Staff

Head and shoulders of Matthew Anderson wearing a dark coral button-up shirt with a white undershirt, clear rimmed glasses, with pale skin, a big toothy smile, dark eyes, short, light hair and short gray beard

Matthew Anderson

Director of Learning and Partnerships
(701) 328-7593
mabanderson@nd.gov
Programs Managed: Artist in Residence, Arts in Education Collaboration, Teacher Professional Development, and Poetry Out Loud

Head and shoulders of Rhea Beto with brown eyes, curly, shoulder-length blond hair, light skin, toothy smile, wearing dark long-sleeve shirt with light grey background

Rhea Beto

Public Information Officer / Accessibility Coordinator 
(701) 328-7594
rbeto@nd.gov
Programs Managed: Accessibility Grant, Newsletters, Press, Social Media, Websites, Accessibility, and Worksite Wellness

head and shoulders of Jessica Christy with long, full, straight dark hair; fair skin; dark shirt; thick, patterned rimmed round glasses; and a closed sweet smile

Jessica Christy

Executive Director
(701) 328-7592
jesschristy@nd.gov
Programs Managed: Institutional Support, Indigenous Artist Growth and Development Fellowship; Budget and Administration

head and shoulders of smiling Troyd Geist wearing tan vest over red flannel shirt, with short brown hair and a cream-colored background

Troyd Geist

State Folklorist
(701) 328-7590
tgeist@nd.gov
Programs Managed: Folk and Traditional Arts Apprenticeship and Art for Life

head and shoulders of Kiera Fox with long, straight, black hair, toothy smile with dark red lipstick, light brown jacket with dark brown under shirt and a blue sky and canyon background

Kiera Fox

Operations Administrator
(701) 328-7159
kfox@nd.gov
Online Grants System Administrator; Assists staff with various projects, including marketing and event planning

head and shoulders of Brenna Lahren with long, curly, red-brown hair, light skin, toothy smile with red lipstick, long dangling earrings, light grey shirt with blurred stairwell in the background

Brenna Lahren

Special Projects Coordinator / Program Manager
(701) 328-7590
blahren@nd.gov
Program Manager: Artist Growth and Development, Community Arts Access, Professional Development, and Special Projects; Assists with event planning and Poetry Out Loud

head and shoulders of caucasian Gail Schmidt with long, straight brown hair, pink cheeks and a warm toothy smile

Gail Schmidt

Fiscal & Administrative Officer
(701) 328-7955
gaschmidt@nd.gov
Grants and Financial Systems Management

head and shoulders of Tobias Zikmund with short, dirty blonde hair, black dot earrings, pale skin and a big toothy smile; wearing a grey collared shirt with white stripes

Tobias Zikmund

Program Manager
(701) 328-1135 tzikmund@nd.gov
Programs Managed: Arts Across the Prairie - Placemaking in Rural North Dakota