Student Life Students at the Bolz Center have access to a world-class university, full of arts and cultural opportunities for learning and leisure time. For more on student life, visit the student life information page. For more on arts activities at UW-Madison, see Arts on Campus. Meet the Students Second-Year Students Danielle Boyke Meryn Daly Anna Lyman Andrew Maxfield Sarah Michael First-Year Students Laura Blegen Marcella Dover Caitlin Fitzgerald Brian Hinrichs Joanna Simpson

Current Students

Bolz Center students represent a broad cross-section of interests and experience in arts and cultural disciplines, allowing them to contribute to the program as much as they gain from it. Students with specific interests and expertise in performing arts, dance, media, theater, visual art, folk arts, and other areas are encouraged to add their voice to the seminar discussions, and help build the Center's environment of constant learning.

The current Bolz Center student roster is just a recent example of this cross-disciplinary approach. Each incoming class adds a new depth and richness to the program's development, and eventually adds new breadth to our nationwide alumni network. Following are the brief bios of the current class.

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Second-Year Students (graduating May 2012)

Danielle Boyke
Originally from Pewaukee, Danielle is happy to be back in Wisconsin to pursue her MBA. Growing up destined for the business world, Danielle discovered her love of theatre while attending Bradley University in Peoria, IL, where she graduated magna cum laude with a major in Theatre Production and a minor in Business Administration. Her involvement in the university theatre led to a stage management internship with the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and her eventual career as a production stage manager. Since graduating, Danielle has stage managed plays at many theatres and festivals regionally, including the Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival in Iowa City, Iowa, the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival in South Bend, Indiana, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks in Bozeman, Montana, as well as Northlight Theatre, Remy Bumppo Theatre Company, and Victory Gardens Theatre in Chicago. During that time, she also served as the Chairman of the Board for Tantalus Theatre Group in Chicago, helping to set up their business policies and accounting system. Danielle is excited to be a part of the Bolz Center, where she hopes to strengthen her business knowledge in order to make a more valuable contribution to the theatre industry.

Meryn Daly
Originally from the Boston area, Meryn arrived to Madison via a winding path. At nine years old, she began to win awards for her studio art, revealing her aptitude for the arts at an early age. Her high school experiences broadened her artistic spectrum to include the performing arts wherein she became a highly active member of her school's drama club. Meryn merged her love and talent for studio art and drama in college by graduating from Syracuse University's Drama Department with a BFA in Scenic Design, during which she received numerous awards for her design work. While trying her hand at professional design work in Chicago, the pesky need to eat and pay rent prompted her to uncover her talent and passion for arts administration. Meryn has held various administrative management positions, including roles at Glimmerglass Opera in Cooperstown, NY, the Tony Award-winning Goodman Theater in Chicago, the Yale School of Music in New Haven, CT, and most recently Overture Center for the Arts in Madison. Since returning to school, Meryn's particular interests have gravitated toward television which she intends to pursue as a career upon graduation. She is thrilled to be a part of the Bolz Center and eager to share her experiences with her husband, Joel, and their two dogs, Spike and Tilly.

Anna Lyman
Anna Lyman comes to the Bolz Center after five years of working in education and the visual arts in Rome, Italy. She spent three years as a medieval history teacher, studio arts assistant, and Dean of Students at an American international school in Rome before moving into the art world. In addition to her work at Galleria Lorcan O'Neill Roma, a leading contemporary art gallery in Rome, she was awarded an internship to the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy in the spring of 2009. Originally from New Hampshire, Anna is a 2005 graduate of the University of Chicago (A.B. Religion and the Humanities). She intends to apply her MBA in Arts Administration to ensuring and expanding public accessibility to the visual arts, and to promoting public investment in contemporary art.

Andrew Maxfield
Andrew loves to see good art thrive commercially because of the trickle-down benefit that its success generates in communities, schools, families, and individuals' lives. As a composer, Andrew has written orchestral scores for short films, arrangements for pop and rock albums, a new cycle of choral pieces (recording to be released in late 2011), and a smattering of songs and chamber pieces. As an entrepreneur and consultant, Andrew has helped artists and organizations build business plans, develop brands, and communicate effectively. He has happily straddled the creative and business worlds since his early teens, always seeking to connect artists and audiences in mutually enriching ways. In 2006, he graduated summa cum laude from Brigham Young University, where he majored in Media Music Studies, minored in Business Management, and represented his graduating class as valedictorian. Andrew is delighted and honored to be affiliated with the Bolz Center as he seeks to further develop the skills, acumen, and connections necessary to build a productive life and career in the arts. Prior to studying at UW-Madison, Andrew managed the marketing efforts of the Consensus Building Institute and Tantara Records, in addition to piloting his own consulting practice. Anyone who meets Andrew will (hopefully) meet his wife, Liz, an award-winning cellist, composer, teacher, and recent Fulbright fellow. Andrew and Liz collaborate on many projects -- musical and otherwise -- and are happy to make their home in Madison.

Sarah Michael
Sarah is excited to join the Bolz Center after working in Washington, D.C. at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Originally from Cincinnati, Sarah grew up playing the violin and continued her studies at Northwestern University, graduating with a double major in Arts Administration and Violin Performance. While in Chicago, she interned in the marketing department at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the development office at the Ravinia Festival. Her work in Corporate and Foundation Relations at the Kennedy Center included fundraising for special events, jazz programming, and numerous education programs. While in Washington, she also worked as a freelance grant writer with two regional orchestras.

