The Office of Multicultural Arts Initiatives (OMAI) is honored to welcome two new team members for Spring 2024. Kayla McGhee (she/they) is stepping in as Interim Associate Director (January – May 31, 2024) with a focus on strategic thought leadership for the student support services of the First Wave Hip Hop & Urban Arts Scholarship Program. Eric Newble (he/him) is contracted as OMAI’s Line Breaks Festival Assistant Director (January – April 30, 2024), working directly with OMAI’s Technical Events Director and Faculty Artistic Director to work with performers, alumni and partners on the development, planning and execution of OMAI’s 18th Annual Line Breaks Hip Hop Theater Festival.
Eric Newble is an esteemed multi-disciplinary artist and creative advisor. Songwriter, percussionist and vocalist in Tilla, Eric is a proud alumnus of the 7th cohort of First Wave.
“I’m really excited for the opportunity to be able to help facilitate Line Breaks 2024 and support OMAI staff and the First Wave community,” Newble shares. “I’m looking forward to reconnecting and getting to know current scholars; learn about their work and how I can support them. I’m most excited to bring their work to fruition in a way where the students and I feel confident in knowing we did everything we needed to do to make their vision a reality – and that reality is the best iteration of their vision.”
McGhee will be serving a dual appointment as the OMAI Interim Associate Director, as well as the Outreach & Engagement Coordinator at UW–Madison Division of the Arts. She brings her knowledge and experience in leading community programming, developing assessment strategies, and implementing student support services.
In her role as the Arts Outreach & Engagement Coordinator, Kayla focuses on building trusting relationships with students, faculty, staff, and community members while also identifying resources and infrastructure for sustainable and symbiotic partnerships. A strong advocate for responding to identified needs, Kayla excels in developing strategies that prioritize common goals through effective project management and strategic planning.
Prior to her work with the UW, Kayla served as Youth Outreach Manager with Young Chicago Authors where she implemented their first youth advisory council. Kayla worked with the council and used methods including surveys and focus groups to tailor support services to the diverse needs of student communities. Noteworthy achievements include spearheading a partnership with a local therapy practice to provide free mental health support services for student poets and launching a podcast for students to center their voices and perspectives on community and organizational affairs.
With personal and professional goals centered on acting as a resource and fostering empowering spaces, Kayla aspires to contribute to OMAI/First Wave by working alongside students to help build the space that feels most affirming to them. As a self-described poet and artivist, Kayla is excited to use the three pillars of OMAI and the transformative power of Hip-Hop and Poetry to ground her work.
As OMAI is trying our best to regain footing after the tragic loss of Associate Director Cydney Edwards, we cannot thank you all enough, our larger community, for your condolences and positive energy. We are pushing forward this semester in Cydney’s honor. OMAI’s search for the permanent Associate Director position will launch in early March 2024 for a start date in early June.