Nina Ozlu Tunceli of Americans for the Arts to Speak at Shenandoah Conservatory

Nina Ozlu Tunceli, who currently serves as chief counsel of government and public affairs & executive director of the Americans for the Arts Action Fund, will speak at Shenandoah Conservatory’s Performance Forum at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12, in Armstrong Concert Hall on the subject of the arts in the current political climate and arts advocacy.

This event is free and open to the public; however, seating preference is given to current Shenandoah Conservatory students, faculty and staff. Poulin is hosted by Shenandoah Conservatory’s Performing Arts Leadership and Management program under the direction of Associate Professor of Performing Arts Leadership and Management David Edelman, M.F.A.

About Nina Ozlu Tunceli

Nina Ozlu Tunceli is both chief counsel of government and public affairs at Americans for the Arts, as well as the executive director of the Americans for the Arts Action Fund. Since 1993, Tunceli has served as the chief policy strategist for Americans for the Arts’ federal, state, and local government and public affairs work, grassroots advocacy campaigns, policy development, and national coalition-building efforts with both cultural and civic organizations to advance the arts in America. In 2009, she spearheaded the very successful “Arts = Jobs” advocacy campaign that strategically secured $50 million of federal support for more than 7,000 arts jobs and millions of dollars more for arts infrastructure projects within the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Tunceli has produced several programmatic events, including National Arts Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill; the Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; and the National Public Leadership in the Arts Awards, which are presented in partnership with the United States Conference of Mayors.

Serving simultaneously as the executive director of the Americans for the Arts Action Fund and its connected Political Action Committee (PAC), the only dedicated arts PAC in America, Tunceli mobilizes the political and legislative efforts of more than 300,000 citizen activists in advancing arts policy issues among legislators and candidates seeking federal public office. She recently completed ArtsVote2016, culminating with high-profile arts policy events at both the Republican National Convention in Cleveland and the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

She is a graduate of The George Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in French Literature, and of The University of Richmond School of Law with a Juris Doctor. She is a member of the Virginia State Bar.