Chair | Karen Tate
Co-Chair | Hannah Bastian
Administrative Chair | Brittney Leemon
Financial Chair | Baylie Stillwell
Public Relations Chair | Lauren Nichols
Social Media Chair | Breanna DeMontigny
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Chair | Karen Tate
Karen Tate was born in Louisville, Kentucky to professional musicians, a percussionist and a bassoonist. From a young age she was interested in the arts and was encouraged to participate in a myriad of arts activities by her musical parents. After years of dance, choir, clarinet, piano, marching band, and visual arts, Karen decided to pursue architecture at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, KY where she received her B. Arch in 2014. While attending the University of Kentucky she became heavily involved with a local non-profit organization called The Beaux Arts Foundation. She served one year as the Director of Public Relations where she fell in love with event planning and utilizing warehouse spaces as event venues, and one year as the Director of Music where she was thrilled to support local performers and connect them to the community through a one-day music and arts festival.
Working with a non-profit organization made Karen realize that she wanted to pursue a different professional track and found the Arts & Administration Program at the University of Oregon. During her first year, Karen found a passion for creative placemaking and adaptive reuse to build and enhance community identity. In addition to being involved with ELAN through Beats & Brushstrokes committees, she entered a practicum with City of Eugene Cultural Services to program and implement placemaking strategies that would improve public spaces in Downtown Eugene. Now entering her second year, Karen is delighted to serve as Chair of the Emerging Leaders in the Arts Network in addition to her Events & Communications Coordinator position with AAD. Coming off a summer internship with City of Eugene Cultural Services and the EugFun! Community Events Team, Karen is excited to pursue creative opportunities and events that can further connect AAD students to the vibrant, artistic community in Eugene.
This year Karen hopes to expand the reach of ELAN to become a truly collaborative, multidisciplinary network of students and professionals. She is looking forward to implementing diverse programming through a combination of theoretical framework provided by AAD and practical experience gained in the non-profit and local government sectors with the help of her incredibly talented and diverse ELAN team.
Favorite thing to do in Eugene: attend seasonal cultural events
Co-Chair | Hannah Bastian
Hannah grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota where she spent her childhood reading, dancing, and building forts in the woods.
She graduated from Colorado State University in 2012 majoring broadly in Liberal Arts and minoring in English, Italian Studies, and Women’s Studies. Her time at college included one year of studying abroad in Siena, Italy, where she expanded her love of art.
Her first year in the AAD graduate program included serving as ELAN’s Social Media Chair and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art Student Member Advocacy Council (JSMAC) Marketing and Design Chair. Over the summer, Hannah interned as the Programs Assistant at Gifts of Art, a hospital-based art program through the University of Michigan Health System. She is currently the Arts and Healthcare GTF at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art.
In her free time, Hannah can be found doing yoga, traveling to coast, or going on jogs. She enjoys traveling, staying active and meeting new people. Her favorite spot in Eugene is a tie between a few of the wonderful yoga studios in town.
Administrative Chair | Brittney Leemon
Brittney Leemon spent much of her early childhood living in Hawaii, Kentucky, Germany, and Virginia due to her father’s military career. When finally settling in her family’s native Wisconsin, Brittney developed a love of the arts through her school’s art and music programs.
Brittney graduated in 2014 from Luther College in Decorah, IA with a Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Music Performance and Management. During her time at Luther, Brittney sang for three years in the college’s flagship touring ensemble, the Nordic Choir, and had the opportunity to share the Lutheran choral tradition with audiences all over the country as well as the British Isles. It was also at Luther where Brittney found her true passion for opera- first as a performer, and later as a behind-the-scenes promotional manager of the annual show.
After completing her first year in the Arts and Administration program, Brittney spent the summer of 2016 in upstate New York at the Glimmerglass Festival, enjoying high-quality opera and gorgeous scenery as a Development Intern. In Eugene, Brittney serves on Cascadia Concert Opera’s board as the Marketing and Public Relations Chair. Looking forward to the coming year, Brittney is excited to share her skill set with the ELAN team as the Administrative Chair and looks forward the most to Arts Venture in the spring.
