The Athens Cultural Affairs Commission consists of 11 voting members appointed by the Mayor and Commission of Athens-Clarke County.
Regular meetings are open to the public and held on the 2nd Monday of each month at 6:00 PM, Lyndon House Arts Center, 211 Hoyt Street
Executive Members
Chair: Sally Kimel-Sheppard
Sally Kimel-Sheppard is a licensed clinical social worker practicing in Athens for the past 25 years. Sally has two children attending Clarke County Schools and currently leads Envision Athens. Sally loves the culture and arts of Athens and that’s why she chooses to serve the Athens community.
Vice Chair: Mark Mobley
Mark Mobley is an award-winning writer, producer, programmer and performer. He received the Peabody Award as musical head of the public radio program Performance Today, and the ASCAP / Deems Taylor Award for distinguished music journalism while at the Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Va. He has appeared as a performer and lecturer with the Virginia Symphony, Richmond Symphony, Delaware Symphony, Jupiter String Quartet, Virginia Arts Festival, La Jolla Music Society SummerFest, Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival, Washington Performing Arts Society, Master Chorale of Washington and the University of Georgia Symphony Orchestra. He now serves as director of marketing and communications at the UGA Performing Arts Center.
Secretary: Marissa Chastain
Marissa Chastain moved to Athens in 2007 to pursue her undergraduate degree in Art Education & Painting. Like so many others who experience Athens, she fell in love with the vibrant town and knew it was meant to be her home. Marissa enjoys working with local businesses in her role as Director of Membership & Marketing with the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce. She currently serves as Vice President of Athens Pride & Queer Collective, a board member of Nuci’s Space and Lead Athens Alumni Association, and as a member of Create Athens, the MLK Day of Service Committee, and the Athens Cultural Affairs Commission. In her free time, Marissa enjoys creating music and art, spending time with her friends, and exploring all that the Classic City has to offer.
Commissioners
Montu Miller
Montu is the Ambassador of the Athens HipHop Community, co-founder / chief operating officer for ATHfactor-Liberty Entertainment, a dedicated member of the East Athens Community Center Staff, and father of five. He embraces his roles as a writer, poet, mentor and community activist; he is an intellectual, a revolutionary and a community leader. Montu, with business partners Reggie Sykes and Khaalis Brooks, plans events and books entertainment through ATHfactor-Liberty Entertainment (ALE). He has produced countless songs and helped organize many HipHop events in Athens, including First Tuesday: World Famous Hip-Hop Night, Hip-Hop Don’t Stop Series (That Bar), ATHfest’s annual Many Faces of HipHop showcase, King of the Ring Emcee Battles, Athens HipHop Homecoming, Southern Gumbo Showcase, Tasty Tuesday weekly Hip-Hop Night, Beat Wars-beat battles and several weekly poetry nights. His has interests beyond music; he serves as community liaison for the Chess & Community Conference board and is on the Hot Corner Festival planning committee. He is committed to never stand idly by when much needs doing. He believes in a “boots on the ground” approach when it comes to solving community issues.
Francis Oliver
Francis Oliver is an arts administrator, editor, and proofreader from Miami, Florida. She has previously worked in a variety of capacities in public art organizations, including archives and collections management, curatorial support, and artist residency supervision. She is interested in the intersections of public art, archives, diaspora studies, and Latinx contemporary art. Francis received her master’s in public administration at the University of Georgia in Spring 2022. Francis serves as the Communications Manager at the Lamar Dodd School of Art, overseeing print and digital promotion for the school’s academic community and exhibitions.
Jessica Smith
Jessica Smith is a journalist, musician and visual artist who currently serves as the Music & Arts Editor of the alt weekly publication Flagpole, where she has the privilege of writing about the many performers, artists, exhibitions and other creative events that make the Classic City so vibrant and special. She is also a longtime employee of the fabulous 40 Watt Club. Jessica is a graduate of UGA’s Terry College of Business and Music Business certificate program, as well as a proud former DJ and general manager of the non-commercial radio station WUOG 90.5 FM. She has also volunteered as a board member of the Athens Area Arts Council in the past. Over the years, she has played flute, organ, violin, piccolo and bass guitar for a variety of psychedelic, symphonic, folk and experimental projects. In her free time, she enjoys visiting artist environments and hiking around the Southeast’s beautiful mountains and waterfalls.
Jamie Berk
Linnea Ionno
Ian McFarlane
Matthew Stefek
Ex Officio
Jan Bush, AAAC Liaison
Advisory / Staff
Tatiana Veneruso, Public Art Coordinator, ACC Leisure Services tatiana.veneruso@accgov.com
Stephanie Raines, Arts Division Administrator, ACC Leisure Services
