Melissa DeHaven is a seasoned professional with over 14 years of experience as the Director of Marketing and Public Relations at the Sidney and Berne Davis Art Center. Her tenure at SBDAC has been characterized by a dedication to creativity and community engagement. Melissa’s innovative approach to marketing, meticulous event planning, donor campaigns, and entertainment programming for both the art center and Sidney’s rooftop have significantly contributed to the center’s success.
Melissa’s dedication to enriching cultural experiences extends beyond her role, as she passionately contributed to projects such as the Fort Myers Film Festival, TGIM Indie Movie nights, and the signature seasonal Art Walks The Runway Fashion Show, which she has produced for over a decade.
With a profound love for the arts and her community, Melissa believes that Art is Life, and Life is Art. Her infectious optimism and warm demeanor are evident in her interactions, as she diligently works to inspire others to discover and nurture their passions. Melissa’s philosophy centers on the transformative power of creativity, and she remains steadfast in her mission to enhance cultural connections and experiences for all.
Minna Maillakakis is an art experienced educator and artist living in Southwest Florida. She has taught grades PreK- middle school art as well as classes for seniors living in skilled nursing homes. For the last 4 years, she has concentrated on serving the elderly and providing a high level of customer service and earned a hospitality certification while supervising a motel at a large, local continuing care retirement community. For her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family and 2 dogs at the beach, loves planning children’s birthday parties, enjoys strolling at art festivals, and painting. She is excited to join the Alliance team and looks forward to working in youth education to bring more art to children in the area.
Daniel Noelizaire might be Brooklyn-born but he considers himself a Southwest Florida native. His love of music and culture started early in life and eventually paved the way for his passions and careers. In 2015, he co-founded The Hippie Circle, an entertainment agency dedicated to serving independent creatives through education, representation and administrative support. Danny joined AFTA to manage both in-house and rental events and he brings professionalism, and creativity, to every event.
Passionate about helping people and serving the community, Ana‘s last role as a customer service representative has helped her to grow, especially among the Spanish-speaking community.
After graduating in Colombia, she started university to become a middle school teacher.
Ana is very grateful to work for the Alliance.
Therese (Terry) McDevitt is a communications and marketing strategist with broad experience in corporate and nonprofit communications and marketing over a career spanning more than three decades in Texas, New York and Florida, serving as a communications leader on management teams charged with launching major business initiatives and revitalizing legendary brands. She has served as Vice President of Communications at Fortune magazine, a Managing Director at Public Strategies, Inc., as Vice Chancellor of Marketing & Communications at The Texas A&M University System and in a variety of communications roles at major arts organizations in Texas and Florida. Most recently she served three years as Communications Director at Artis–Naples, home of The Baker Museum and the Naples Philharmonic in Naples, FL.
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