Building Bold: Women of Color in Arts Leadership Take the Stage at SphinxConnect 2025

Detroit, MI — January 2025 — Taneshia Nash Laird, Associate Professor in the Africana Studies Department at Berklee College of Music, will speak at SphinxConnect 2025, the nation’s leading convening on diversity and inclusion in the arts.

She will participate in “Building Bold”, a dynamic panel curated by arts leader Calida N. Jones, on Saturday, January 25 from 1:40–2:40 PM at the Detroit Renaissance Center. The session gathers a powerful group of women of color in arts leadership to examine how discomfort can serve as a catalyst for personal and professional growth.

Joining the panel are:

• Calida N. Jones, Founder of CNJ Associates and Co-Founder of Creative Evolutions
• Portia Dunkley, CEO and Founder of Teeny Violini Inc
• Dr. Kim Davis, Founder and Empowerment Coach at Five/6teen Consulting

Jones described the session as “a vital conversation... about uplifting, supporting, and championing women of color in arts leadership,” and a space to “craft bold strategies for transformative change in the arts.”

Presented by the Sphinx Organization, SphinxConnect convenes hundreds of musicians, educators, arts administrators, and cultural leaders annually to advance equity and inclusion in the performing arts.

In addition to her academic leadership, Laird serves as Executive Director of Project REAP, a national nonprofit working to increase diversity in commercial real estate through education, mentorship, and partnerships. Her cross-sector work continues to champion cultural equity, economic justice, and institutional change.

For more information and registration, visit: https://www.sphinxmusic.org/sphinxconnect

About SphinxConnect
SphinxConnect, hosted by the Sphinx Organization, is the largest and longest-standing conference dedicated to diversity in the arts. The annual event fosters innovation, learning, and collaboration to strengthen inclusion in classical music and beyond.