Leadership
Our Team
Mackenzie Royce
Interim Executive Director
Mackenzie loves to pioneer across the fields of art, cultural heritage, and law, often with a nod toward social and environmental practice. Now serving as Interim Executive Director, she joined the Art Share L.A. Team in early 2023 as Associate Director. During her tenure as Executive Director and In-House Counsel for Bluegrass Conservancy, the regional community-based nonprofit organization permanently protected over 25,000 acres of one of the World Monuments Fund’s most endangered cultural landscapes for future generations and achieved national accreditation for standards & practices of excellence and upholding public trust. She has served on and ethically advised charitable boards and trained in Visual Art and Integrated Studies through ArtCenter College of Design and with artists out of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and New York Studio School. Mackenzie received a Bachelor of Science in Business and Economics with Departmental Honors from the University of Kentucky and Juris Doctor with Academic Excellence Award in Historic Preservation from Vermont Law School. Born in the art colony of Laguna Beach, California, where her parents had a gallery in the 1970s, she has been based mostly in Los Angeles since 2016.
Morgan Barajas
Performing Arts & Facilities Manager
A working visual artist, musician, and filmmaker, Morgan Barajas is the acting Performing Arts & Facilities Manager at Art Share LA. Acting as a liaison between Art Share and event organizers around Los Angeles, he works to bring artists of all mediums to the Art Share stage and to celebrate the diverse talents in the city. Born in Whittier, CA, and raised on the cusps of the city, Morgan has worked in and near Los Angeles his whole life and feels a deep connection with the complex city. After completing his studies for a BA in Cinematic Arts at Azusa Pacific University, he ran a music video business in LA for three years before transitioning to the art world and independent filmmaking. As a member of Art Share, he is proud to serve the creative community and help keep art alive in the Arts District of Los Angeles.
Baha H. Danesh
Visual Arts Manager & Curator
Baha H. Danesh is a multidisciplinary Irannian artist, lifestyle documentary photographer and modern art curator who grew up in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. Being so close to the entertainment and business capital of L.A. Baha got involved with L.A.’s underground art community and founded the We Choose Art Community in 2005. Today she focuses on boosting underrepresented artists by presenting them with platforms to further promote their artistic endeavors. Since 2009 Baha has worked and developed programming for the Geffen Synergy program, Curated art exhibits for the Ricardo Montalban Foundation and is a past board member for the Brewery Artwalk Association.
Alexa Edwards
Development & Community Engagement Coordinator
Alexa Edwards is a budding art professional passionate about media, music, and movement. Her journey into the world of arts and culture began at the University of Oregon, where she received her B.A. in Cinema Studies in 2019. Exploring the powerful storytelling capabilities of visual media and simultaneously rediscovering her love of dance and live performance. Eager to expand her knowledge and explore career paths in the arts, Alexa pursued and completed the M.A. in Arts Management Program at Claremont Graduate University last year. She believes storytelling connects people and fosters a collective understanding of the world. Through her work, she strives to encourage empathy and broaden perspectives while uplifting new artists. Her most recent work achievement was briefly partnering with Center Theatre Group for her thesis project centered around audience engagement strategies.
O’Bryan A. Neely
Assistant Event Coordinator
O’Bryan A. Neely is a Los Angeles-based actor originally from Salisbury, North Carolina. His past credits include Amazing Stories, produced by Steven Spielberg and The Outsiders, starring Jason Bateman. Training extensively in the Meisner technique, he first started acting in theater. His credits include Lobby Hero at the Pinch N Ouch Theatre, Choir Boy at the West End Performing Arts Center, and All I Want For Christmas at Creative Prestige. As an actor, Neely lives by the motto, “work harder than who’s working the hardest.”
Wayne Hoggatt
Assistant Event Coordinator
Wayne Hoggatt is a multi-talented musician/composer, percussionist, recording engineer, videographer, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. He has worked in the arts and entertainment world since the early 90s and is happy to contribute his gifts at Art Share L.A.
Terry Ellsworth
Legacy Ambassador
Terry Ellsworth was a prominent figure in the downtown art community and – for more than a decade – an incomparable Art Share L.A. team member. He saw what the building could become during the Arts District’s revitalization and infused decades of his art experience into the evolution of Art Share L.A. His affability and his commitment to accessible, community-based art anchored the organization through its biggest transitions. As Art Share L.A.’s Ambassador, Terry would often install art shows and walk the building’s hallways sharing stories. He was a magnetic storyteller who held friends’ and patrons’ ears at each event with equal parts history and humor.
