Congratulations, 2023 WAA Award Recipients!
Celebrating Leadership, Creativity, Service, and Mentorship
Congratulations to our 2023 WAA Awardees whose leadership, creativity, service, mentorship and dedication have advanced our field and association.
2023 Emeritus Award
Don Roth
Mondavi Center, UC Davis
2023 Mentoring Award
Rika Iino
Sozo Artists, Inc.
2023 Service Award
Eleanor Oldham
2Luck Concepts
2023 Leadership Award
Artown
2023 Tim Wilson Award
Walter Jaffe & Paul King
White Bird
We will be celebrating these incredible colleagues at the 2023 Annual Luncheon & WAA Awards Ceremony on September 7 in Seattle as part of WAA 2023. Join the celebration — add the luncheon when you register, or reach out to add luncheon tickets to your existing conference registration through August 14.
2023 Emeritus Award
Don Roth | Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, UC Davis
Awarded at retirement or upon leaving the field, the Emeritus Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the field, to the candidate’s organization, and/or to WAA.
Don Roth; image courtesy of Don Roth
Don started at the Mondavi Center in 2006 as the organization’s second Executive Director. In his 17 seasons as ED, he has built a program and organization that has fostered unique connections to the campus and the community it serves, diversifying prorgram offerings and audiences, strengthening service to patrons and artists; deepening ties to UC Davis’ students, faculty and staff; and building community engagement within the wider Sacramento region.
Don has spent the last decade building a programming endowment, the Artistic Ventures Fund, that will allow the Mondavi Center to continue taking artistic risks with important work that falls outside commercial channels. Mondavi’s 20th Anniversary Season and Gala was a capstone for Don, resulting in a final fundraising push that increased the fund to over $1,000,000.
Don, who retires from the Mondavi Center this month, is known as an inspiring leader and staunch supporter of artists. As one of his nominators, Celesta Billeci, Director of Arts & Lectures at UC Santa Barbara, put it, “His leadership for classical music remains a standard for many presenting organizations to aspire to. His diverse programming and development of a robust jazz series also gave the stage to many lesser known and younger jazz musicians — providing that all important platform for artist development…. Don was always willing to stick his neck out to support an unknown or younger talented on-the-way-up artist that he might be able to help. Don loved this field and has left it better for all of us.”
Prior to the Mondavi Center, Don served as President of Aspen Music Festival & School. He also led the St. Louis Symphony, which achieved major artistic successes including tours to Carnegie Hall and European capitals and received the largest gift ever at that time to an American symphony, $40M from the Jack Taylor Family. In the 1980s and 1990s, Roth held leadership positions at the San Francisco Symphony as general manager and the Oregon Symphony as president. At San Francisco, Roth secured seven-figure funding to endow the symphony’s now long-standing Adventures in Music arts education program.
Roth’s love of blues, rock and country music was demonstrated in his early writings for Rolling Stone and Texas Monthly and has been reflected in the Mondavi Center’s eclectic programming. Texas Monthly recently focused attention on his seminal article, written with the late Jan Reid, on the emerging Austin Music scene. Rumor has it that Reid and Roth’s article was the original inspiration for the long-running PBS series, Austin City Limits.
2023 Mentoring Award
Rika Iino | Sozo Artists, Inc
Rika Iino; image courtesy of Rika Iino
Recognizing excellence in mentoring and a commitment to the professional advancement of the Western performing arts community.
Rika Iino is the founder of SOZO, a trio of creative companies: Sozo Artists, a dynamic roster of artists in dance, music, spoken word, new media and film focused on innovation and social justice; Sozo Impact, a non-profit organization dedicated to incubating work by BIPOC artists and producers; and Sozo Vision, a consultancy formed in partnership with Marc Bamuthi Joseph helping organizations become anti-racist.
Rika upholds the role of artists as thought partners and catalysts for innovation.
“Sozo Artists are reinventing how agencies work, have a multi-pronged approach as producers, they're women-founded and women-led, and champion some seminal artistic voices of our time. Just as they are redefining what it means to be an agency, they are redefining what mentoring means in the field… they help nurture their artists' vision of what is possible, at the same time grounded in their real-world knowledge of the performing and touring business.” — Karen Fischer, Pasifika Artists Network
WAA Native Launchpad artist, brooke smiley, shared her experience working with Rika in her nomination. “Rika Iino is a visionary who slows down to listen. She considers how to support the next generation of artists and art making that will connect and better our world… The bulk of our mentorship was focused on articulating, supporting, and uplifting who I am as an artist and what my work is and growing to be in the world. The progression of my mentoring sessions with Rika were life shifting, formidable, and absolutely redefining of what a mentorship can possibly be. I am ever grateful for the support from WAA and the AIP Native Launchpad program for pairing me with Rika Iino as my mentor.”
