Mica Cole

Mica was named TimeLine’s new Executive Director in April 2022. A Chicago native raised on the South Side, she has worked as an arts administrator and changemaker for nearly two decades. Most recently, she has been a national consultant providing executive coaching and strategic planning for cultural institutions working to embrace an antiracist leadership paradigm.

Mica is a consultant with artEquity, a nonprofit organization that provides tools, training, and resources for individuals and organizations working at the intersection of art and activism. She co-led its BIPOC Surviving Predominantly White Institutions Series and the BIPOC Leadership Circle—both aimed at providing resources and mentorship to leaders of color.

Prior to her work as an organizational consultant, Mica served eight seasons as the Repertory Producer at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. As a senior leader at OSF, she played a key role in guiding the company’s equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives, many of which now serve as foundational organizational models for institutions around the world. Mica has produced more than 80 shows, including a dozen transfers and national co-productions of new plays with theatres such as American Repertory, Seattle Repertory, South Coast Rep, Arena Stage, Portland Center Stage, and Berkeley Repertory.

She worked in Chicago as the Executive Director of Free Street Theater and as the Director of Education and Engagement at Writers Theatre. Mica served on the advisory committee for the Latinx Theatre Commons and is a founding member of the Black Theatre Commons. She is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University.