Staff


Dr. Brett Ashley Crawford, Executive Director/Publisher

Brett (she/her) teaches in the graduate arts & entertainment management programs and directs the Arts Management and Technology Laboratory at the Heinz College at Carnegie Mellon University.  She has an MFA in arts administration and a PhD in theatre history and criticism. Her research includes work on women and minorities in arts management, organization ecologies, the use of technology in arts and management, marketing and arts audiences. Her most recent work is being published Raising the Curtain: Performing Arts Success Stories from Leaders & Artists.


She has 25 years of professional experience as an AEA stage manager, director, writer, theatre marketer and manager. She has worked in New York, Georgia, Tennessee, and Maryland/DC. She was managing director for 3 institutions, the last being Imagination Stage in Bethesda, MD. She has presented invited lectures and workshops to international, national, and DC audiences, including groups visiting from various international countries for the Department of State, the University of Helsinki, the Association of Arts Presenters, the DC Coalition on Heritage and Tourism, Performing Arts Exchange, Theatre Communications Group, and the Center for Cultural Studies at UC Santa Cruz.


samantha sonnet, Chief Editor of Research

Samantha (she/her) is a second-year Master of Arts Management student at Carnegie Mellon University. She studied at Washington & Jefferson College for her undergraduate schooling, majoring in Studio Art and double-minoring in Communication Arts and Spanish.

Samantha has experience working as a Digital Marketing Intern for Responsival, a Social Media Manager for the Washington & Jefferson College Communication Arts Department, a Social Media Design Resident for MAS, a Climate Engagement Marketing Intern at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, and was the Social Media and Marketing Coordinator for AMT Lab last year. This fall Samantha will start her new position as the Chief Editor for AMT Lab at Carnegie Mellon.


hannah brainard, Lead researcher/staff writer

Hannah (she/her) is a first-year Master of Arts Management student at Carnegie Mellon University.  She earned her bachelor’s degree in Arts Management from Indiana University in 2020, concentrating in music and performing arts.

Her background is in non-profit performing arts management, most recently serving as the Marketing Project Manager for Lakeside Chautauqua, a non-profit arts and cultural organization. While there, she helped develop and implement digital strategy across platforms, create written and visual content, and manage and analyze data. Hannah is interested in researching the intersection of arts, innovation, equity and climate. 



ashley offman, social media and marketing coordinator

Ashley Offman (she/her) is a second-year Master of Arts Management student at Carnegie Mellon University. Born and raised in Toronto, Canada, she moved to Pittsburgh to pursue her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre at Point Park University. While at Point Park, she performed in several shows, was an Assistant House Manager at the Pittsburgh Playhouse, and worked as a summer staff member in the Department of Community Education.

She recently completed an internship at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, MA, where she worked in special events before moving into company management. After graduation, she hopes to continue working in the performing arts space in company management, artist representation, or programming.


Jabreneé hussie, podcast producer

Jabreneé (she/her) is a first year Master of Entertainment Industry Management student at Carnegie Mellon University. She recently received her bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from Delaware State University (DSU). During her time at Delaware State University, she was a member of the National Society for Leadership and Success, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and the Computer Science Club.

She worked with the Apple Propel initiative to do studies within hydroponics to bring farming to urban areas, as well as piloting the Apple Propel application that provides access to HBCU students to teach them content in STEM and the Arts. She also joined focuses with DSU and The National Science Foundation to conduct research on Speech Based Emotion Recognition using Convolutional Neural Networks. She is excited to take her love and curiosity for technology and media to the next level in her position as the podcast producer this school year.


Partner Organizations

Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network

Nonprofit Technology Enterprise Network