KID smART welcomes three new members to the Board of Directors

Jul 17

NEW ORLEANS – KID smART, the local nonprofit focused on providing public school students with greater access to arts-rich education, is pleased to welcome Ragan Gankendorff, Aaron Hartley and Tiffany Lin to its board of directors.

"We are excited to welcome our new board members, who embody our values of collaboration, creativity, sustainability, access and equity," said Elise Gallinot Goldman, executive director of KID smART. "They bring a diverse set of skills and abilities that will propel our organization forward."

Gankendorff is a Washington, D.C. native and Tulane University graduate. After earning her MBA, she began a career in academic medicine at LSU Health New Orleans and then Tulane School of Medicine. Currently, she serves a dual role as executive director and associate chair for the Tulane School of Medicine’s Center for Clinical Neurosciences and executive director of Health System Clinical Affairs.

Hartley, better known as Flagboy Giz, is a New Orleans native musician, cultural performer, beadworker, producer and emcee. For nearly a decade, he has been a member of the historic Wild Tchoupitoulas Black Masking Indians. Flagboy Giz has garnered tremendous acclaim, including a profile in the New York Times and appearances at Lil Wayne’s Weezyana Fest, Red Bull Street Kings, the National Fried Chicken Festival and many more.

Lin has served as the director of the Design program for Tulane School of Architecture since 2009, coordinating core studios and developing beginning design education. She is also engaged in a range of architectural visioning projects for non-profit community partners through the Albert and Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design. In collaboration with Judith Kinnard, she designed the SunShower SSIP House, an off-grid, disaster relief dwelling which received an AIA New Orleans Honor Award. Lin recently received the SOM Foundation Research Prize to examine existing public spaces, monuments and memorials through the lens of social psychology. She earned a bachelor of architecture from Cornell University and a masters in architecture from Harvard University where she was the recipient of the MArchII Faculty Design Award and the C.W. Prize in Housing Design.

Founded in 1999, KID smART provides public school students with greater access to arts-rich education. In its 25-year history, KID smART has served more than 63,000 students and 11,000 teachers in schools throughout New Orleans. With the belief that the power of the arts should be available to all New Orleans children, KID smART works within public schools to reach underserved children with the most to gain from an arts-rich, social-emotional education.

To learn more about Kid smART and its mission to engage children and educators in dynamic, creative and relevant learning through the arts, visit kidsmart.org

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About KID smART
Over the last two decades, KID smART has collaborated with more than 40 New Orleans public schools to blend the arts into academic lessons to make classrooms more effective and joyful places to learn. Through full-year artist residencies, students in KID smART Creative Schools prove to grow academically, artistically and emotionally. KID smART also partners with national thought leaders, including Harvard's Project Zero Classroom, to incorporate best practices in arts and education into its program model.

Alicia Vial

Alicia Vial is a New Orleans native with more than a decade of experience elevating client stories and leading crisis response. As the senior director of strategy, Alicia acts as a leader within the Gambel Communications team ensuring each agency team member is positioned to deliver strategic public relations services that meet the highest standards of the industry. In addition to supporting the agency’s long-term business growth and development, she coordinates day-to-day account services and oversees strategic direction while staying abreast of best practices and industry trends to provide innovative solutions to meet client’s needs.

Before joining Gambel Communications, Alicia served as the communications director for the Louisiana SPCA, the oldest and largest animal welfare organization in Louisiana that impacts more than 74,000 animals per year. During her nearly eight-year tenure, Alicia oversaw numerous crises, served on national communication taskforces, oversaw all aspects of internal and external relations and worked alongside the development department to raise critical funding. Prior to that, she worked in the fast-paced New Orleans hospitality industry focusing on digital public relations for multiple hotels.

Alicia is a member of the Public Relations Association of Louisiana (PRAL), Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF), a board member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) New Orleans Chapter and a member of the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute. An accredited public relations practitioner (APR), Alicia is also certified in crisis communications, organizational leadership, content marketing and social media.

A well respected and trusted public relations practitioner, Alicia has been recognized by SPRF as a ‘Senior Practitioner of the Year’. Dubbed early on in her career as one to watch, she also received the ‘Rising Star’ award by PRAL and was profiled in St. Charles Avenue Magazine as part of their Young Bloods series. Most recently, she was recognized at PRSA’s annual Fleurish Awards and received four Awards of Excellence for her work along with the ‘Plate Spinner’ award for her efforts on the board of directors for the chapter.

An LSU graduate, Alicia received a bachelor's degree in mass communications with a concentration in public relations and minors in business administration and leadership development. She is a frequent speaker and presenter on public relations topics, most recently presenting at the Jefferson Economic Development Commission and SPRF annual conference.

When Alicia is not at work, you can find her at the ballpark with her three boys or cheering on the Tigers in Death Valley.

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