Anika Tené

Anika Tené (she/her) serves as WESTAF’s director of social responsibility and inclusion. In this role, she informs and develops a range of equity-centered learning experiences and grants programs that work to build a more inclusive arts and culture sector. Previously, she was a manager of national education initiatives at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts where she ensured that arts professionals were equipped with relevant professional learning and support as they sought to provide equitable access to the arts among public school students. Anika has worked with a number of arts organizations as a music and arts director, stage manager, producer, gallery coordinator, and subscriptions sales associate. She also served as assistant director of national college fairs, programs and services for the National Association for College Admission Counseling where she piloted and scaled arts and STEM college and career fairs reaching over 20,000 attendees annually. Anika is chair of the Arlington County Commission for the Arts, a member of George Mason University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts’ Arts at Mason Board, and board member of the Arts Administrators of Color Network. An alum of artEquity’s inaugural BIPOC Leadership Circle, she worked with arts leaders from across the nation to develop social justice leadership models. Anika earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Howard University and a master’s degree in arts management from George Mason University, where her capstone focused on the need for diversity in arts organization leadership. She also holds a master’s degree in public anthropology from American University and a postgraduate degree in management from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa.