Centrum Staff

John Anderson (Bookkeeper) joined Centrum in 2008. John graduated from Bellevue Community College with an AA in Accounting. Besides performing at the Ice House, frittering away his time acquiring the odd college degree, owning an accounting software house, and engulfing himself in epidemiological research, he has worked in a variety of accounting/bookkeeping positions in both the for-profit and not-for-profit arenas. Although new to Centrum, John and his wife have been plying the Port Townsend scene for over 25 years. His passions include bipedal exercising, biking, kayaking, reading, and a budding career as a novice boatman. Email = john (at) centrum (dot) org.

John Clayton (Artistic Director of Jazz Programs) leads Centrum’s Jazz Port Townsend festival and workshop. A Grammy-nominated bassist, composer and conductor, Clayton has written and arranged music for Diana Krall, Milt Jackson, Quincy Jones, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Whitney Houston and many others. He served as the Artistic Director of Jazz for the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl from 1999-2001. His compositions have been performed by ensembles throughout the US and Europe, including the American Jazz Philharmonic and the Carnegie Hall Big Band. Clayton is the co-leader, along with his saxophone playing brother Jeff, of the Clayton Brothers Quintet.

Cristina García (Artistic Director for Literary Programming) worked for Time magazine as a researcher, reporter and Miami bureau chief before turning to writing fiction. Her first novel, Dreaming in Cuban, was nominated for the National Book Award. García has since published the novels The Agüero Sisters, Monkey Hunting, and A Handbook to Luck. García’s work has been translated into fourteen languages. She is the recipient of Guggenheim Fellowship, a Whiting Writers’ Award, a Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University, and an NEA grant, among other awards.

Kendra Golden (Development Manager) joined the Centrum Staff in spring 2001, beginning her association as a volunteer and becoming invaluable during the summer season, then acting as liaison for the Centrum Gala Auction. Her previous careers included law and teaching. Email = kendra (at) centrum (dot) org.

Corey Harris (Artistic Director for Blues) polished up his blues playing while living in Cameroon, where he was studying Pidgin English on a Watson Fellowship. He burst onto the United States scene in 1995 with his debut recording, Between Midnight and Day, an exploration of rural blues styles. After street-busking and taking small gigs near his home outside New Orleans, it quickly became clear that he couldn’t be pigeonholed as simply a blues musician. He'd grown up listening to gospel, funk, Motown, jazz, reggae and R&B, and by the time he moved to New Orleans, he was well on his way to becoming a connoisseur of African music, as well. Harris's CDs include Between Midnight and Day, Fish Ain't Bitin' , Greens from the Garden, Vu-Du Menz, Downhome Sophisticate, Mississippi to Mali, Daily Bread, and 2007’s Zion Crossroads. In 2007 Harris was awarded the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship.

Jordan Hartt (Communications Coordinator and Program Manager for the Centrum Writers Exchange) joined Centrum in January, 2006. Jordan holds degrees in English from Western Washington University and the University of Idaho and teaches at Peninsula College. He plays the didgeridoo and is an avid baseball fan. Email = jordan (at) centrum (dot) org.

Mary Hilts (Development Associate, Box Office Manager) joined the Centrum staff in 2003. Mary assists in all aspects of resource development, maintains Centrum's donor database, processes donations, performs research associated with charitable foundations and other funding sources and assists in coordination of donor events, including the Centrum Gala. A native of Los Angeles, California, Mary moved to Port Townsend in 1980, is a musician, artist, and advocate for social justice. Email = mary (at) centrum (dot) org.

John MacElwee (Executive Director) joined Centrum in 2009. John's career started 25 years ago in the field of orchestra marketing, fundraising, and community relations with symphony orchestras, including the Pacific Symphony in Orange County, Calif., later with the Houston Symphony, and then with the Detroit Symphony, where he served as Vice President for Marketing and Communications. He later moved to the directorship of the Arts Council of Sonoma County, where he worked with a broad array of community arts programs. Most recently, John was lead consultant in developing the business plan for the $120 million Green Music Center at Rohnert Park, Calif., scheduled to open in 2011 and served as an organizational consultant to the Healdsburg, Calif. Jazz Festival. Throughout his management career, MacElwee continues to perform as a bass player with varied jazz ensembles, as well as orchestras and bluegrass groups.  Email = johnm (at) centrum (dot) org

Tina McCleese (Finance Director) joined Centrum in 2006. She graduated from Eastern Washington University with a BA in Accounting. Tina owns Clarity Enterprises and serves as a financial consultant and guide to several Pacific Northwest non-profit and for-profit organizations. Her Port Townsend clients include Centrum, Swan School, the Boiler Room, and Jefferson Land Trust. Tina's passions include her two kids and her fabulous husband, learning to sail, and exploring her creative side. Email = tina (at) centrum (dot) org.

