 visual artists, hundreds of performers, and more than 70,000 visitors. She holds a B.A. in Art History from Brooklyn College, the City University of New York, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Art History from Cornell University.
David Kenealy Product Design & Development, Southern Virginia Higher Education Center
David’s professional career includes diverse experiences each within the arena of the design/build process. He was hired by the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center (SVHEC) in February of 2008 and given the opportunity to create and implement the Product Design & Development program as a component of the SVHEC Business of Art & Design educational initiative. In 2001, David was offered the opportunity to become Plant Manager for Highland House Furniture. Repeating past success, the implementation of collaboration between the specialties of individual departments found within the manufacturing environment rapidly pushed the company toward increased market share and profitability. David is now committed to the effort of establishing a nationally recognized Product Design & Development program, as a valuable asset to this community, at the SVHEC.
Holly Stadtler Journalist
Holly Stadtler began her career in news and worked for 6 years for NBC Nightly News in Washington DC. She was in the oval office when President Ronald Reagan gave his farewell address to the nation, she was camerawoman for Willard Scott of the Today Show during a 4-month long NABET strike and also during this period filmed many well known politicians, scholars and others including former President George H. Bush when he was Vice President. From news, Stadtler moved into documentary production where her varied field experiences have taken her from sound stages in Hollywood filming with the popular Stuart Copeland, former drummer for the POLICE to the swamps of the everglades in search of rare panthers. She has interviewed biologists, scholars, politicians, and unsung heroes and traveled to some of the world’s most magical places while enduring air sickness, relentless mosquitoes, frostbite, and intense equatorial heat.
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