Class Acts Arts Staff

Joan Burns, Executive Director
As Class Acts Arts' Associate Director from 1996-2005, Joan helped shape the organization's mission and scope of educational and community arts outreach activities. Previous work experience includes ten years as a national account executive with J. Walter Thompson Advertising and as a researcher for the Department of Educational Accountability for Montgomery County Public Schools. She has served on cultural arts committees and panels at local, county and regional levels, including the Arts-In-Education Committee of the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County. Joan served as President of White Oak Middle School PTA and Jackson Road Elementary School PTA, volunteered as Cultural Arts coordinator in her children's schools for 15 years, and chaired the Cultural Arts Committee of the Montgomery County Council of PTAs. She is a 2006 graduate of the Montgomery College/Carl M. Freeman Foundation's Nonprofit Leadership Institute and is a member of the Leadership Montgomery Class of 2007. She holds a BA from Colgate University.

Lynn Perlik, Executive Assistant
Prior to joining the Class Acts Arts staff in 2003, Lynn worked as a counselor of adults with developmental disabilities for the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board and as an assistant teacher in a nursery school. Lynn also mentored teen parents and tutored elementary students in language arts in Prince George's County. She studied at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C. and at the Alvin Ailey and Martha Graham Schools of Dance in New York, and performs with the Jezic Community Choir. Lynn holds a BA in Psychology from George Washington University.

Elissa Leif, Development Director
Elissa joined Class Acts Arts in April, 2007, bringing with her fifteen years of fund development experience in nonprofits and having raised several million dollars for more than six different organizations of varying sizes and missions. Immediately prior to coming to Class Acts Arts, Elissa secured corporate underwriting as well as serving as the Research Director for a television pilot on cooking and nutrition by experienced producers from Sesame Street. She has also served as a "Community Fellow" funded by the Open Society Institute-Baltimore, teaching journalism and digital photography at a community-based after-school program in the low-income Cherry Hill neighborhood. Elissa is a resident of Silver Spring and active in the McKenney Hills-Carroll Knolls Community Association.

Dan VanHoozer, Development Associate
Dan joined Class Acts Arts in October, 2008. He has worked in the arts for nearly a decade as an administrator, teacher, writer, director and performer. Previously, he has worked in development at the Foundation for the National Archives and the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Dan has a BA in English from the University of Texas at Austin.

Claire Schwadron, Director, Project Youth ArtReach
Claire facilitates arts programs for teenagers in at-risk communities and incarcerated youth in DC area correctional and detention settings. Project Youth ArtReach programs include visual arts, literary arts, dance, music and storytelling. Claire taught art and photography in high schools before becoming professionally involved in arts administration and youth outreach. She holds a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Liz Wheeler, Senior Outreach Coordinator
Liz joined Class Acts Arts in October, 2006. She is a retired teacher from the Family Education/Early Intervention Dept. of the Maryland School for the Deaf. She is a past PTA cultural arts chair. Liz currently volunteers as the Vice President, Administration of the Montgomery County Council of PTAs, the Vice President of the Richard Montgomery High School PTSA and is an active member of the Montgomery District of the National Capital Area Council of Boy Scouts of America. She holds a BA in English and a M.Ed in Education of the Deaf from Western Maryland College.

Laura diCurcio, Outreach Coordinator
Laura joined Class Acts Arts in January 2008, bringing her experience and skills from her freelance work as the Creative Director/Designer of Mango Designs, creating marketing materials, a children's guidebook, signage and advertising for many local clients. Her background includes positions as Senior Art Director/Designer for full-service advertising agencies including The Bomstein Agency and Greenfield/Belser Ltd., in Washington, D.C. and is the recipient of numerous awards. She also serves as a cultural arts committee volunteer in her daughter's school. She holds a BFA from Boston University and is pleased to be currently involved in arts advocacy work.

Susan Fox, Outreach Coordinator
Susan has a professional background in retail management with Imaginarium stores. As a community volunteer, she has served as a Brownie Troop leader, a tutor with the Literacy Council of Montgomery County, a food shopper for the Chase Men's Homeless Shelter, and is in her 5th year as chair of the Cultural Arts committee for the Cold Spring Elementary School PTA. Susan joined Class Acts Arts in September 2007. She holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA in marketing from Columbia University.

Ememofon "Emy" Imoh, Program Assistant
Emy has worked at Class Acts Arts since October, 2008, and has a background in dance, theater design, and arts administration. Her background includes positions as media and PR coordinator and assistant choreographer for two previous non-profit dance teams, and as an intern at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She holds a BA in Theater: Scenic Design and a BS in biology from the College of Charleston.

Sarah Wallace, Financial Manager
Sarah has over twelve years of experience in both 'for profit' and 'non profit' organizations, including supervising accounts payable at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. She is working on an Accounting degree at UMUC.

Elizabeth Gallauresi, Concert Series Director
Elizabeth has a background in presenting public arts programs for audiences including a wide range of diverse socio-economic, ages, ability levels and ethnic backgrounds. She has extensive experience in strategic planning, cultural programming and event coordination, fundraising and board development through frequent consulting for a variety of DC area arts organizations. Elizabeth holds a BA in Business Administration from Loyola College.