Board of Directors
Eric Wallner, President
Change agent committed to making nonprofits relevant and vital; experience ranges from organizational development and spearheading local cultural policy to collaborating on national initiatives and research; former Executive Director of Zaccho Dance Theatre in San Francisco, Deputy Director of the Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center; and Chief Executive Officer at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Alexandria, VA
Ahmad Kakar, Treasurer
CEO with professional coaching firm Blossom; former consultant with McKinsey & Co., serving companies across numerous industries and helping them drive large-scale transformation and top-line growth; former Head of Strategy & Corporate Development at EdgeWave; Mr. Kakar has also been involved with charities such as Children of War
Afia Thompson
Co-founder of IAM affiliate Bahiya Movement in Oakland, CA; West African dancer for over 20 years; has performed nationally and internationally in genres including jazz, hip-hop, lindy hop, freestyle, and modern dance; has graced such stages as the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco International Art Festival, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and Oakland’s Art and Soul Festivals; her film MAPENZI: A dancer’s love affair with Dance, Body, and the Arts! was accepted to the 2019 San Francisco Dance Film Festival
Alexandria Wyllie, Secretary
Community Engagement Manager at Gateway Public Schools; over 10 years of event planning and fundraising experience with BA in Psychology from UC Riverside and Masters in Public Policy and Management from USC; before GPS, worked in Communications for Art Spark and The Sumba Foundation; born in Jakarta, Indonesia, and raised in the East Bay; she has called San Francisco home since 2015
Lisa Burger
IAM Executive Director since 2016; licensed attorney with over 10 years experience in arts nonprofit management; Managing Director of Zaccho Dance Theatre; board member of SOMArts Cultural Center; Advisory Council Member of The Crucible; nonprofit consultant specializing in nonprofit formation, operations, and early strategic development
Robert Philipson
Founder of Shoga Films, a nonprofit media company in Oakland with a mission to create and distribute multimedia projects on race and sexuality that raise awareness and foster critical discussion; published author, newspaper drama critic, Peace Corps Volunteer, and member of the independent filmmakers collective We Make Movies