ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

Madeleine Steczynski, Co-Founder and Executive Director, is an East Boston resident. Together with her Board and Youth Advisory Board she has built ZUMIX from a kitchen table project to a $700,000 operation. As an active advocate for the arts in East Boston, she has served on the Executive Committee for East Boston Healthy Boston Coalition, and was one of the original innovators of the Cultural Connections initiative. She is an Artistic Fellow for The Boston Foundation's Arts and Audiences Initiative, and a Community Fellow for Eureka Communities Boston. She also served for three years as a Cultural Fellow for the New England Foundation for the Arts Building Communities through Culture Initiative. Recently Madeleine was chosen to present as part of the 2006 Social Innovation Forum at MIT. She is currently participating in Achieving Excellence, Executive Leadership Training through the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Hauser Center at Harvard University.

Ana Chavez, Program Coordinator-VISTA Volunteer, graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 2008 with a BFA in Furniture Design and Concentration in English Literature. While at RISD Ana was one of two students who helped in the creation of the Office of Multicultural Affairs position of Student Cultural Programmer. In this new position, she was part of a team that engaged the RISD community through provocative and insightful events. Chavez spearheaded more than 15 programs, including a Native American Heritage Week, Civil and Human Rights Week, and the campus-wide Hip Hop Showdown. Consistently looking for ways to empower youth and communities, Chavez reached beyond campus to partner with the Rhode Island Indian Council as project leader to design a month-long program that connected RISD students and native youth.

Kimberly Dawson, Program Director, is a Boston native who has worked extensively in the performing arts as an artist, teacher and producer. She has developed artistic programs with both adults and youth in Boston, New York and Los Angeles, where she successfully founded and managed a professional theater company for five years. In June of 2009, Kim was among the first grantees of the Harvard Allston Partnership Fund, which allowed her to design and launch a documentary filmmaking program for urban teenagers in North Allston/Brighton. She holds a BFA in Acting from Boston University and a Master's degree in Arts in Education from Harvard University.

Nancy Lagro, Business Manager, started with ZUMIX in February, 2007, and is responsible for office operations and assisting upper management with development of ZUMIX office support programs. Nancy has over 24 years of managerial experience as Vice President of Operations at American Computer, Inc. and as a Customer Service Representative at ComputerShare (formerly EquiServe). Nancy received several customer service awards while working at ComputerShare. Nancy also represented American Computer Group for five years with Executive Women International, both locally and at national conventions.

Nikki Stewart, Development Associate, joined our staff in August, 2009, as a VISTA volunteer Grant Writer and will be continuing as a full-time staff member in August, 2010. Nikki has worked with several nonprofit organizations in the Boston area in development and legal services capacities. She holds a BS in Communications Studies with a Minor in Music Industry from Northeastern University and is a recent graduate of Northeastern University School of Law. As a law student, Nikki was awarded merit-based and contribution-based scholarships, as well as a Law Student Ethics Award from the Northeaster Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel. She remains active as a domestic violence advocate and works with Pro Bono clients through the Womens Bar Foundation.

Ryan Vasios, Information Management-VISTA Volunteer, graduated from Tufts University in May 2009 where he studied Music and Community Health.  A native of New Jersey, he has cherished music since his childhood when he picked up the saxophone.  Over the years, Ryan has expanded and challenged his approaches to performing and appreciating music, incorporating a deep conviction in music’s power as a progressive force for communities.  His other experiences include several years as a music librarian, volunteer music tutoring and recently, collaborating with the Open Theatre Project, an independent theatre group stationed out of Ithaca, NY and Boston, MA.