Peter McCracken (Program Manager, Blues, Fiddle Tunes) was on staff at Centrum from 1987 to 1998, serving in various capacities, including Arts Program Director and Traditional Arts Program Manager. In 1992, he started the Blues workshop and festival, bringing five National Heritage Award recipients to Fort Worden to perform and teach. McCracken led the initial curatorial project for Centrum's Festival of American Fiddle Tunes Preservation and Stabilization project in 2000, producing Volume 1 of the Fiddle Tunes Archives. The CD "A 20th Anniversary Festival Sampler" captures twenty-two performances from the festival's twentieth gathering. The long-term project received initial funding from the National endowment for the Arts, along with generous donations from individual donors. Email = peter (at) centrum (dot) org.

Gregg Miller (Program Manager, Jazz) first came to Centrum in 1978 as a student in the Chamber Music camp. In the early '90s, he returned for three years as a faculty member at Jazz Port Townsend. In the fall of 1999 he began organizing the educational and performance components of Jazz Port Townsend, the Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival, and other concerts. In November 2003, he became Director of Programs, and assumed his current position in 2005. Gregg is active as a professional clarinetist and educator. He enjoys working with his hands, including driving and repairing wheat combines each summer in eastern Washington. He lives with his wife and son on Bainbridge Island. Email = gregg (at) centrum (dot) org.

Dirk Powell (Artistic Director, Fiddle Tunes) has expanded on the deeply rooted sounds of his Appalachian heritage to become one of the preeminent traditional American musicians of his generation. In addition to acclaimed releases on Rounder Records, he’s recorded and performed with artists such as Loretta Lynn, playing several instruments on her Grammy-winning release “Van Lear Rose,” Sting, Jack White, Levon Helm, Jewel, T-Bone Burnett, Ralph Stanley, and Linda Ronstadt, among others. His ability to unite the essence of his culture with modern sensibilities has led to work with many of today's greatest film directors, including Anthony Minghella, Spike Lee, Ang Lee, Victor Nuñez, Steve James, and Edward Burns.

Hali Kalae Ransom (Registrar, Hospitality Coordinator) came to Centrum in early 2008 after managing the classified and circulation departments at The Port Townsend and Jefferson County Leader. She was packed up at the age of five and relocated to Port Townsend where her father, Bill Ransom, founded and directed the Port Townsend Writers' Conference. Hali has been a PT "local" ever since. Email = hali (at) centrum (dot) org.

Lisa Werner (New Works Program Manager, Volunteer Coordinator) Lisa moved from Hawai'i in 2008 to work at Centrum. She has owned and operated her own businesses, including a popular beachfront lunch and film catering business. Her passion has always been racing Hawaiian outrigger canoes and coaching competitive open ocean teams, and she hopes to form a team here in Port Townsend. Her previous volunteer work includes the American Red Cross, Advocats Hawai'i, the Big Island Aids Foundation, Punana Leo Language Immersion School, and the board of the Kohala Hospital Charitable Foundation. Living in Port Townsend and working at Centrum is a perfect blend of music, culture, and seaside community for Lisa and her partner, who plan to build a home on their Discover Bay property. Email = lisa (at) centrum (dot) org.

Martha Worthley (Program Manager, Young Artist Project) joined Centrum in 2007. Born in Providence, Rhode Island, she studied at the San Francisco Art Institute (BFA 1977) and also studied textile design and printing at the Rhode Island School of Design and Oregon College of Arts and Crafts. Worthley recently returned from a year in Mexico where she lived in Guadalajara and taught at the American School Foundation. While there she took the opportunity to travel in order to pursue her interest in Mexican arts and crafts. Email = martha (at) centrum (dot) org.

Note: We apologize for the inconvenience of having to type out our staff email addresses. Having direct links brought us staggering quantities of spam every day.