IDEA Team
OVERVIEW
The Hult Center IDEA Team is a group of staff that meet bi-weekly to discuss, plan and evaluate the Hult Center IDEA initiatives. At the end of each season, the Team will produce an annual report highlighting the projects the Team and organization are working on.
Team members rotate on and off the team every two years. This ensures all Hult staff have the opportunity to participate. Current IDEA team members are listed below.
If you have any questions or comments about the IDEA initiatives, please feel free to reach out to the team at HultIDEAteam@eugene-or.gov .
Meet The Team
Abbey Aronica, Marketing Manager
As a marketing manager at the Hult Center, I’ve been able to wear many hats, but have worked mainly focused on managing our Hult Presents series & managing email, social media, and website updates, while also supporting our Broadway series and Resident Companies. After moving to Eugene from Philadelphia and gaining experience working with & mentoring adults with disabilities, I see extreme value in making the Hult Center an accessible and safe space for all individuals. In my free time, I love to crochet, check out new music & spend time playing board games/video games with my family.
Jen Cumberworth, Education & Engagement Manager
I believe community is the most important aspect of the arts. Creating space for folks to gather, share stories, advocate and support one another, or simply experiencing a moment together is what fuels me in the work I do at the Hult Center and in my personal life. My degree is in classical theater performance and I spent nearly a decade in Chicago performing and teaching sketch comedy and improv, where group mind and community are essential to the art. I am now a mom to a curious and adventurous boy, and I am excited to show him the beautiful benefits and outcomes to working with your community.
Nikki Haffner, Facilities Manager
I am the Hult Center Facility Manager., I oversee the interior and exterior of the facility, keeping it clean and safe for patrons, staff and all the Talent that comes through our doors. When I was growing up, I experienced racism within my family. When in high school I became best friends with a person of color and became very close with her and her entire family, as my father was not ok with this. Becoming a part of Our Equity and inclusion Team means a lot to me, as I have hopes to someday see racism disappear from our world completely.
Rich Hobby, Director of Marketing
As Director of Marketing, I oversee all marketing and communications for the Hult Center organization and its presenting series. As a first generation American of Welsh and English ancestry I am a strong advocate for diversity and the welcoming of new cultures and people. When not working I can often be found enjoying the essentials of Pups, Peppers, and Performances.
Joanna Irizarry, Custodian
I work at the Hult Center of Performing Arts, I am also an artist and exhibit production assistant for Cultural Services and the Eugene Ballet. I play music and enjoy cooking Puerto Rican food . Additionally, I am functionally fluent in Spanish and English.
Emeka Ogu, Box Office Manager
My first name really is easy to say. You can pronounce it (A-Mecca) and it means “successful”. My young son will be proud of his father and will grow up knowing that he can do anything that he puts his mind to. It means a lot to me to be able to help society see groups of people that are typically defined by stereotype and cliché, in a different light.
Louise Thomas-Vails, Front of House Manager
As Front of House Manager at the Hult Center, it brings me great joy to actively dismantle barriers that limit access to live performance. That, and creating an anti-racist culture in our institutions and community. When I’m not at the Hult, I’m catering to an embarrassing number of cats and dogs, and being catered to by my incredible husband, Ronnie.
Hannah Bulkley, Programming and Booking Coordinator
As the Programming and Booking Coordinator, I handle all of our shows from contracting to settlement, and I also program our free outdoor Summer Series, which really feeds my soul. I believe the arts are one of the strongest conduits for human connection and are vital and central to all cultures. I love that my work helps to bring live performances to everybody in our community. I have a background in dance and theater, and so I am equally thrilled to be working in the industry that I love! Other loves include my family, swimming, cats, eating, and anything glittery.