Dear friend of LiveConnections,

As you may have heard, this is an exciting point in the life of our organization.

LiveConnections is making bold plans for the future, by combining with our long-time partner World Cafe Live to re-invent our shared house of music. Together, we’re charting a path for long-term stability and continued growth, and working to grow a vibrant ecosystem of live music and education.

There’s also another kind of change: I have decided to wrap up my time as Executive Director, and will be stepping aside at the end of February.

The good news is, I’ll still be around, shifting to a consulting role to support the organizational transition. Making amazing ideas come to life has always been my favorite part, so I’ll be working on special projects related to the combination, and launching my own consulting practice to serve other organizations as well.

The rest of the team is still here for you. David Bradley will now be Producing Director of Arts & Learning, still leading education and community projects and an important part of organizational leadership, and Jacinda Arellano remains our Program Coordinator. Blair Bodine and Daquisha Jones will continue to lead the fundraising charge. Hal Real will serve as President & CEO for the combined organization. Plus, as one team, we’re looking forward to working more closely with Chief Operating Officer Kerri Park and the rest of the WCL crew.

It has been an absolute privilege to lead LiveConnections these past 8 years. From reaching 50,000 participants in our educational programs, to presenting 50 collaborative concerts, to carrying out ambitious long-term projects like our “A Song Everyone Can Sing” accessibility initiative and our annual album-making partnership with Hill-Freedman World Academy — I’m so proud of all we’ve accomplished.

And I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Cheers,

Melinda Steffy, outgoing Executive Director