Basit Mustafa, President

Basit Mustafa joined the Board of Directors in August 2021 and currently serves as our Board President because he believes that Telluride Arts’ role as both our local Arts Council and the driver of the unique Transfer Warehouse project provides an irreplaceable community benefit and service. He is excited to lead the Board and Staff in their mission to promote the arts and transform the Transfer Warehouse into one of the single most important community projects and spaces of our generation for the benefit for all. Prior to joining us at Telluride Arts, Basit’s background in non-profit volunteer work spanned over 17 years. Most recently, he served on the Board of Directors at the ACLU of Colorado, where Basit oversaw DEI initiatives as the organization’s Equity & Inclusion Officer. He also served on the Executive Committee as the Colorado affiliate more than quadrupled its budget, staff, and operations in six years. Prior to the ACLU, Basit served as Treasurer of the Board of Directors of KGNU Community Radio in Boulder, CO (where he resided before moving to Telluride in 2014), one of the nation’s largest non-profit community radio stations serving the Denver Metro area, and oversaw the purchase and establishment of the 1390AM signal to further extend the organization’s reach.

Chris Harden, Treasurer and Vice-President

Chris Harden spent his entire 26-year career in energy commodities trading. Born in Racine, Wisconsin, he eventually moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma where he helped build one of the largest energy trading companies at the Williams Companies. In 2003 he moved to the Philadelphia area to found an energy trading company for Susquehanna International Group. During his 16 years in Philadelphia, Harden was active as a board member and volunteer for Play On Philly, a charitable organization promoting social change through music education. POP serves over 300 inner-city children in Philadelphia. In 2019 he moved to Telluride to pursue his passions for outdoor adventure and music composition/performance. As an active musician, Harden is passionate about helping to build and sustain music culture while serving the local community.

Tess Peters, Secretary

Tess was born and raised in England. For as long as she can remember she has been keenly aware and passionate about the importance of early childhood education and development, along with community outreach.

She co-developed and taught a popular after-school program while in Dallas, Texas, and later created and implemented a ‘school wide’ Community Outreach Program in Austin, at her sons school.

She has also served on the board of West Austin Youth Association (WAYA), a privately funded, non-profit organization founded in 1980 to provide recreational and educational opportunities for the youth of Austin, enabling them to reach their full potential in a fun and safe community. Additionally, she is a supporter of The Austin 20, an organization committed to assisting children victimized by sex trafficking by filling the gaps in the continuum of care.

Tess and her family discovered (and fell in love with) Telluride during spring break many moons ago and she is thrilled to be serving the community. Spending time in Telluride with her dogs and family just makes her happy...

Todd Brown

Todd Brown has a Professional Engineering degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines and a Masters in Business Administration (Finance) from Washington University in St. Louis. As a manufacturing executive, he worked for Fortune 50 companies in the US and Europe before moving to Telluride. He served on the Telluride Town Council and as Mayor Pro Tem for 8 years, is a professional ski instructor, and is active on several cultural and environmental non-profit boards in addition to having served on the Telluride Arts board since 2006.

Douglas Bradbury

A seasoned financial executive, after earning his MA from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Douglas Bradbury joined the International Division of Manufacturers Hanover Trust (now part of JPMorgan), living and working overseas. Upon returning to the US, he was part of the founding team of two telecommunications startups, MFS Communications and Level 3 Communications. Both companies were in on the ground floor of building and operating fiber optic networks in the US and abroad. He served as the CFO at both companies and led the effort to bring these companies public.

Since retirement, he has been active at the board level of several non-profits in both the educational and arts areas in Florida and in Telluride.

Ashley Hayward

For the past three decades Ashley Hayward has been dedicated to the arts through fine arts education and working with various museums and galleries. These endeavors and the relationships that developed eventually led her to the acquisition, with her husband, of the long-established Telluride Gallery of Fine Art. There, with fellow artists (emerging to established), they curated dream shows, brought in artists from all over the country, and partnered with local schools to create educational opportunities for students and our community. They augmented these shows in a variety of ways with artist profile videos, films, interactive installations, onsite library and resource center, presentations and discussions. They partnered with local festivals and events to increase visibility towards their collective goals and promoted their shows all over the country.

Ashley is indebted to her father, James Hayward (contemporary artist and fine arts professor) who began taking her to museums as a toddler and showed her how to see the world through the lens of art.

Micheline Klagsbrun

Micheline Klagsbrun is a visual artist whose multi-media work focuses on transformation and displacement. She has exhibited widely and is in private collections nationally as well as in Europe and the Middle East. Born and raised in London, graduate of the University of Cambridge, she received a clinical doctorate in psychology (D.C.P.) from the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations. Upon moving to the USA she continued to work as a psychologist in the Center for Family Research at GWU Medical School. For many years she also co-chaired the Forum for the Psychoanalytic Study of Film and edited its journal “Projections”. Her published writings have been largely in the field of film and psychoanalysis.

