FEATURED SPEAKERS 

Tom Clareson is Project Director of the Performing Arts Readiness (PAR) project, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to help performing arts organizations nationwide learn how to protect their assets, sustain operations, and be prepared for emergencies. He serves as Senior Consultant for Digital & Preservation Services at Lyrasis, consulting and teaching nationally and internationally on preservation, disaster preparedness, digitization, digital preservation, special collections/archives, remote storage, funding, strategic planning, and advocacy for libraries, archives, and museums. Clareson serves as Vice President on the Board of Directors of the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation.

Jane Marie Wix is the Warning Coordination Meteorologist for the National Weather Service office in Jackson, Kentucky serving 33 counties across eastern Kentucky. She works closely with Emergency Management, the news media, and other county and state agencies acting as the NWS liaison for these partners. She is also devoted to education and addressing the needs of underserved communities, helping to build a population that is weather-ready.

Janet Newcomb is the Executive Director of NCAPER, the National Coalition for Arts’ Preparedness and Emergency Response, and the Performing Arts Coordinator for the Performing Arts Readiness (PAR) project at Lyrasis. During her career Jan has directed ten arts organizations including the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Charleston Symphony Orchestra, four arts councils in New York and South Carolina, and a community arts center. She served as Director of Grants at the SC Arts Commission and taught modern dance at the University of Buffalo and the University of SC.  In 2009, Jan began consulting on leadership transition and development for arts organizations.

Matthew Kowal envisioned the experiential learning platform, the Art of Mass Gatherings Symposium, as a way to catalyze emergency preparedness training across multiple stakeholders. In 2021, this innovative model was featured in the FEMA Resilient Nation Network’s Inspiration Book: Arts & Experiential Learning. Matthew has conducted risk audits and consulted in emergency planning for McNichols Civic Center Building, Five Points Jazz Festival, New Jersey Folk Festival, Surfalorus, Indigenous People’s Day Festival (Newton MA) among others.  As the co-founder of Majestic Collaborations, Majestic Amplifications, and Majestic Water, Matthew is a festival coordinator, artistic director, spokesperson, musician, and community leader. 

Simone Splendiani, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Business Management at the University of Perugia (Italy). He is the author of numerous scientific publications on Tourism Management. In recent years, he has expanded his research interests dealing with Crisis Communication. In addition to his research activity, he teaches Marketing and Destination Management at the University of Perugia also holding seminars and lectures at other European universities. He has been a lead consultant for several local tourism development projects as well as a regular member of national and international research teams. 

Leah Hamilton is an Assistant Professor of Arts Administration at the University of Kentucky. Leah has presented and lectured widely on her research and teaching methods in arts emergency management for public and private institutions and at academic conferences.  She is a Crisis Analysis and Mitigation Coach for the National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response, the lead network administrator for the Kentucky Heritage Emergency Response Network, and Director of the Arts Emergency Management Certificate program at the University of Kentucky. Her most recent research will be released in a full-length report, “Kentucky Arts in Disaster,” in Summer 2024.