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First-Year Students (graduating May 2013)

Laura Blegen
Laura grew up surrounded by music, fine art and theatre, so it felt completely normal when she ''produced'' her first play in the elementary school gymnasium at the age of 12. She studied theatre and music at Lawrence University in Appleton, focusing on voice performance, acting and stage management. Before moving to Chicago, she completed internships with North Shore Music Theatre, in Beverly, MA, and the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington, DC. In Chicago, she worked as an office manager and technical writer for several years while stage managing and directing theatre in the evenings. In early 2008, she produced and directed the world premiere of Gemma Cooper-Novack's Blindside, which led to her decision to combine the skills she had gained in her ''day jobs'' with her love for the arts to join Stage Left Theatre as its Managing Director. At Stage Left, she discovered that her true passion lies in creating the environment in which artists can do their best work and where audiences find a welcoming access point to that work. After three years at Stage Left, Laura is thrilled to be joining the Bolz Center where she can expand her knowledge and vision for the potential of bringing art into the everyday lives of others.

Marcella Dover
Marcella Dover is excited to be a part of the Bolz Center Class of 2013 to earn her MBA in Arts Administration. Marcella's passion for the arts comes from both a life-long love of music and a cultivated interest in arts marketing. During her undergraduate studies at West Virginia University, Marcella found arts management to be a great way to stay connected with and support the arts community. She interned with the West Virginia Symphony in the Marketing & Development department and later worked for WVU Arts & Entertainment as a media buyer intern. These experiences brought together her studies as a Business Marketing major with dual minors in Piano Performance and Advertising. After graduating summa cum laude as a WVU Honors student, Marcella moved to Los Angeles to pursue an opportunity with the renowned Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. She advanced from her initial role as Marketing Assistant to Marketing & Patron Services Associate and gained incalculable experience across the spectrum of orchestral management. She stayed active outside of work through activities with the Emerging Arts Leaders of Los Angeles and also through devoted volunteer work with the Burbank Animal Shelter. Marcella continued her role with LACO for four years before joining the Bolz Center to embark on her graduate studies.

Caitlin Fitzgerald
Caitlin is excited to join the Wisconsin MBA program and the Bolz Center for Arts Administration. Caitlin comes from New York City, where she lived, worked, and played for the past 7 years. Originally from Charlottesville, Virginia, Caitlin was fortunate to grow up in a creative family of writers, artists, actors, and musicians. Alas, she discovered at an early age that her passion for the study and appreciation of the arts far surpassed her artistic talents. In 2004, Caitlin graduated from the University of Virginia, with a major in Art History. Immediately following graduation, she moved to New York to pursue a career in the commercial art business, working for Lori Bookstein Fine Art and Salander-O'Reilly Galleries. As Assistant Director at Salander-O'Reilly, Caitlin oversaw the daily operations of the Contemporary program, and coordinated with clients, museums, and the gallery's artists and estates. She assisted the Director in planning exhibitions and producing catalogues that featured works by American Modernist painters and 2nd Generation New York School artists. After Salander-O'Reilly Galleries closed in 2007, Caitlin decided to boldly go where few Art History majors have gone before -- the world of Private Equity. She has been working in Corporate Administration for the past 3.5 years at Onex Investment Corporation in New York, keeping her hand in the arts by overseeing Onex's Managing Director's extensive art collection and fitting in frequent visits to both Mets (opera house and museum). Caitlin is eager to return her focus back to the art industry, and is looking forward to all the new opportunities, experiences, and friends that await her in Madison.

Brian Hinrichs
Brian comes to the Bolz Center after working at Madison Opera for three years, first as the Manager of Communications and most recently as the Director of Marketing and Community Engagement. Earlier in his career, he held internships at the Chenango Summer MusicFest, Chamber Music Magazine, and Glimmerglass Opera. Originally from Bay Shore, New York, Brian is a 2007 graduate of Colgate University (B.A. English and Music). During the 2007-08 academic year, he was a Fulbright U.S. Student Fellow in Thailand, where he studied traditional Thai music at Kasetsart University and researched the recent growth of Western classical music performance in Bangkok, with a focus on composers and organizations that fuse both worlds. His article on the state of symphony orchestras in Bangkok appeared in Symphony Magazine. An active cellist, blogger, and all around classical music junkie, Brian is excited to explore new avenues to ensure a sustainable future for the arts during his time as a student in the Bolz Center.

Joanna Simpson
Joanna has been involved in the arts all of her life. She started out singing with her family for community concerts and nursing home visits, found art in movement through ballet and gymnastics, acted in and directed theater works, and studied classical music. Joanna also worked in several pottery studios, studied multiple languages while living abroad, paid for groceries by accompanying and performing, and has most recently focused her passion for artistic expression on latin dance. Her diverse background has helped her to develop the philosophy that the arts are not just an enhancement to life, but rather an essential element of it. Some of Joanna's current activities include dancing with Los Sabrosos, a Madison salsa organization where she is President, lead choreographer, and instructor; playing flute with Charanga Agozà, a Madison-based latin band; and leading and co-managing the worship music group at People's United Methodist Church in Oregon, WI. Prior to the Arts Administration Program, Joanna worked as a project manager for electronic medical record systems, and then for Wisconsin's Department of Enterprise Solutions' child support IT section, KIDS. Excited to join the Arts Administration Program, Joanna plans to use her MBA in combination with her background in management and the arts to increase the public's exposure to, and understanding of, different forms of art.