Denise Davis-Cotton, EdD, the Director of the Florida Center for PAInT. She is an esteemed professional and educator and author of Losing My Mind over Education (Finding My Way Back to Me), in which she shows the discord between the preparations of her educational journey along life’s landscape, what she discovers, and what needs to happen to reignite the educational spirit.

She is a Milken Foundation internationally recognized educator, Michiganian of the Year, and Past President of Arts Schools Network in which she made historic contributions to education and the cultural renaissance. She is the founder and served as the First Principal of Detroit School of Arts (DSA). She also received two Keys to the City of Montgomery (Alabama), as well as the Congressional Record Recognition by the 106th Congress, and she is recognized as a Distinguished Alumni – Alabama State University.

Frances Bradley-Vilier, a highly accomplished multidisciplinary artist, entrepreneur, arts educator, and administrator, has made significant strides in the arts and education sectors. She earned a BFA in Illustration from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and has recently received her Executive MBA for Arts Innovation from The Global Leaders Institute. As the Artistic Director of Tapology, Inc. in Flint, Michigan, Frances has spearheaded endeavors to preserve tap dance history and promote arts education through performance and community outreach.  In addition to her local contributions, Frances has extended her reach to national platforms. She has managed all professional development activities and curriculum initiatives as a Learning and Development Facilitator for the REACH grant. This role involves working with a wide array of professionals, including 40 teaching artists and 150 K-12 educators, superintendents, principals, and community arts leaders across 40+ schools nationwide. Frances has excelled in identifying training needs aligned with grant objectives, organizing learning programs, and developing a robust e-learning platform.

Furthermore, Frances has leveraged her expertise at esteemed institutions such as the University of South Florida, Sarasota Contemporary Dance Company, New College of Florida, and The University of Michigan-Flint’s Theater and Dance Department. Her involvement in managing a national, federally funded grant showcases her dedication to promoting arts education on a broader scale. Her unwavering passion for cultivating creativity and delivering impactful arts education highlights her continuous pursuit of artistic and creative excellence in various spheres. Overall, Frances Bradley-Vilier's versatile talents, leadership abilities, and dedication to fostering partnerships and promoting sustainability through the arts make her a genuinely exemplary figure in the fields of visual and performing arts, education, administration, and curatorial work

John-Michael brings over 5 years of relevant experience in finance, accounting and student organizations.  He graduated from Stetson University, with a double major in Corporate Finance and Management. In his previous roles, John-Michael oversaw million-dollar budgets and operations. As Director of Finance for Stetson’s Student Government Association, he managed $1.1 and 1.2 million-dollar budgets. At CINC Systems, he handled $1.9 million-dollars in annual collections, and over $2 million-dollars in customer assets.

John-Michael’s expertise in finance, accounting, reconciliations, student government, and student organizations make him an ideal fit to support the REACH Grant’s goal of strengthening arts educational programming as a catalyst for increasing student achievement and student engagement across our nation’s schools serving 4,000 students, 150 teacher leaders, and 100 arts educators, annually.

Aimee’ Irlanda Colon, Office manager who reports to the associate director of Academic Affairs at the University of South Florida. She analyzes and calculates account carry forward balances for the REACH Grant. She also manages Educational and General (E&G) salary rate, positions and benefit, reconciles and balances E&G budget, and prepares transfers to ensure that matching dollars are made available for the financial staff to make appropriate draw downs. She also monitors all budget transfer activity through the year to ensure compliance. She works in close collaboration with the REACH grant team to ensure that REACH project and accounts are managed cost-effectively to maintain adherence to grant financial objectives.

Chrishanthi DeSilva, is an associate director who reports to the regional vice chancellor for academic and student affairs at the University of South Florida. She serves as the unit business and finance administrative officer, who ensures that the operations and processes used to report financial data maintains the highest level of integrity. She also oversees data validity and quality to ensure that transactions are appropriately executed and recorded, including segregation of duties, to maintain appropriate checks and balances; sets and monitors data integrity  controls; maintains effective accountability structures; and upholds financial policies. She will process the REACH grant’s contract in accordance with various rules and regulations (university and federal), review and sign off on reconciliation reports to make sure expenditures are valid within the grant budget and all expenses are followed by the federal grant guidelines, develop and prepare financial/budget reports that are requested by the grant administration; and assist and advise PAInT leadership with budget and administrative issues.