Rika Iino (she/her) is a first generation immigrant entrepreneur and founder of SOZO, a management and production company working at the intersection of social impact, innovation and the arts. Her work as creative producer and manager is driven by her unwavering commitment to artists as catalysts for change, and spans two decades and hundreds of live and digital projects with artists and organizations globally.
Rika plays an active role in independent artists & producer advocacy and leadership development across the industry including work with Creative & Independent Producer Alliance; Association for Performing Arts Professionals; and International Society for the Performing Arts, as well as an artist coach and mentor for MAP Fund’s Scaffolding for Practicing Artists and WAA’s Advancing Indigenous Performance programs.
She is a co-creator of HEALING FORWARD, a systemic allyship training program conceived in collaboration with Marc Bamuthi Joseph. In 2021 Rika became the first woman of color to receive the Patrick Hayes Award for transformative leadership in the arts.
2023 Service Award
Eleanor Oldham | 2Luck Concepts
The Service Award is given to recognize exceptional volunteer service to Western Arts Alliance, its members, and the field.
Eleanor Oldham; image courtesy of Eleanor Oldham
Eleanor Oldham, lovingly referred to as WAA’s Pandemic President, served on the WAA Board of Directors from 2014 to 2022. Under Eleanor’s agile leadership as Board President, WAA introduced a temporary pandemic dues program which sustained membership for those who couldn't afford to pay, subsidizing over $28,000 in membership dues. Eleanor also helped WAA to move forward when, just three months before our 2021 conference, the conference hotel in Albuquerque announced that they were no longer able to accommodate us. She helped guide us through the transition to a hybrid conference in WAA’s homebase of Portland, Oregon, marking the beginning of a process of healing and strengthening for WAA and for our membership.
“Eleanor has been an extraordinary mentor and leader. She helped the WAA staff and board navigate the pandemic years with grace and wisdom, and her impact on the association has been immeasurable. I am personally grateful for her support in recent years as the board moved through our transition in executive leadership. She is so deserving of this honor!” – Joe McIalwain, WAA Immediate Past President
Her exemplary service to the board over the years included serving on numerous committees, including Professional Development, Conference, Executive, and Governance. She was also instrumental to the 2018 - 20 strategic planning process for which she served as committee co-chair.
Eleanor’s steadfast commitment to WAA, her conscientiousness, and consistent willingness to serve, coupled with her approachable demeanor and astute insights make her a deeply valued colleague to board, staff, and members alike.
“When Eleanor enters the room – either in-person or virtually – you can count on a cheerful, thoughtful presence. I’ve been incredibly inspired by her calmness and open thinking even in the most challenging of circumstances.” – Antonio Gómez, WAA Board President
Eleanor Oldham’s path began in Europe as a professional opera singer, followed by nearly ten years working as an artist’s manager in Paris, providing personal management to a list of conductors and instrumentalists as well as opera singers. During that time, she served as Artistic Director for the Maurice Ravel International Music Academy in Saint Jean de Luz and was European coordinator for the winners of the Ninth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. In 1995, Eleanor joined the ICM Artists European office in London until relocating to New York.
In 2001, she and John Luckacovic formed 2Luck Concepts which develops and produces projects from around the world, such as the North American tours of the Akram Khan Company, London’s Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and the 60th anniversary tour of Poland’s Mazowsze, among others. Eleanor served on the board of NAPAMA (the Association of North American Performing Agents and Managers) for two terms and as President, presiding over the 30th anniversary of the association.
2023 Leadership Award
Artown
The Leadership Award honors extraordinary vision, distinguished leadership, and artistic achievement.
Beth Macmillan; image courtesy of Beth Macmillan
Artown is a Nevada-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to strengthen Reno’s arts industry and enhance their civic identity and national image to create a climate for the cultural and economic rebirth of the region.
Launched in 1996 as a way to counteract suburban flight and revitalize downtown Reno by encouraging more people to visit the city center, Artown’s festival was created through the efforts of civic leaders, businesspeople, and the arts community. With a combination of free and ticketed events, the first Artown attracted an estimated 30,000 participants. Fast forward to today, Artown is a major annual production lasting throughout the month of July, featuring local, regional, and international talent, in addition to the Artown Encore Series performances held in the autumn, winter and spring. Artown 2022 had an estimated attendance of 281,000 with 583 events across almost 100 venues.