Board of Directors
Eric Needleman
President
Eric is a principal at The Spirited Group, a hospitality company that owns and operates venues throughout the Western US. Based in Los Angeles, the company currently has 20 locations throughout Los Angeles, San Diego, CA and Austin, TX. Eric began in the hospitality industry in 2004, with his investment in the Golden Gopher. He then partnered to open Seven Grand, a bar that is largely credited with establishing the cocktail renaissance in Los Angeles, and Caña Rum Bar, which specializes in small batch rum and classic rum cocktails. Prior to his career in hospitality, Eric was in commercial real estate. He was the asset manager of a 400,000 square foot portfolio of retail shopping centers and participated as a principal in the close of $100 million+ of commercial property transactions. Eric began in real estate with Gilmore Associates as the project manager for the Old Bank District redevelopment, the pioneering adaptive reuse project in Downtown Los Angeles. Eric is on the Board of Directors of the LA Conservancy and Art Share LA. Eric graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in Finance.
Katie Frager
Secretary
Katie Frager is an art enthusiast from San Diego with over a decade of experience in agency, gallery, and nonprofit sectors in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Currently, she consults in creative direction, marketing, and curatorial projects for entertainment, hospitality, and art advisory clients, including Universal, Apple Music, Four Seasons, CBRE, and Netflix. She studied Art History and Museum Studies at USC and USF. Previously, Katie worked with Tappan Collective, Superchief Gallery, 1AM, and KP Projects, and was the Visual Arts Program Manager at Art Share L.A. in 2018. She is also very passionate about animal welfare and involved with Helen Woodward Animal Center. Outside of work, she enjoys collecting art, traveling, and a great cocktail, preferably with her husband and their two rescue dogs.
Matthew Cuban Hernandez
Board Member
Matthew ‘Cuban’ Hernandez is a poet, speaker, and performance coach from Jacksonville, Florida. He has toured as far as Abu Dhabi and nearly every major city in the United States and Europe, performing, teaching and coaching poetry. Matthew is the co-founder of Spoken Literature Art Movement (S.L.A.M.) – an organization providing poetry education and extensive programming for poets. A 2018 Four Corners Fellow and a teaching artist for nearly ten years, Matthew has spent the last four years working in youth detention centers across Los Angeles County. He has opened for artists such as Wu-Tang and performed for platforms such as BuzzFeed and NPR. Matthew is also a three time Southern Fried poetry slam champion and an award-winning poetry coach. Cuban’s favorite activity is making people feel great; sometimes he does this through poetry.
S.C. Mero
Board Member
S.C. Mero is an enigmatic and influential figure in the world of contemporary street art. Based in downtown Los Angeles, she is renowned for her unique blend of guerrilla sculpture installations, often embedded in their surroundings with a wry sense of humor and commentary on urban life. She also runs Something Poetic, a studio in LA’s Historic Core that hosts local poets, musicians and experimental performers. Mero was represented by Art Share L.A. in the 2019 LA Art Show. Her work has been covered by Colossal, LA Times, LA Weekly, LA Taco, CBS and The Weather Channel. In 2021, she was awarded a certificate of commendation by LA City Council District 14 for her public work throughout the neighborhood.
Reginald D. Tucker
Board Member
Reginald D. Tucker is a seasoned investor and multidisciplinary artist whose work bridges strategic finance and creative practice. He is a Partner at East Beach Asset Management, where he leads capital markets, investment sourcing, and strategic partnerships. Reginald has served on advisory and investment committees for platforms including OPUS 1 Foundation, Popstar Ventures, and the Cap Table Coalition, and previously supported large-scale public pensions such as New York Common, Connecticut, and Orange County. As the founder of Recycled Abstract, his work transforms recycled materials into layered collage, functional sculpture, and installations. He has exhibited at Art Share L.A., The Other Art Fair, and Long Beach Creative Group, with commissions including Kaiser Permanente. He was a 2024–25 Ellsworth Artist-in-Residence at Art Share and has led artist talks at ArtCenter, CadFab Gallery, and Art Share L.A.. He is passionate about strengthening cultural institutions and ensuring the arts remain a vital part of civic life.