The mission of the Arts Council of Wilmington & New Hanover County is to support artists and arts organizations through innovative public/private partnerships that support jobs, stimulate commerce, and showcase the region as an arts destination.
Our Core Functions
Rhonda Bellamy
President & CEO (Founder)
Rhonda Bellamy is the President and CEO of the Arts Council of Wilmington & New Hanover County, where she has been a driving force in the region’s arts community since founding the organization in 2012. Under her leadership, the Arts Council has become the nucleus of Wilmington’s thriving creative sector, championing artists, arts organizations, and cultural initiatives.
Rhonda also serves as past chair of Arts North Carolina, the state’s leading arts advocacy organization, dedicated to ensuring equity, access, and connectivity across North Carolina’s arts landscape.
Recognized among the Wilmington Biz 100 for seven consecutive years, Rhonda’s contributions have earned her numerous accolades, including the White Lotus Lifetime Achievement Award (NC Project Lead), the Living Legend Award (City of Wilmington), the Woman of Achievement Award in the Arts (YWCA), and Woman of the Year (New Hanover County Human Relations Commission). She was also honored to serve as Mistress of Ceremonies for the 59th North Carolina Azalea Festival.
She currently serves on the boards of Porter’s Neck Village, Wilmington Area Hospitality Association, and the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher.
Before transitioning to arts leadership, Rhonda built a distinguished career as an award-winning news director, anchor, and talk show host, with over 25 years in radio, television, and print journalism in the Wilmington market. She continues to engage the community as the host and executive producer of “Around Town with Rhonda Bellamy” on WHQR Public Media.
A New York native, Rhonda graduated from E.A. Laney High School before earning a B.A. in English with a concentration in Media/Journalism from North Carolina Central University, along with graduate coursework in Instructional Media.
Above all, Rhonda treasures time with her two children and four grandchildren.
2025-2026 Board of Directors
Ashlea Kosikowski, Chair
Ashlea Kosikowski has spent decades as a journalist, storyteller and communications professional, working in the news industry and media relations. Ashlea is currently Senior Director, Media at 1AB, an external communications firm for biotech/medtech companies and healthcare-focused VCs. She works with clients on executive coaching, presentation and media training, media relations, messaging, developing communications strategies and more.
Ashlea spent most of her career as an on-air journalist, winning several awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) for her reporting. Most recently, she anchored daily newscasts at WECT News, where she was recognized as the “Best Local Newscaster” by Encore Magazine in 2020. Previously, she worked as a news reporter at WSOC-TV in Charlotte, NC and WTOV in her hometown of Steubenville, OH.
While she is no longer a news anchor, Ashlea still sometimes plays one on TV. She recently acted as a news anchor on Righteous Gemstones.
Ashlea has been an active member of the Wilmington community, where she has emceed countless charity events, including events for the Alzheimer’s Association, Wilmington Health Access for Teens, Guardian ad Litem and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade which benefited the Cape Fear Literacy Council. Ashlea has been honored by the CUE Center for Missing Persons with the Keeper of the Flame Award, for shining a spotlight and focusing community attention on cases of missing persons.
Ashlea and her husband, Brian Parke, live in Wilmington with their German Shepherd, Bosco. Her parents and several members of extended family live here too. She loves to golf, spend time at the beach, support the arts and try new restaurants. Ashlea is a proud alumna of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University.
Joey Toler, Immediate Past Chair
Joey is a retired arts administrator originally from Washington, NC where he served as Executive Director of Arts of the Pamlico, formerly the Beaufort County Arts Council. He has been involved with the arts in some capacity for most of his life.He is a graduate of Appalachian State University with a degree in Communication and Theatre. Past professional memberships and committee work include the North Carolina Presenters’ Consortium, Arts North Carolina, panelist for the North Carolina Arts Council’s Community Grassroots Grant, and Steering Committee for the 2007 AE/AIE Charter Conference in Charlotte, NC. He is a devoted advocate for the arts.
Cornelia “Nini” Rogan, Vice Chair
Alisa Harris, Secretary
Asheville, NC native Alisa Harris is no stranger to Wilmington’s arts scene. After two degrees from Boston University and a couple years living in London, she settled in Wilmington and worked as a talent agent for film and television actors and as an entertainment promotions specialist and ADDY award-winning graphic designer with her company, imageBLEND Promotions. In 2011, she started construction on a dinner theater in downtown Wilmington, and TheatreNOW opened in July of 2012 where she produced seven years of award-winning original productions and youth programming and created the not-for-profit group, Theatre Network of Wilmington/Superstar Academy, for the promotion of theater arts education for youth and underserved populations that now lives on as Theatre for All. She also executive produced a multimedia project aimed to promote prominent women in the Wilmington, NC community titled the Women of Wilmington (WOW) Project (www.womenofwilmington.com) and executive produced a short video of prominent Wilmington women in the arts in 2010/11. In early 2020, Alisa sold the TheatreNOW building on 10th and Dock to focus on her family and film & tv career.
Phil Sindel, Treasurer
Phil Sindel was born and raised in New York City but spent the last 25 years in Boston before retiring to the Wilmington area in 2018 though he has been visiting the area for the past 16 years. He received his BS from Cornell University and an MBA from the University of Hartford and has 45 years experience with the technology and operations within the financial services industry. Joining the founder of Olmstead Associates in 1994, Phil helped it to become a leading specialized consulting firm to the asset management industry. Prior to joining Olmstead Associates, Phil’s experience includes technology management positions at Aetna Life and Casualty and Mass Mutual and work as an independent consultant that took him overseas to England and Australia. Phil also worked for the White House as Manager of Information Systems for the Executive Office of the President. He has always been active in the arts community wherever he has lived, having helped produce concerts, been on radio or performing in community theatre. His wife Deni is a painter and a quilter and on the board of the Friends of the Leland Cultural Arts Center.
