WHO WE ARE
Women's ALI is a recognized nonprofit organization. Our three-point mission is at the heart of all we do: educate, empower, and engage everyone who comes into contact with our organization - starting with our ALI fellows and reaching to every volunteer and individual who comes into contact with our establishment.
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With education initiatives reaching into the public school system and universities nationwide, our Summer Leadership Intensive is the current focal point of our efforts to educate the next generation.
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Whether as a dedicated volunteer, a donor supporting future leaders of the arts, or a program participant, we believe you cannot be a part of our vision without being uplifted. Our passion is fueled both by our experience as artists, our foundation of sisters, and our desire to impact future generations. Learn more about our founders below.
WHAT WE DO
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We host educational events that empower female artists to become community leaders by equipping them with both business and leadership skills. Every Women's ALI event is driven by our three main goals: educate, empower, and engage. Our central project is the Summer Leadership Intensive - a four-day program in which our ALI Fellows attend keynote sessions, round-table discussions, a variety of workshops and fun, all based around learning business acumen and leadership skills. Here they become associated with another Women’s ALI initiative, the Mentor Alliance, which promotes professional engagement between generations of working women. Other projects include our yearly Fall Benefit, as well as informational and educational sessions in public schools and universities around our home base of Salt Lake City, UT.
Educate
We believe that education plays an important first step to lasting change, every year, Women's ALI hosts a Summer Leadership Intensive for young women from all fields of the fine arts, ages 18-24. Our participants gain both business acumen and leadership skills through a series of keynote speakers, networking and team building activities, workshops, and round table discussions. Curriculum will include topics such as grant writing, effective leadership styles, communication skills, Microsoft Office proficiency, and dealing with harassment in the workplace.
Empower
We aim to empower our artists with the business and leadership skills they will need no matter what path their future takes and far beyond their participation in our programs. At the Summer Leadership Intensive, the Mentor Alliance program pairs each ALI Fellow with a professional in their artistic field or field of interest. This offers each artist the chance for valuable insight and perspective while forming professional networking relationships. Mentors will be available to alumni on a quarterly basis following their participation in the Summer Leadership Intensive, continuing to serve as a resource ALI Fellow alumni. Networking events and training will be held for our Mentor Alliance as well, ensuring an empowering experience for all involved!
Engage
At Women's ALI, we are dedicated to community involvement at every level. Our alumni scholarship and grant program allows our Summer Leadership Intensive participants to give back to the arts industry and their own communities. Engaging in community partnerships and dialogue for change is part of who we are, and we recognize it's people like you whose passions and hard work make a lasting difference. Join with us as we cultivate relationships with businesses and individuals within our community...engage for change!
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MEET THE TEAM
Our team currently consists of 100% volunteers who are connected in mission. At the foundation of Women's ALI are sisters in the arts; a conductor, pianists, vocalists, a photographer, and a dancer. After pursuing their individual interests within the arts, 5 sisters from Salt Lake City, Utah, teamed up to realize the dream of Women’s ALI founder, Stephanie Rhodes Russell. Together, they set out to change the dynamic of female leadership within the arts and prepare young female artists to become leaders, by training them in essential leadership & business skills.
Out of this came Women’s Ali, which has quickly grown into a nationally reaching organization of 15 working volunteers, 55 ALI fellows, 50 mentors, and over 70 business donors and individual sponsors who are connected in mission and passion for the arts.
Women in the arts should be prepared leaders in their communities and we leverage our cumulative experience to make that possible. We welcome all with similar beliefs to join in our mission.
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STEPHANIE RHODES RUSSELL
Executive Director & Founder
Stephanie Rhodes Russell is a symphonic and operatic conductor and holds the position of Conducting Fellow with the Fort Worth Symphony and Associate Conductor of the Grand Teton Music Festival. Last summer at GTMF she lead the orchestra in their Family Concert and performed as both conductor and pianist in the Chamber Music Concert Series. She is the recipient of a 2019 Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award, designed to aid outstanding young conductors in developing their talents and careers.
An alum of the Houston Grand Opera Studio and San Francisco’s Merola Opera program, she holds degrees in Collaborative Piano and Piano Performance and completed a doctorate in Orchestral Conducting.
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KATIE LEE-KOVEN
Board of Directors
Vice President
Katie Lee-Koven is Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art at Utah State University. Director/Curator Lee Koven has curated art exhibitions that bring attention to the underrepresented artists or artistic practices including the role of craft and applied arts in modern and contemporary art.
Since 2012, she curated Black Mountain College: Shaping Craft + Design; New Narratives: Recent Works of University of Utah Faculty; Topographies: Recording Place – Mapping Surface, and Torqued & Twisted:
Bentwood Today. Many of these exhibitions
traveled nationally and internationally. She has also chaired international conferences on craft and design.
SHANE RUSSELL
Board of Directors
Vice President, Finance
Shane Russell is the Director of Strategy and
Client Solutions for 2020 Companies where he analyzes the operational performance of current clients and develops innovative strategies to launch new sales and experiential marketing programs.
Formerly, he worked for FJ Management as an investment analyst and member of the investment committee. There he was responsible for sourcing and recommending private equity investments along with analysis of the diversified investment portfolio. Shane also worked at Maverik, providing him with a range of experience that allows him to provide strategic insights.
Shane holds a BS in Business and a BA in Spanish from Utah State University, an MBA from Utah State University and an MS Finance from the University of Utah.
MELISSA DELGADILLO
Board of Directors
2019 Fall Benefit Co-Chair
Melissa Delgadillo’s career spans sixteen years in the field of marketing and communications. Her career has taken her to metropolitan markets including; San Francisco, Houston and San Antonio. She now resides in Boise, and works as the Public Relations and Events Manager for Agri Beef.
