Julie A. Richard, Executive Director
Julie Richard most recently held the position of president & CEO of the West Valley Arts Council in the West Valley of Phoenix, Arizona. Before that she was the executive director of the Metropolitan Arts Council in Greenville, South Carolina. She is noted for her ability to take organizations to the next level and has done that wherever she has worked. Julie earned BS degrees in Psychology and Music (Voice) and a MA in Business (Arts Administration) all from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Previous positions include managing director of Tulsa Opera in Tulsa, Oklahoma; managing director of Syracuse Opera in Syracuse, New York; executive director of the Cayuga Community College Foundation in Auburn, New York; and director of external relations at the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust in Oak Park, Illinois. She has extensive experience in development, strategic planning, arts education and organizational development. Julie was a member of Valley Leadership’s Class XXXI and a past chair and member of the National Arts Education Council for Americans for the Arts. She was most recently a member of the WESTMARC Board of Directors, the City of Avondale’s Municipal Arts Committee, the AZ Citizens/Action for the Arts Board of Directors, and the City of Surprise’s Arts & Culture Board. She was also on the research committee for AZ Town Hall. Her past board service includes the Greenville Convention and Visitors Bureau, South Carolina Arts Alliance, the Greater Greenville Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Greater Syracuse, Junior League of Syracuse, and the National Society of Fund Raising Executives (CNY Chapter). Julie is also a member of the St. Thomas Aquinas Schola Cantorum and Choir.
Darrell Bulmer, Senior Communication Director
Darrell is a senior director at the Maine Arts Commission, where he has worked for seven years. Before moving to Maine, he studied business management while assisting the marketing efforts of performing arts venues in Western New York. He has continued to be involved with live stage productions while in Maine. Darrell was the interim director of the Maine Arts Commission during 2011 and 2012 and continues to oversee the advancement of artists through advocacy, grants management, professional development and communications. He has conducted marketing and social media workshops for artists and administrators locally, regionally and nationally. He has served on the board of the New England Foundation for the Arts, is an appointed media advisor for the Partnership for a Tobacco-Free Maine and serves as a member of the YMCAs marketing committee. Prior to moving to the United States Darrell worked in private sector management for six years.
Kerstin Gilg, Media Arts and Performing Arts Director
Kerstin Gilg is the director of the media arts program and the performing arts program at the Maine Arts Commission. Kerstin has been with the agency for six years and has also overseen the public art program and agency technology integration and development. Kerstin has a Masters Degree in Interactive Telecommunication from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and has worked professionally as a designer in New York and Los Angeles. Kerstin has taught design at the university level and maintains an active creative practice on his farm in Gardiner. Kerstin serves on the board of Gardiner Main Street, is a member of the Gardiner Board of Trade and is an advisor to the Film and Video Association of Maine.
Steve Milligan, Technology Director
Steve joined the Maine Arts Commission as the Technology Director in the summer of 2010. A graduate of the University of Maine, Orono, holding a bachelors degree in New Media, he brings with him a passion for technology in the arts and an affinity for gadgets and gizmos. Steve is fascinated by the opportunities afforded to the arts through technology. With a professional background in marketing media, he values the marriage of creativity with clean and functional design. Steve is committed to bringing the Maine Arts Commission to the forefront of technology in the arts and making the agency a valuable technology resource for Maine artists and organizations. Steve resides in Wilton and enjoys a number of activities from home brewing to ice hockey.
Kathy Ann Shaw, Senior Grants Director
Kathy Ann joined the Maine Arts Commission staff in 1988 to serve as Museum & Visual Arts Associate, moved up to Contemporary Arts Associate, and has held the position of Senior Grants Associate since 2007. She oversees the management of all the agency’s grant programs in coordination with program staff. Additionally, she serves as the agency’s grants liaison with the National Endowment for the Arts. Kathy Ann holds a Bachelor of Arts in Special Studies degree in Aesthetics, Art History and Philosophy from the University of Maine, Orono, and has completed course work for a Masters of Arts degree in Museum Studies from John F. Kennedy Center for Museum Studies in San Francisco. After returning to Maine, she held the position of Assistant Development Director at the Portland Museum of Art. Kathy Ann is on the Board of Directors of the Kennebec Valley Humane Society. She enjoys gardening and studying comparative religion at her home in Augusta where she lives with her husband and two Newfoundland dogs.