MOVE Artists Appoints Seven New Board Members to Drive Voter Engagement Through Art

MOVE Artists announced seven new appointments to its Board of Advisors, marking a significant advancement toward the initiative's official launch this fall. The initiative, powered by theDrake Institute of Women's Policy, utilizes the creativity and influence of artists to enhance voter registration and turnout nationwide. Through collaborations with college campuses, creative hubs, and community organizations, MOVE Artists will create artistic works that serve as tools for civic engagement.

Destiny Drake West, MAS, founder of MOVE Artists and CEO of the Drake Institute of Women's Policy, emphasized the role of art in community progress. The newly formed board comprises leaders with expertise in arts, culture, education, law, business, and community engagement, bringing the necessary artistic training, technical expertise, and strategic insight to connect with communities in culturally meaningful and civically impactful ways.

The board members include Sarah Wilber, former Vice President of Capital Campaigns and Strategic Planning at the Kennedy Center; Jordan Shelby West, Ph.D., Associate Vice Provost at George Washington University; Ian Alden Russell, Ph.D., a global arts executive and curator; Cameron Nelson, Executive Producer for TEDxSouthCentral and a classically trained pianist; Jheri Holbert, Ed.D., Founder and CEO of Kids4Equity; Christina Heliotis, LL.M., an attorney and abstract painter; and Dianne Giacoio, Vice President of Business Development and Corporate Internet Sales at Capezio. These appointments are effective immediately, with each member serving a two-year term.

MOVE Artists is a nonpartisan civic engagement initiative that aims to boost voter participation in every election across the United States by harnessing the power of artistic expression. This strategic move to assemble a diverse and experienced board underscores the importance of integrating arts into civic processes to foster greater democratic involvement. The appointments signal a structured approach to leveraging cross-sector expertise for maximum impact, combining artistic vision with practical implementation strategies. By tapping into the cultural resonance of art, the initiative seeks to overcome traditional barriers to political participation and make civic engagement more accessible and compelling to diverse audiences.

The board's composition reflects a deliberate strategy to bridge artistic communities with institutional knowledge and grassroots networks. With backgrounds spanning performing arts, academia, corporate development, and social justice advocacy, the members collectively possess the connections and credibility to amplify the initiative's reach. Their immediate activation allows MOVE Artists to accelerate planning for its fall launch, ensuring that artistic voter engagement projects are both creatively ambitious and logistically viable. This development matters because it represents a growing recognition of art as a catalyst for democratic renewal, potentially setting a precedent for how cultural institutions and artists can directly contribute to strengthening civic infrastructure in an increasingly polarized political landscape.