At-Large Board Members
Camille Akeju
Camille Giraud Akeju is Director Emeritus of the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum, where she served from 2005 to 2016 and led the museum through a revised mission addressing the impact of historical and contemporary issues on urban communities. Previously, she was President and CEO of the Harlem School of the Arts and Executive Director of Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center in the Bronx. Her career also includes leadership roles with the New York Transit Museum and the Association of Community-Based Artists of Westchester.
Katie Crosby
Katie Crosby is a seasoned development professional and advocate for the arts, currently serving as the Director of Development for Major Gifts at the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Division for University Advancement. Since October 2023, Ms. Crosby has worked closely with the College of Humanities, Social Sciences, and the Arts, and collaborated with campus departments to secure external funding, and stewarded donor relationships.
Previously, Ms. Crosby was the Assistant Director of Corporate and Foundation Engagement at UNCW, where she similarly secured significant funding for institutional priorities. In addition, Ms. Crosby served as the Artist Services & Residency Manager for UNCW’s Office of the Arts; she led campus programming, sponsorship acquisition, and community engagement.
Prior to UNCW, Ms. Crosby contributed to the arts landscape in Cleveland, OH, as Community Engagement & Education Coordinator for DanceCleveland and Outreach Coordinator & Professional Dancer with Ohio Contemporary Ballet. These roles honed her skills in arts education, grant writing, strategic partnerships, and fundraising.
Ms. Crosby is pursuing a Master’s in Higher Education Leadership at UNCW, complementing her BA in Fine Arts (Dance Performance) from Purchase College, SUNY, and primary studies at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in ballet performance.
Passionate about the arts and community, Ms. Crosby remains active in Wilmington’s cultural scene and is a member of the Wilmington Rotary Club, exemplifying her lifelong dedication to creativity and community.
Shane Fernando
Shane is Vice President of Advancement & the Arts at Cape Fear Community College. In addition to overseeing the opening of the Wilson Center, he previously served at UNC Wilmington, as Director of Campus Life Arts and Programs, overseeing UNCW Presents, the Arts in Action Performance and the Leadership Lecture Series, Ann Flack Boseman Gallery, and Lumina Theater; he also taught as an adjunct faculty member in the UNCW Department of Communication Studies. Shane earned a communication studies degree and a master’s degree in public administration from UNC Wilmington.
Brandon Hickman
Brandon Hickman was raised on Wilmington’s Northside and grew up with a strong support system of his family, church and Community Boys and Girls Club. He used his musical talent of playing the trombone and percussion to catapult him into a scholarship at Norfolk State University where he was a member of the Spartan Legion Marching Band. Upon graduation, Bigg B began teaching school in Charleston, SC and then returning to Wilmington, NC to teach and join the Coast 97.3 team as a DJ. Additionally, Bigg B founded Urban Promotions, an organization for teens to voice their concerns and opinions to community leaders. He was named North Carolina Alumni Brother of the Year for Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Southeastern Music Entertainment (SMES) Program Director of the Year and nominated for the North Carolina Music Awards Radio Personality of the Year.
Ray Kennedy
Ray Kennedy is a producer and nonprofit executive with more than three decades of experience in performance, program development, and fundraising. He previously served as Vice President of Programs & Services for USO of Metropolitan New York, where he led national programs, managed multimillion-dollar initiatives, and expanded audience engagement and volunteer services. He is the founder and president of Kennedy Entertainment Inc., past artistic director of Opera House Theatre Company, and actively involved with the Live Oaks Cabaret Series.
Dr. Sejal Patel
Dr. Sejal Patel is an Internal Medicine Physician who practiced hospital-based medicine for 8 years but quickly realized that there is more medicine practiced away from the bedside, yet is an integral part of patient care. Being a Medical Director at Novant NHRMC gives her a chance to be a staff and patient advocate at the same time.
She completed a residency in Ophthalmology in India in the year 2000 and moved to USA to join her husband. Due to her keen interest in comprehensive care, she decided to pursue Internal Medicine and trained at Moses Cone Hospital, in Greensboro, NC. During her career as a Physician at New Hanover Regional medical center, she also served as a Medical Director for Community Hospice and Palliative care.
In 2010 Dr. Patel was introduced to the world of Physician advisor which turned out to be her next professional journey. In 2018, She was promoted as the Medical at NHRMC. Dr. Patel has taken on Insurance Denials management as her most recent challenge and has helped overturn denials worth millions of dollars. Thus, protecting patients from expensive out of pocket health care expenses.
She has been actively involved with Cape Fear Cultural Association of India since 2002 and was instrumental in establishing it as a nonprofit organization. In 2020, she became the president and has led the association and the Indian Community during the challenging times of a pandemic through innovative ways to engage and support the members and do an outreach for the broader NH community.
Dr. Patel and her entrepreneur husband have lived in Wilmington since 2000 and are raising a beautiful daughter and a bilingual dog. Family time and food are her weaknesses and therapy as well!
Andrea Talley
As the Cultural Programs Specialist for the City of Wilmington’s Parks and Recreation Department, Andrea Talley works with locals artists to create murals for City spaces, with the Veterans Creative Arts Program to provide free art-making opportunities for local veterans, and with DREAMS Center for Arts Education to provide free art programs for youth and families at the City’s Recreation facilities, and is the staff liaison to the Hannah Block Historic USO/Community Arts Center. Andrea is also the grant writer for the Parks and Recreation Department. Andrea has worked for the City’s Parks and Recreation Department in various capacities since 1999. She is very excited to attend the Americans for the Arts Conference in Cincinnati this June.