Contact the Arts Education Partnership:

Arts Education Partnership
One Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20001-1431
202.326.8693 - office
202.408.8081 - fax
aep@ccsso.org

Arts Education Partnership Staff:

Sandra Ruppert, Director
Sandra is an established leader with more than 20 years experience working with non-profit organizations, principally in the areas of education and public policy. Prior to her appointment as Director in June 2008, Sandra was the Senior Associate for Research and Policy at AEP. She is the author of numerous publications, including the widely acclaimed, Critical Evidence: How the Arts Benefit Student Achievement as well as From Anecdote to Evidence: Assessing the Status and Condition of Arts Education at the State Level. Before joining the staff of AEP, Sandra was a Senior Policy Analyst and Program Director with the Education Commission of the States, a Denver-based national non-profit organization that advises state policymakers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia on the development and implementation of effective policies to improve education. While at ECS, she was responsible for the design and direction of ECS Chairman, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee’s, Arts in Education Initiative. Sandra holds a master of arts degree in Anthropology from the University of Arizona. She can be reached at .

Michael Sikes, Senior Associate for Research and Policy
As the former assistant director for arts education at the National Endowment for the Arts, Michael was literally present at the creation of the Arts Education Partnership in 1994 and drafted the key document used to build consensus for its founding. Since then, Michael has taught at the university level and worked with school districts, state education agencies and the U.S. Department of Education. Michael has extensive experience in the design, implementation and synthesis of research and its application to policy, not only in the arts but in education more generally. He is the author of numerous publications and is especially proficient at conveying research findings and methods for lay audiences. Michael earned his Ph.D. in education from Florida State University.

At AEP, Michael is responsible for developing and managing all of our research and policy initiatives, as well as analyzing and reporting on major trends and changes in arts education policy and research in the field.  Major projects include the development of an arts education research and policy agenda, the state policy database, and the Ford Foundation Arts Education Initiative.  Michael Sikes can be reached at .

Laura Smyth, Senior Associate for Communications and Partnerships
Laura has worked for many years in education, academia, and non-profit program management, most extensively in arts education and in leadership development for arts professionals. Laura began her career as a teacher and corps member of Teach for America in Houston, Texas, where she received recognition as the Bilingual Teacher of the Year. After earning her doctorate in English from Stanford University in 2001, Laura spent two years working with Columbia College Chicago to design a new master’s degree program in arts management with a concentration in youth development. She also worked for National Arts Strategies, Inc. as the Director for Strategic Partnerships and is the co-author of the AEP publication, “You Want to Be a Part of Everything.”

At AEP, Laura is responsible for outreach and communications to our partner organizations, other arts and education constituents, and the general public through our online and print publications as well as convenings like the national Forums.  She can be reached at .

Cristine Davis, Program Associate
Cristine Davis is AEP’s new Program Associate. Cristine recently received a Master’s in Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Public Policy and Management. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in non-fiction writing and graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Pittsburgh.Prior to joining AEP, Cristine worked at Gateway to the Arts in Pittsburgh as an apprentice with the professional development and Western PA Wolf Trap early childhood learning programs. Prior to Gateway, Cristine was the recipient of a prestigious career development fellowship from the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts in Vienna, VA. She has also been the principal instructor at Full of Grace School of Dance in Pittsburgh where she taught ballet, tap and jazz. Cristine can be reached at .

Andrea Kreuzer, Program Assistant
Andrea Kreuzer is AEP’s new Program Assistant. Andrea has worked in an array of non-profit, arts, and cultural organizations ranging from a small musical theater to a large natural history museum. Andrea recently received a Master of Arts in Museum Studies from George Washington University, focusing in exhibition development and design with an academic core in photography and material culture. Her Bachelor of Science degree is from Ithaca College where she majored in Art History and Cinema and Photography. Andrea’s most recent work experience includes stints at the National Geographic Society in exhibition research and planning, and at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History as an editorial assistant and graphic designer for museum exhibitions. She also has experience in research, planning and evaluation.  Andrea can be reached at .