Staff & Advisory Board

Meet the Turchin Center Team

Denise Ringler
Elizabeth Auer

Director of Arts Engagement & Cultural Resources
Aueree@appstate.edu

About Elizabeth

Since 2000, Auer has been with the University of Florida Performing Arts. During this time, she expanded community engagement programs, developed performance management and patron-focused operation and retention systems, produced numerous special events and participated in strategic plan development and implementation for the university. Through her work with boards of directors, community leaders and major donors, she matched passions with projects and programs to strengthen the arts at UF and within the local community.

Auer has served as a presenter and panelist for numerous regional and national arts organizations, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the Association of Performing Arts Professionals, the International Society for the Performing Arts and South Arts Performing Arts Exchange. She has held leadership positions with numerous organizations dedicated to cultural exchange, including the Arts Presenters Inaugural Leadership Development Initiative and has led Center Stage Cultural Diplomacy site visits and interviews. She has also presented for numerous organizations on topics related to the arts in medicine and health care, and serves as a team member with the Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases.

Auer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre from Louisiana State University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in theatre management from Florida State University.

Dawn Behling
Mary Anne Redding

Senior Curator
reddingm@appstate.edu

About Mary Anne

Mary Anne Redding is a visual arts curator and writer and serves as the curator of the Turchin Center. She holds a B.A. in English Literature from Ohio University, an M.A. in Arts Administration from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, an M.L.S. from the University of Illinois, Champaign Urbana, as well as an advanced certificate in Museum Studies from Arizona State University. She has written and published numerous essays on photography and contemporary art. Before taking her most recent post as the Curator at the Turchin Center, Redding was the Curator at the Sioux City Art Center in Sioux City, Iowa, for 13 months. Redding previously served for nearly 6 years as the Curator at the Turchin Center. Past positions include working as the Curator of the Marion Center for Photographic Arts and the Chair of the Photography Department at Santa Fe University of Art & Design, and as the Curator of Photography for the Palace of the Governors/New Mexico History Museum. Redding has more than forty years’ experience working as a curator, archivist, librarian, educator, and arts administrator. Her publications include A Country No More: Rediscovering the Landscapes of John James Audubon with photographer Krista Elrick (2021); Gila: Radical Visions/The Enduring Silence with photographer Michael Berman (2012); the introduction for Light in the Desert: Photographs from the Monastery of Christ in the Desert, photographs by Tony O’Brien and an essay by Christopher Merrill (2011); Through the Lens: Creating Santa Fe (Museum of New Mexico Press, 2009); and, Grasslands/Separating Species an exhibition catalog for 516 ARTS in Albuquerque, New Mexico; as well as an essay in Land/Art New Mexico, published by Radius Press in 2010.

Kaen Trefz
Karen Trefz

Budget Director
trefzkr@appstate.edu

About Karen

Karen has worked in budget management and event planning at Appalachian State since 2014 and joined the Turchin Center team in the fall of 2019. Karen works closely with staff of both the Turchin Center and the Office of Arts and Cultural Programs to develop budgets, produce financial reports, assist in budget-related decision-making and manage processes such as purchasing and payroll systems. She also works closely with the Turchin Center director on a variety of administrative projects and initiatives. Karen holds a B.S. in business administration from Bowling Green State University. She is thrilled to combine her finance background with her passion for the arts.

Christy Chenausky
Christy Chenausky

Director of Arts Education and Outreach
chenauskyc@appstate.edu

About Christy

Christy has a passion for arts and learning. Since 2012, she has facilitated
education programs for the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts and the
Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, including the APPlause! K-12 Performing Arts Series. Influenced at an early age by arts education, Christy pursued a vocation that promotes learning in and through the arts and connecting university arts resources to community members of all ages. She works closely with university faculty and staff, community organizations, and the network of public, private and home-schools across a ten-county region. Christy has held positions in public schools and arts organizations. She has a B.S. in theatre arts education and an M.A. in arts administration.

Shauna Caldwell
shauna caldwell

Associate Curator for Academic Engagement
caldwellsn@appstate.edu

About shauna

After several years of leading the TCVA Open Studio workshops and photographing gallery events, shauna (she/her) joined the full-time staff in 2019. shauna is an artist, educator, curator, and scholar who uses multimedia and photographic processes to honor land, familial connections, sacred relationships, and transformation. Through her work, she explores collaborative opportunities for the expansion of Appalachian placemaking through the arts and loving community. She received BFAs in both Studio Art and Art Education, an MA in Appalachian Studies, and an advanced graduate certificate in Non-profit Administration at Appalachian State University.

Lindsay Miller
Lindsay Miller

Director of Public and External Relations
millerlw1@appstate.edu

About Lindsay

Since moving to the High Country in 2009, Lindsay has spent over a decade in the nonprofit sector and has developed a strong passion for giving back to the community. She is responsible for securing gifts to the Turchin Center that help sustain its programs, recognizing these valued gifts, connecting with members to fully engage them in the work of the center and interfacing with organizations that collaborate with the center. She volunteers her time with nonprofits focusing on education, land conservation and human services, and is passionate about philanthropy that helps to connect people to causes that matter to them.

GabrielleK_Headshot
Gabrielle Knight

Lead Installer/Preparator
knightgm@appstate.edu

About Gabrielle

Gabrielle graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in art and visual culture with a concentration in art management and a minor in nonprofit management. As a student, she worked as the curator of the Looking Glass Gallery, an exhibition assistant at the Turchin Center, and an administrative assistant at the Smith Gallery.  In her role as lead installer/preparator at the Turchin Center, Gabrielle works closely with curator Mary Anne Redding in securing works of art to be exhibited in the Turchin Center’s six gallery spaces. Gabrielle is responsible for coordinating the art installation process, ensuring the safe and proper handling of all artwork, and creating all exhibition-related graphic design.

Melinda Fudge
Molly Schwanz

Collections Manager
schwanzmp@appstate.edu

About Molly

Molly Schwanz joined the Turchin Center in June of 2022. As the Collections Manager, she is responsible for caring for the artworks in the Turchin Center’s permanent collection. Before joining the Turchin Center, Molly was the Collections Management Assistant for the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum at Bowdoin College. She has worked with museum collections containing a wide range of artworks and artifacts – everything from embroideries to airplanes – and is particularly interested in the care of textiles in museum collections. Molly holds an MA in Museum Studies from Marist College, and an MA in History from James Madison University.

Seth Perry

Curatorial Assistant
perrysi@appstate.edu

About Seth
Seth Perry joined the Turchin Center staff in October 2023. An alum of the studio art program at Appalachian State, Seth was a Gallery Ambassador at the Turchin Center and a Gallery Assistant at the Smith Gallery during their time as a student. After graduating, Seth worked nearby at the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum prior to their return to the Turchin Center. As Curatorial Assistant, Seth works closely with the rest of the curatorial team to maintain and advance the Turchin Center’s exhibitions. 
Crisol Campos

Director of Visitor Services
campossc@appstate.edu

About Crisol

Crisol is a recent graduate of Appalachian State University with a degree in Art & Visual Culture with a Concentration in Art Management with a Minor in Nonprofit Management. As a student, she interned at the Wild Wood Agile Learning Center and then at the Turchin Center where she developed an interest in creating better relationships between people and art through interactive activities. As the Director of Visitor Services at the Turchin Center, Crisol is a bridge for visitors and students to enhance their experience with the visual arts by providing additional information from her and her team of student-workers. As a first-generation American, her current passion is to integrate her art with her Salvadoran roots to create a homage to her family.

Melinda Fudge
Lisa Andrews
About Lisa

Lisa joined the Turchin team in December 2022. As the Budget Manager, Lisa assists and works closely with The Associate Director, Karen Trefz, developing and managing budgets for both the Turchin Center and Office of Arts and Cultural Programs. She is responsible for budget/fund and procurement card reconciliations, financial reports, disbursements, purchasing and contracts. Lisa is pleased and compassionate to be part of the Turchin Center Team.

Lynn Rees-Jones
Lynn Rees-Jones

Director of Marketing
reesjonesld@appstate.edu

About Lynn

Serving as Director of Marketing since late 2016, Lynn promotes the Turchin Center’s dynamic exhibition, education and outreach programming by developing and implementing a “marketing mix” comprised of print materials, broadcast, print and digital advertising, press coverage, website development and social media. Lynn has worked in a variety of settings devoted to design, the arts, and marketing in both private businesses and non-profits, with a focus on landscape architecture, textile design, gallery operations and education. She serves as an active board member on local library and performing arts boards. Lynn received her B.L.A from the School of Planning and Design at Michigan State University.

Melinda Fudge
Hannah Bennett

Director of Annual Giving
bennetthc@appstate.edu

About Hannah

Hannah joined the Arts Engagement team in June 2021. In August 2023 she joined the Division of Advancement as the Leadership Annual Gifts Officer for the Turchin Center, Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts, and the Hayes School of Music. Prior to her employment at Appalachian, she was a student here, and received her BA in sociocultural anthropology with minors in sustainable development & experiential and integrative learning in 2021. Hannah is currently enrolled in the Non Profit Administration graduate certificate program, here at Appalachian.

Melinda Fudge
Melinda Friddell

Director of Development
fridellmf@appstate.edu

About Melinda

Melinda joined Appalachian State University in the fall of 2016 and in addition to her position at the Turchin Center, she also serves as director of development for the Office of Arts and Cultural Programs and the Hayes School of Music. Prior to her arrival at Appalachian State, she served as the director of alumni relations at Valdosta State University, and as the director of development at Thomas University, in Thomasville, GA. Melinda is a graduate of Valdosta State University and Andrew College, where she majored in sociology with a double minor in criminal justice and biology.

Advisory Board

Since its opening in 2003, the TCVA Advisory Board members have served as stalwart supporters and community ambassadors who are devoted to the growth and development of the Turchin Center. Board members serve the center by supporting the mission, providing feedback to the center’s staff, cultivating friends and donors, and acting as liaisons with other arts organizations and community groups. The board is comprised of a diverse network of arts supporters who bring vision, commitment and leadership to their role, and who are integral to the center’s operations.

Advisory Board

Nancy Brittelle (chair)

Lori Hill (chair-elect)

Amber Bateman

Lynn Hill

Jeana Klein

Jane Lonon

Pam McKay

Peg Schroeder

Dabney Smith

Helen Snow

Mary Underwood

Josh White

Emeriti

Edie Peiser

Peter Petschauer

Ineke Thomas

 

Ex Officio

Melinda Friddell, Director of Development/University Advancement

Elizabeth Auer, Director of Arts Engagement and Cultural Resources

Lindsay Miller, Director of Public and External Relations

Dot Griffith, Immediate Past President

Lee Rocamora, Blowing Rock Art & History Museum