About Arts & Campus Events
About
The Office of Arts & Campus Events (ACE) includes the major arts and social programming committees on Vanderbilt’s campus: the Vanderbilt Programming Board, Sarratt Art Studios, and the Vanderbilt Performing Arts Council. The Office of Arts & Campus Event’s mission is to facilitate and promote diverse programming for the Vanderbilt and Nashville Community that cultivates social & civic engagement, inclusion, artistic exploration and intellectual growth. ACE works closely with students, faculty, and staff from various academic departments and centers to coordinate programs for the Vanderbilt and Nashville communities with the goal of fostering and sustaining a culturally rich environment that provides participants with opportunities to understand and appreciate the value of art in their lives. The Office of Arts & Campus Events is a part of the Student Engagement and Leadership Cluster and a department within Student Affairs.
Staff
Dwayne V. Elliott | Director of Arts & Campus Events | dwayne.v.elliott@vanderbilt.edu |
615.322.2048
Dwayne has been working as an event planner in higher education for nearly twenty years. His experience and devotion to higher education and working with young adults are exemplified in every project that he supervises. Dwayne has helped implement and facilitate a wide array of events and concerts hosting crowds ranging in size up to 14,000 patrons.
Prior to working at Vanderbilt University, Dwayne served as the Program Coordinator at Georgia State University, in Atlanta, GA, where he advised and planned several events, ranging from musical acts to educational programming.
Dwayne began his career at Vanderbilt in May of 2004, and served as the Associate Director for the Office of First Year Programs and then was promoted to Director of the office in 2006. Elliott boosted attendance to non mandatory first year programs and developed a comprehensive first year programs for 1,600 students and their families.
In 2007, Dwayne took the position of Director of Student Campus Events at Vanderbilt University. In this position, Elliott advises the Vanderbilt Programming Board and serves as the liaison for Vanderbilt Athletics for the Office of the Dean of Students. During his tenure, he has increased student involvement and ticket sales for both the homecoming Commodore Quake concert and the Rites of Spring Music Festival. He also produced the very first ever back to back sold out Commodore Quake shows in Vanderbilt history and sold out the very first Rites of Spring Music Festival in its 30 plus year history. In May of 2013, Dwayne took the position of Director for Arts & Campus Events which merged his previous department, Student Campus Events with the Arts & Creative Engagement Office.
Dwayne earned his Master’s degree in College Student Development with a concentration in College Counseling from Appalachian State University and his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Appalachian State University. Dwayne is originally from Morganton, NC. Dwayne loves spending time with his wife Shellian and daughter Amya and in his spare time he enjoys playing golf and attending concerts.
David Heustess | Assistant Director for Visual Arts | david.f.heustess@vanderbilt.edu |
615.322.2048
David says that he knew when he was eight years old that he wanted to be an artist; he just didn’t know how to tell anyone. His actual journey in the arts began with musical theater in high school. While studying theater and dance at Appalachian State University, he began to realize that he was being cast more as a dancer. So he focused his training on modern dance and in 1982 began performing with a company in Charlotte, NC under the direction of choreographer Mary Ann Mee. For six years David danced as a soloist in original works choreographed by Mee and other nationally recognized choreographers, plus the repertory works by Doris Humphreys and Charles Weidman. A highlight in David’s dance career is being involved in the first restaging of Weidman’s Christmas Oratorio. He also attended two summers at the prestigious American Dance Festival at Duke University on scholarship. In 1988, David moved to Nashville to join the Tennessee Dance Theater. This opportunity not only allowed him to continue to perform and choreograph, but also was the catalyst for his training in visual arts.
After studying pottery in Nashville area art programs, David attended the Appalachian Center for Crafts and in 1995 completed his BFA degree with concentrations in clay and fiber arts. David began teaching clay classes at Sarratt Art Studios and became director of the program in the spring of 2004. David has a passion for arts education and brings an array of educational experiences to Sarratt Art Studios from his involvement in various nationally known arts programs from the Lincoln Center for the Arts and Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts.
David has exhibited his work locally in various fairs and events including the American Artisan Festival, and artclectic. David is working on a series of sculptural beaded vessels. An avid traveler, David has been site leader for two trips to Sri Lanka for Vanderbilt students. If he was not a visual artist, David is fairly confident he would be involved in culinary arts (who doesn’t love to eat?) and dreams of working in a small pastry shop in Paris, France.
Jaden Royal | Program Coordinator | jaden.t.royal@vanderbilt.edu |
615.322.2048
Jaden is in her second year as a Vanderbilt Commodore! She is originally from Ohio and is deemed a double Buckeye. She attended The Ohio State University, where she obtained her bachelor’s in communication and her master’s in Higher Education and Student Affairs. During her graduate studies, she worked in the Office of Student Life, where she advised the campus activities board, National Pan-Hellenic Council, and the African American Heritage Festival. In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling, going to concerts, exploring Nashville, and spending time with her partner and family.
Amanda Brooks | Program Coordinator | amanda.r.brooks@vanderbilt.edu|
615.322.2048
Amanda is in her first year as a Vanderbilt Commodore and was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee with a Master’s Degree in Communication and Information. Her undergraduate work culminated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication and a minor in Theatre from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
As a writer, photographer, and proficient public speaker, she is passionate about storytelling and connecting with others. Her favorite things to do are read and spend time with her golden retriever, Sellie. She is excited to join the Vanderbilt community!
Jayleigh Tawbush | Graduate Assistant | jayleigh.l.tawbush@Vanderbilt.Edu |
615.322.2048
Jayleigh is in her second year as an M.Ed. student in the Higher Education Administration program. She is originally from a small town north of Birmingham, Alabama. Jayleigh transferred from Wallace State Community College to The University of Alabama, where she earned her bachelor’s in secondary education. While at UA, she was an executive team lead for the programming board. Following graduation, she hopes to continue working in higher education with roles related to student programming, leadership, and assessment. In her free time, Jayleigh enjoys reading and writing, exploring new coffee shops, and spending time with her family, friends, and golden doodle, Bentley!