Meet the First Graduates of SMU’s M.A. in Arts and Nonprofit Leadership

This spring marks a significant milestone for SMU’s Master of Arts in Arts and Nonprofit Leadership (ANPL) program as it celebrates its first graduating cohort. Designed for working professionals and emerging leaders, the online degree combines arts management, nonprofit leadership, and business strategy to prepare graduates for meaningful leadership roles across the arts and nonprofit sectors.

The program’s inaugural graduates represent the diverse backgrounds, interests, and career aspirations that define the arts and nonprofit community. Through coursework focused on strategic planning, fundraising, financial management, marketing, and organizational leadership, they developed skills to help strengthen the organizations and communities they serve. Below, graduates from the first cohort share reflections on their time in the program and what comes next as they take the next step in their professional journeys.

LORA CLACK

I started this program with no real expectations except that having an advanced degree would look amazing on my resume. When I say I didn't have any expectations, I mean that the slate was clean for endless possibilities and I've learned more than I can imagine! After completing the program, I hope to switch gears and pursue a career where I'm still offering human services and counseling, but in a much more creative way. It was, what I believed, to be the natural progression in my career, and this program has strengthened my confidence to see that leadership, strategic thinking and all of the other valuable skills I've learned are transferrable. I’ve gained the freedom to pursue a new career path that combines my passion for social impact, creativity and leadership to create meaningful change on a larger and broader scale. 

ALLISON HEISHMAN

The ANPL master’s program has given me a new perspective on my work in nonprofit theatre, helping me see it as a connected ecosystem where the art, the audience, the messaging and the funding all inform one another. It’s made me more intentional as a leader, from programming a season to designing rehearsal rooms to building an organizational culture that actually supports risk, trust and growth. I’m eager to continue applying what I’ve learned in my work as Artistic Director of Azuka Theatre and Simpatico Theatre in Philadelphia, with a clearer sense of what we’re building and how to sustain it.

SHERIDAN SKURUPEY

I have absolutely enjoyed my time in the ANPL program. The program has been incredibly well-rounded, and each professor has added so much value. I am so grateful for my cohort and the friendships that have formed through this experience. Following graduation, I will continue in my role as Managing Director of CYBR.SEC.Careers, a nonprofit dedicated to early career exposure and workforce development for the cybersecurity field, and running my little coffee cart Skurp's Coffee Co.

TONYA WILSON

Throughout my time in the program, I’ve made close friends, explored my professional goals more deeply, and gained knowledge in my chosen field of arts leadership. One of the biggest things I realized during the program is my passion for helping small to mid-sized arts organizations grow and thrive. After graduation, I hope to continue advancing my career in the arts while also pursuing opportunities to teach on the college level and consult in the field.

KATE WALKER

I entered the ANPL program hoping to hone the skills I have spent nearly two decades learning through experience as an arts educator and leader. What I found was not only a deeper understanding of nonprofit leadership and strategy, but also meaningful friendships, renewed confidence, and excitement about the possibilities ahead. I look forward to continuing my work as Dance Conservatory Director at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and helping usher in the 50th Anniversary of Arts Magnet, while also exploring new ways to apply what I’ve learned through the program in future arts leadership and community engagement opportunities.