In her free time, Brittney enjoys baking and traveling to various gigs with her boyfriend Evan (who also an opera singer). Surrounded by the beautiful Oregon landscape, Brittney’s favorite activity in Eugene is to walk the various public parks and relax in the cool, occasionally sunny weather.
Financial Chair | Baylie Stillwell
Baylie Stillwell was born in Fort Smith, Arkansas, but raised in Mandeville, Louisiana. She was just a short drive across a long bridge to New Orleans, Louisiana, where she was lucky enough to be exposed to some of the best music, food, and culture in the world!
She found her calling for education in 2007 when she enrolled in Southeastern Louisiana University’s music education program. During her undergraduate studies, Baylie stumbled upon a children’s museum, Louisiana Children’s Discovery Center, where she served as their Toddler Time Coordinator. It was while working with tiny toddlers and their caregivers that she fell in love with museum education. She went on to work as an elementary music teacher for three years, but continued to feel the pull towards an informal education environment.
Baylie’s first year at the University of Oregon was filled enriching experiences at the two campus museums, the Museum of Natural and Cultural History (MNCH) and the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (JSMA). She is thrilled to be working as the Graduate Laurel Education Assistant for the 2016-2017 year at the MNCH, where she continues to work with children and families by engaging them in immersive learning opportunities! The AAD program has provided her with tremendous opportunities to learn from brilliant arts managers around the world. While working with the dynamic ELAN leadership team, Baylie strives to continue building the UO student network and connect students with working professionals throughout Oregon.
Living in Eugene has been one of the most fun, perspective-altering experiences in Baylie’s life! She loves riding her bike on the River Bike Path, as well as enjoying live music at any of the town’s several venues. You may also find her enjoying delicious eats at the Da Nang food truck in front of the Oregon Wine LAB!
Public Relations Chair | Lauren Nichols
Lauren Nichols grew up in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. She developed a love of visual art at a young age. She spent her childhood drawing, painting, reading, and playing soccer.
She graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire in 2013 with a degree in Studio Art and Art History. After graduation she was ready to try something new, so she decided to serve as an AmeriCorps VISTA at Oregon State University (OSU). During her year as the Food Pantry Sustainability Coordinator at OSU she fell in love with Oregon and decided to stay. She spent a year in Portland as a Catering Administrative Assistant before moving to Eugene to begin the Arts Administration graduate program.
Lauren’s first year in the Arts Administration program was filled with wonderful experiences, including working as the Campus Outreach Coordinator at the Museum of Natural and Cultural History (MNCH). This year, Lauren is excited to continue her role with the MNCH, serve as a SAG Second Year Representative, intern at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art (JSMA), and begin her new role as ELAN’s Public Relations Chair. Lauren is looking forward to expanding her design, marketing, and communication skills while maintaining and creating relationships with campus and community organizations. Her favorite Eugene activity is wine tasting at all of the wonderful wineries right outside of Eugene!
Social Media Chair |Breanna DeMontigny
Breanna deMontigny received a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a focus in Painting, and minors in Media Arts and Art History from the University of Montana. A native of Gillette, Wyoming, Breanna first became interested in the arts as a very young child, but did not take this as a serious interest until her high school art teacher convinced her to submit a portfolio for several colleges.
During her undergraduate degree, she was a part of multiple shows and student art groups that participated in community and university events. She has spent four years learning about event planning, hanging/lighting/installing art work, sales, managing private collections, inventory, and so much more. She has also been fortunate enough to have been a working artist in and around the Bitterroot Valley area in Montana.
Due to Missoula’s vibrant and collaborative community, she was able to collaborate with many other charities/non-profit foundations and festivals as part of the planning and fundraising process during her time at the gallery. This inspired her to pursue a future of working with art in a new, meaningful way by working with museums and art non-profits.
In her first year at the University of Oregon in the Arts Management program, she wants to become as involved as possible in her local and student community. She recently joined ELAN as the Social Media Chair, and is looking forward to learning more about about marketing and outreach, professional development. becoming more involved, and as well as ways to contribute to her new school and home for the next two years.