She is President and co-founder of CrossCurrents Foundation (CCF) which as part of its mission sponsors art to promote social justice. In addition to CCF, she serves on several boards, including the Phillips Collection (DC), Transformer (DC), and Telluride Arts (CO). Through the Corcoran Outreach program, she served for a number of years as a mentor for inner-city youth. In 2016, she and her husband found and fell in love with Telluride and Telluride Arts, and have been living here part-time ever since.

The Honorable Edward A. Powell, Jr.

In 2002, Edward A. Powell, Jr. became President and CEO of the USO World Headquarters, the only global civilian organization supporting the U.S. military. The USO operates more than 130 centers from San Diego to Bagram, Afghanistan. Under Ned Powell’s leadership the USO saw significant expansion. The operating budget expanded from less than $40 million a year to almost $250 million in 2008. USO’s active donor base grew from 200,000 to more than 1.5 million individuals.

Prior to joining the USO, Ned served as Assistant Secretary for Management (CFO), and Deputy Secretary (Acting) at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). At the time the VA was the second largest cabinet department with a budget of more than $50 billion. During his tenure as CFO, the VA achieved its first-ever clean audit opinion. Mr. Powell oversaw the development of the department’s first budget accountability reporting and played an instrumental role in the integration of financial, operational, and inventory management of the VA’s huge healthcare system. Through improvement in its prescription formulary and prescription mail-out program, the VA saved almost $650 million annually in drug costs, while improving patient service and safety.

Mr. Powell has been an Adjunct Faculty member at the University of Richmond, teaching business policy and ethics and served on many civic and corporate boards.

Kate Jones, Executive Director

Kate has been the Executive Director of the Telluride Arts District since 2010 and was the Executive Director of Methow Arts in Washington State from 2001-2010. First as an artist, then as an art instructor, and for the past 20+ years as the Executive Director at Local Arts Councils, Kate has helped nurture collaboration, creative vision, and strategic direction to leverage the arts to strengthen connection and community cohesion. For the span of her career, Kate has focused her organizational efforts on bold moves and large-scale arts developments including Twispworks and the Transfer Warehouse that have a long-term impact on ensuring the arts are part of the fabric of the community and accessible to all.

kate@telluridearts.org

Ann Barker, DONOR ENGAGEMENT

Ann is grateful for a career of marketing creativity with marquee brands AT&T Wireless, Chevron and The Nature Conservancy. She has created revenue-driving promotions with dozens of sports and entertainment properties including the PGA TOUR, the Super Bowl, the USOC, NASCAR, a Rolling Stones tour, and many professional teams and athletes. Ann first visited Telluride on a high school ski trip and promised herself she would live here. She was part of the team that launched Telluride Reserve and produced Telluride Art + Architecture in 2022 and 2023. Ann loves a roadtrip, camping in her vintage Airstream, or cruising with the Safaris open on her VW bus. 

tellurideartandarchitecture@gmail.com

Austin Halpern, Programs Director

A graduate of Colorado College in Film and Media Studies, Austin has been on staff at Telluride Arts since the summer of 2020. Austin is an arts administrator passionate about cultivating spaces and opportunities for both visual and performing artists to thrive in Telluride and beyond. Outside of the office, Austin loves music, photography, and all things outdoors—find him on the trails in the summer or the slopes in the winter.

austin@telluridearts.org

Camille Lewis, Operations Director

A Georgia native, Camille moved to Telluride in 2014 to see what magic the San Juans held. Deviating from her background in agriculture and wildlife management, she has since built a career centered in operations and venue management. When she's not in the office, Camille enjoys live music, a good book, and reveling in the outdoors.

tellurideartsdistrict@gmail.com

Jereb Carter, Transfer Warehouse Manager

Jereb’s experience is expansive, and he comes with a proven track record. Most notably, he has overseen and produced events such as ESPN Winter and Summer X-Games, Live Nation’s Headwaters Country Jam and many more. Jereb is a 5th generation Telluride, CO resident. He enjoys not working on Fridays, getting as many days as possible on the mountain skiing, and hanging out with his wife and two kids at the lake on his boat while sipping on margaritas (with only the highest quality tequila).

jereb@telluridearts.org

Geneva Shaunette, Bar Manager

geneva@backpocketcreative.com

Ali Berkel, Social Media Manager

Ali moved to Telluride in 2016 and holds a bachelor's degree in business. With a strong business acumen, she effectively maintains and enriches the district's online presence, ensuring its continued vibrancy and engagement. Her expertise contributes to the district's status as a thriving hub for artistic expression and community involvement in the digital space.

hello@aliberkelcreative.com

Jessica Manno, Capital Campaign Team

jessica@telluridearts.org