Heather Flanagan joined Americans for the Arts in September 2019 as the Leadership Alliances Coordinator. She supports the department’s relationship-building programs such as the National Arts Awards, National Arts Policy Roundtable and other key cultivation events. Heather also serves as a key partner engaged in planning and development for our Artists Committee members and broader circle of artists and creative workers engaged in our Artist Think Tank program.

Originally from Long Island, NY, Heather earned a Master of Science in Performing Arts Leadership and Management from Shenandoah University, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Montclair State University. She is well versed in fundraising, collaborative leadership in the arts, board management and governance, arts marketing, and institutional planning. Heather has also studied danceaturgy, dance history, ethnochoreology, choreography, dance pedagogy, psychological foundations of personality and decision making, and American Sign Language. 

Prior to joining Americans for the Arts, Heather worked as the Development Manager for The Ellington Fund, the fundraising arm of Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Washington DC’s public  high school for the arts, where she functioned as project manager for special events, developed digital and print fundraising materials, facilitated direct mail campaigns, stewarded donor relationships, and managed their donor database.