Steering Committee Members

Beth Markowitz, Chair

Beth Markowitz currently serves as the Manager of Foundation Relations at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County. She has experience working in multiple local non-profit/arts organizations in roles that range from front-of-house to administrative. Beth graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Management and a Master of Science in Leadership from Miami Herbert Business School. She is passionate about connecting our community to the performing arts and was appointed Vice Chair of the Steering Committee for the Miami Emerging Arts Leaders and uses her experience and skill set to contribute to its success.

Aileen Alon

Aileen is fueled by a passion for building creative, sustainable, inclusive, and engaged communities. She is currently the Program Manager & Associate Director for Aire Ventures, where she curates programming and manages strategic partnerships to strengthen connections, creativity, and collaborations between diverse innovators, entrepreneurs, and others seeking to create change in their communities. She previously spent seven years leading the integration of the arts and culture into neighborhood revitalization strategies for the Opa-locka Community Development Corporation, which was named a case study for best practices in creative placemaking and community development by the National Endowment for the Art’s Exploring Our Town Program.

A first-generation Asian-American, Aileen aims to help open doors for more people of color and women to establish leadership roles, especially in creative fields.

Rommel Arellan-Marinas

Rommel  is the Associate Artistic Director of Fantasy Theatre Factory (FTF) 2013-Present. He completed his B.F.A. in Performance from Florida International University in 2019 and earned the National Award for Directing, Stage Directors and Choreographers (SDC) Fellowship from the Kennedy Center, Washington DC. 2016. Rommel is a Steering Committee Member of the Miami Emerging Arts Leaders 2019-Present. He has directed, produced, and performed in multiple FTF productions. Originally from Lima, Peru, he is a proud first-generation American citizen.

Everett Ford

Everett Ford graduated from University of Miami’s Frost School of Music in 2014 with a Bachelor of Music in Music Business and Entertainment Industries and a minor in Business Administration. Prior to attending UM, Everett studied Classical Voice Performance at University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music. He also graduated from Idyllwild Arts Academy, a boarding arts high school in Southern California, where he studied Musical Theatre and Classical Voice. Everett started off his career in Development at the National YoungArts Foundation, serving on the events team as well as assisting with corporate partnerships and database entry. He then transitioned to work in Development at the Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science for the grand opening of their new location downtown. He has worked at The Bass in Miami Beach since August of 2019, where he currently serves as the Executive Office & Human Resources Manager.

Camila Gil

Born in Bogota Colombia, Camila holds a Masters in Global Governance from Florida International University and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies & Political Science from the University of Miami. Camila trained at Armour Dance Theatre from the time she was 13 years old under the artistic leadership of Ruth Wiesen. Even though she no longer dances, she believes in the importance of arts education, having benefited from it firsthand. During her high school years, Camila became a volunteer for the organization and upon graduating began working as a Student Assistant. She has dedicated her professional career to the organization holding multiple roles including Executive Assistant, Director of Community programs, Associate Director and more recently being named Executive Director. Camila has supported and led the growth of the scope and reach of Armour Dance Theatre for the past decade and is passionate about making arts education accessible to all children in the Miami-Dade community. 

Heaven Jones

Heaven is a recent HBCU graduate from Florida A & M University. She is driven by communication, knowledge, and community. Her career trajectory started with internships and work experience while in college. She was hired for several impressive internships, including Universal Studios, that gave her the opportunity to practice branding, building awareness, and project management. Her work with the nonprofit Children campaign provided her with leadership skills and experience in changing complex social problems through advocacy, public education, and community activism. Heaven is best known for her passion for collaboration and creativity. She values connecting with people to cultivate partnerships that create long-lasting, meaningful relationships and is enthusiastic about empowering Miami-Dade's creative ecosystem. She has a strong talent for building social presence and community ecosystems. At the Arts & Business Council, Heaven has spearheaded logistics and outreach for their Partners Program and is now the point person for connecting with their valued collaborators.

Nhadya Lawes

Nhadya Lawes is the Associate for the Arts program at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, where she supports grantmaking to build better informed and engaged communities through digital transformation in arts and culture. She is a graduate of the University of Miami with a Bachelors in English Literature and minor in Sociology, Art History, and Africana Studies. Nhadya has curated projects including the student photography exhibition In Our Glory / A Different Image for the Creative Studio Gallery at UM Libraries and RELAX RELATE RELEASE. She remains actively involved as a member of the Center for Global Black Studies’ Advisory Council. A scholar and arts professional, her research has focused on Black female intellectuals, the influence of migration and family or community history in artistic practice, and the relationship of arts ecosystems to their local communities.

Ana Padron

Ana Padron enjoyed a distinguished career as a dancer, choreographer, and instructor of Argentine Tango in NYC and around the world. A native Miamian, Ana graduated with honors in dance from New World School of the Arts and holds a Bachelors in Performing Fine Art from the University of Florida. As Artistic Director of Diego and Ana Tango in NYC, her works have been presented by Brooklyn Academy of Music, Aksra Theater King Power, Thailand, Teatro Tapia, PR, Off-Broadway, and National Symphony Orchestra. With over a decade of experience in Argentine Tango and Theater Production, Ana has collaborated on productions with Latin Grammy Winners Pedro Giraudo, Hector Del Curto and Battle Creek Symphony. After restructuring TFA into a 501(c)(3) non-profit she expanded Argentine tango’s access via education and performance outreach programs to youth, persons with Parkinson’s and oncology units around NYC. Back in Miami after 15 years, she is an advocate for arts/culture and bringing her experience back to the thriving community of Miami.