Executive Director – DAVID MARQUIS
David Marquis is the founder of Marquis Studios and has been its Executive Director since the company’s inception in 1977. He brings to his work as an educator his considerable experience as a theater artist of many capacities. David began his artistic career in London, where he studied and taught acting for five years. From 1985-1989, he sat on the Board of Directors for the Puppetry Guild of New York. From 1988-90 he was a site reporter for the National Endowment for the Arts theater program. From 1992-2000 he was a member of the Board of Directors of the New York City Arts in Education Round table. He is a founding member of the Association of Teaching Artists and currently sits on the Board of Trustees of Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute as well as the Board of Directors of the Delaware College of Art and Design. His work as a puppeteer has toured the United States and has been placed prominently in many international festivals. As a teaching artist for the last 35 years, David has taught innumerable classroom and professional development workshops. Subjects include puppetry, theater arts, writing, video editing, literacy, and mask-making. In the late 1970s, his work with video and computer-generated images of his own design was the first integration of this technology into puppet theater in the United States.
Program Manager – MAXINE MONTILUS
Prior to joining Marquis Studios in the role of Program Manager in August 2010, Maxine Montilus worked in the Educational Outreach office at The Juilliard School, where she spent three years coordinating arts education programs for both healthcare facilities and public schools, among other duties. She graduated from the University of the Arts with a B.F.A. in Modern Dance Performance in 2000, and obtained an M.A. in Arts Management from City University London in 2006. A native of Brooklyn, New York and a dancer since the age of six, Maxine continues to pursue her love of both modern and Afro-Caribbean/ folkloric dance in her free time, and is currently a member of Kanu Dance Theater and Ase Dance Theatre Collective.
Development Manager – SARAH ORY
Sarah Ory has been working with nonprofit organizations on fundraising and other development activities for the last eight years. During this time she has gained extensive experience with organizations that serve children and adults with disabilities, including multiple organizations working with special needs classrooms in the public school system. In addition to years of development experience, Sarah has a B.A. in Studio Art from the College of Charleston, with a concentration in sculpture, and holds an M.S. in Nonprofit Management from Regis University. Sarah currently combines her background in the arts with her experience in the nonprofit sector to further the mission of Marquis Studios through her role as Development Manager. In her free time Sarah serves on the support committee for the Arts in Special Education Consortium (ASEC) as the head of the development committee.
Financial Manager – VASSILI SHISHKIN
Vassili Shishkin has worked for Marquis Studios since 2001, when he graduated from Hartwick College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. He has worked in almost every department of the company in positions ranging from art supply assistant to bookkeeper. Currently he is the Financial Manager as well as Art Supply Manager. His previous work experience was primarily in Internet and Computer Technology-related fields. His other interests include the stock market, music, writing and street/park/dj biking.
Program Associate – ASHLEY SLATER
Ashley Slater is the program associate at Marquis Studios. She holds an MS in Art and Design Education from Pratt Institute and a BA in Spanish from CUNY, City College of New York. Ms. Slater has extensive teaching experience in a range of educational settings. She is New York State certified for K-12 with a Bilingual Spanish Education Certificate. In addition she has completed three professional development workshops offered by the Council for Economic and Financial Literacy. Ashley has played a critical role in the development and implementation of the African Marketplace Project, teaching financial literacy through the arts in three New York City public schools. Her responsibilities have ranged from coordinating of all aspects of the program’s culminating events to co-teaching in the classroom.
Education Liaison – CHRIS FORTE
Chris’ role is to work directly with each school’s staff to determine the optimal support that Marquis Studios can provide the school’s Art Education program. He had a successful business career over 32 years with Hallmark Cards 8 as the Regional Manager for the Eastern US. He led a field organization of over 1,000 people in a variety of roles and worked with senior management of major retailer such as Walgreens, CVS and Wal-Mart Stores. He is a native New Yorker, born and raised in the Yankee Stadium neighborhood of the Bronx. He comes from an education based family with his Dad being a NYC Teacher/Guidance Councilor for 50 years and Mom an Art Teacher. As a rabid Baseball fan, he often dreams of roaming the outfield of YS with his hero Mickey Mantle. He and his wife Miyoko currently live Bayside, Queens.