With a focus on brand experience and experiential marketing, Melissa has developed brand strategies for companies of all sizes from regional impact to global.
Melissa has founded multiple businesses and is currently in the beta phase of launching Monde, a news and lifestyle platform for women of all generations. Involved in every community where she resides, she has recently served on the Board of Directors for Say Si and the American Red Cross of San Antonio.
LIZ DIXON
Board of Directors
The principal trainer and consultant for Leverage Communication Workshops, LLC, Liz trains business executives to improve their written and oral communication skills. She has trained at American Express, VISA, Intermountain Health Care, and LDS Motion Picture Studios.
Liz teaches similar professional communication workshops to BYU MBA students who have gone on to work for companies such as Adobe, Amazon, Union Pacific, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Hewl-
ett-Packard, Microsoft, and Vivint. Since 2000, she has taught as an adjunct faculty at BYU’s Marriott School of Business. A highlight of her work at the Marriott School is coaching students who compete at international business case competitions. She has coached eight teams, five of which have won, at competitions sponsored
by CIBER and CUIBE.
KARLIE ADY
Director of Development
Karlie Ady is a musician and co-founder of Women’s ALI. She graduated in Vocal Performance from Utah State University and has since performed in several venues throughout Utah and Massachusetts. Karlie is passionate about the importance of music in children’s lives, and enjoyed performing with the USU children’s opera and developed a pre-k music curriculum.
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More recently, she turned her focus to composition, hoping to release a compilation of original works and arrangements in the near future. Karlie is very passionate about supporting other women, not only in the arts, but also in health. She teaches complimentary Zumba classes to women in her community and developed a 10 week educational program that helps women overcome the physical, emotional and mental difficulties associated with body image and health.
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ASHLEE BERRY
Director of Communications & Marketing
Board of Directors
Ashlee Berry is an interior architectural designer for high-end retail projects at TPG Architecture in New York City. TPG’s clients include Louis Vuitton, Kate Spade, Richard Mille, Amazon Books, and Adidas. Recent design projects Ashlee has worked on include El Palacio de Hierro in Coyoacán,
Mexico, retail storefronts and facade design in New York.
Ashlee holds a Master of Fine Arts from George Washington University in Interior Architecture where she received the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Fellowship Award. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication/
Public Relations from Brigham Young University-Idaho. Ashlee is passionate about the arts and community engagement. She serves on Women’s ALI board and as the director of communications/marketing.
ERIN FARNSWORTH
Director of Education & Community Outreach
Erin Farnsworth received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Brigham Young University in Piano Performance. She currently runs her own piano studio of over 20 students and is based in Phoenix, AZ. Erin has been a member of Music Teachers National Association for five years and presented teaching philosophies at two of their national conferences: 2017 National Collegiate Symposium (Austin, TX); 2018 National MTNA Conference (Orlando, FL.)
While Erin enjoys teaching, she also enjoys the business aspect of her studio and feels passionate that all artists should be better trained for this part of their careers. Meanwhile, she saves time to per-
form and record with musicians of all backgrounds. She has performed two solo piano recitals, two recitals in a piano trio and quartet, and countless competitions for string, brass, and vocal musicians.
LINDSEY NEWMAN
Manager of Student Services
Lindsey Newman began her passion for the arts at a very young age. From the time she was a little girl she spent the majority of her time singing. As an adult, she studied Vocal Performance at Utah State University and was awarded the Dean’s Scholarship to attend. She spent time at BYU pursuing Music, Theater, and Dance while working
as an actress at the Hale Center Theater in West Valley for a time performing in “Fiddler on the Roof”, “The Scarlet Pimpernel”, and “A Christmas Carol”.
Lindsey has four beautiful children and consistently places great emphasis on music in her home. She currently runs her own piano and vocal studio from home and also created Lulubelle Bakes - making wedding cakes and catering desserts for various events. She hopes to continue to help inspire others to reach their potential as through Women's ALI.
ASHLYNN RHODES
Social Media Coordinator
Ashlynn Rhodes is the social media, marketing, and graphic design lead behind Women’s ALI. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Geography, with an emphasis in Tourism, from Brigham Young
University.
Creativity and design has always played a big role in her life through wedding planning and other various hobbies. Currently a mother to two, Ashlynn works from home and enjoys every minute of having the
ability to be a part of such a wonderful program that allows others to pursue their dreams and interests.
STAUNEY HANSEN
Graphic Design Specialist
Stauney Hansen grew up in the home of two designer parents who instilled a passion for creativity and imagination in her from a very young age. Stauney is certified in Adobe Illustrator and has won various design competitions locally and nationally. She recently participated in the National System Thinking “Map the System” competition at Oxford and won a title at the collegiate State SkillsUSA competition.
Stauney is a Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation Recipient as well as a high-merit scholarship recipient. She is working toward her BFA in Graphic Design at UVU and along with working for Women’s ALI, is a UVU Social Impact Office Graphic Design Fellow, a UVU Graphic Design Club member and a designer for the Tiny Art Show, a non-profit arts organization in Utah Valley.
BRETTE PETERSEN
Marketing Coordinator
Brette has spent the last five years of her career exploring the various facets of marketing, after initially graduating with a music performance degree. Her untraditional background in opera and theater gives her the unique ability to tell compelling company stories, one of the many skills she brings to the Women's ALI team.
“I’ve seen first hand how the introduction of business knowledge and connection to an experienced community encourages artists to bloom. As I’m getting my Master's in Business Administration and Marketing Analytics, I want to ensure all women and artists have access to the necessary tools to build their brands and grow their companies”