Artown sustained through the COVID pandemic through virtual programming such webinars, livestreams, virtual tours, and scaled-back gatherings that complied with the state’s regulations, including relocating to a new space and building a new stage to allow for social distancing.
“The Artown staff presents and pulls all community events together for a publication that makes it easy for visitors to not miss a minute of the festival, setting an example of how you can take an underutilized period in your city’s calendar and come together to create a complete and engaging arts festival to support the city, citizens and visitors alike.” — Cathy Weiss, Del E Webb Center for the Performing Arts
Artown captures the imagination and brings with it a celebration of distinguished artists from around the world while nurturing home grown talents in a gender balanced and culturally diverse festival environment that promotes and embodies inclusion and sparks innovation.
The organization has received five consecutive National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant awards; in October 2021, Artown received the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN)’s President’s Award, a discretionary award given to recognize an organization’s unique and measurable contribution to the community.
Artown is led by Beth Macmillan. Beth joined Artown as Festival Manager in February 2001 and was promoted to Executive Director in November of 2003. Beth, formerly a professional dancer and actress, expanded into arts administration through various roles such as Production Company Manager, Public Relations Manager, Assistant Stage Manager, Founder and Owner/Director of a small, highly successful arts education business, Executive Director of a major dance organization and business owner and distributor.
As Executive Director she has produced Artown events, created “out of the box” approaches and strategic partnerships to presentations, co-presentations and future Artown commissions.
Tim Wilson Distinguished Service Award
Walter Jaffe & Paul King | White Bird
Honoring members who have made an outstanding impact on the performing arts touring and presenting field in the West
Walter Jaffe & Paul King with cockatoo Barney; image credit: Jingzi Zhao
Walter Jaffe and Paul King are the co-founders of White Bird, launched in 1997 as a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing excellence in dance to Portland, Oregon and to fostering the growth of dance in the region.
Under Walter and Paul’s visionary leadership, White Bird — the sole U.S. dance-only dance presenter west of the Rockies — has presented close to 300 dance companies and artists and supported the creation of 40 new works from choreographers around the U.S. and Canada.
“Walter and Paul built a thriving dance scene in Portland, turning it into a significant bed of support for touring artists, in what seemed like an unlikely place. Early in my time touring with them I could show up to a full 2,000 seat house in Portland Oregon on a Tuesday night. Wham! And they did in with an absolutely ‘hands on’ approach. They rolled up their sleeves on every level. They became involved in their community very personally and treated visiting artists like family. In all my over forty years of touring, I have rarely met kinder presenters who made it part of their work to get to know me as well as the work” — Stephen Petronio, Stephen Petronio Company Inc.
Walter and Paul believe in making dance exciting, educational, equitable and accessible to everyone; White Bird’s community engagement work includes community workshops and professional masterclasses with nearly every company they have brought to Portland, and they have partnered with Portland Public Schools on an annual outreach project for over 20 years, reaching over 3,000 students and teachers each year.
Walter and Paul created MOVE FORWARD, a dance network of U.S. and Canadian presenters dedicated to bringing more dance to their communities and venues. During the pandemic particularly, MOVE FORWARD provided a critical resource for the community, a space to gather, share, and support. They continue to guide that significant effort today.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Paul is a Cordon-Bleu-trained Chef and worked in four-star restaurants in New York City and France. He served for nine years on the board of Dance/USA, the national service organization for the dance field, including a two-year term as Chair of the Board. He previously sat on the boards of California Presenters, the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA), and Travel Portland, and currently serves on the Dean’s Circle of Portland State University’s College of the Arts. For fifteen years, he has served on the Advisory Council and as a Juror for the ChangMu Performing Arts Festival in Seoul, South Korea.
Walter (Ph.D., German Literature, Yale, 1979), born in Fall River, Mass., is a former publisher and former board member of the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Walter was a member of the Portland’5 Centers for the Arts Foundation and currently sits on the Dean’s Circle of Portland State University’s College of the Arts. He served as Chair of the Presenters Council as well as on the Board of Dance/USA. He is a former board member of WAA and served with Paul King as Co-Curator of the semi-annual Pitch Session of the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) for over six years.
Paul and Walter received the WAA Jerry Willis Achievement Award for Artistic Excellence 2011 as well as the 2012 William Dawson Award for Programmatic Excellence and Sustained Achievement in Programming at the Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP). The co-founders and White Bird were thrilled to receive a Proclamation from the City of Portland naming April 24, 2018, White Bird Day.
The WAA Awards
Since 1985, the annual WAA Awards have celebrated and recognized colleagues and organizations who have advanced the performing arts field and strengthened the WAA community — those who enrich, inspire, and energize our work and our industry. See past award recipients here.