Meet the Panelists

Stacie Wheelock Adams

Chief Executive Officer, Dallas Business Council for the Arts   

Stacie Adams is the Chief Executive Officer of Business Council for the Arts (BCA), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization representing more than 150 leading businesses and organizations across North Texas. Working alongside a talented staff of arts educators and a diverse Board of Directors led by Founder’s Chair Nancy Nasher and Board Chair and Oncor executive Joel Austin, Stacie serves as a facilitator, connector, and advocate, strengthening the relationship between the business community and the arts.

Since joining BCA in June of 2023, Stacie has helped refine the organization’s focus to deliver meaningful value to its corporate members while strengthening the region’s cultural vitality. Under her leadership, BCA has expanded its membership, grown strategically from a $700,000 nonprofit to a $1.3 million organization, relocated BCA’s offices to Deep Ellum, launched the BCA Ambassador Program, strengthened the Leadership Arts Institute, and helped establish a free public art gallery in the Dallas Arts Tower dedicated to North Texas artists.

Stacie currently serves on the board of the Dallas Friday Group and has served on the boards of the Dallas Regional Chamber, the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce, the Japan America Society, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Foundation, and The Senior Source, among others. She is a former Fellow of Leadership DISD and is a 2012 graduate of the Business Council for the Arts’ Leadership Arts Institute.

Stacie is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in marketing and management.

David Andersson

Arts and Culture Team, Bloomberg Associates

David Andersson joined Bloomberg Associates in November 2018. He advises cities in their efforts to support their local arts and cultural communities by offering guidance in grantmaking, public art investments, data collection and evaluation, and non-profit governance. His work with municipal arts agencies helps strengthen their cities’ cultural sectors and promote vibrant art experiences for all of their residents and visitors.

David also manages the Bloomberg Philanthropies Asphalt Art Initiative, which helps cities create arts-driven street redesigns that improve pedestrian safety, revitalize public space, and engage local communities. He is also an adviser to the World Cities Culture Forum, a global network of city arts leaders.

Prior to joining Bloomberg Associates, David worked as the Director of Special Projects for the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, where he helped manage the City’s Cultural Development Fund grant program that awarded roughly $50 million to more than 900 cultural nonprofits each year.

David holds an undergraduate degree from Harvard University and is a practicing visual artist.

Bao-Long Chu

Program Director – Arts & Culture, Greenspaces, Houston Endowment

Nasher-Haemisegger Fellow, SMU DataArts

Long oversees our strategy to support and grow Houston’s arts, culture, and parks ecosystem. He collaborates with artists and community leaders toward a shared vision of a vibrant city with abundant opportunities to create and connect. The power of art to share and connect human stories inspires his work.

He is a storyteller. Originally from Vietnam, his passion for writing led him to the MFA creative writing program at the University of Houston. He has written and presented extensively on writing pedagogy, the connection between art and the refugee experience, and nonprofit programming. During his role as the associate director of the literary-education nonprofit Writers in the Schools, he developed his extensive background in literacy, arts, and community engagement.

Long’s poems and essays have been published in several anthologies, including The New Anthology of American Poetry: Postmodernisms 1950-Present and From Both Sides Now: The Poetry of the Vietnam War and Its Aftermath. His libretto for the opera Bound, composed by Huang Ruo, premiered in Houston in 2014, New York in 2019, and Seattle in 2023.

SMU DataArts named Long the 2025–2027 Nasher-Haemisegger Fellow, a role through which he will serve as research center’s new ambassador to the national arts sector. Long holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and psychology from Houston Christian University and a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Houston Creative Writing Program.

Chris Heinbaugh

Chief Advocacy Officer, AT&T Performing Arts Center

Chris Heinbaugh is the Chief Advocacy Officer at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, a 10-acre campus of iconic performing arts venues in the Dallas Arts District. He oversees the Center’s wide and diverse range of education and community programs, support services for Dallas arts organizations, institutional press, government and community relations, and collaborative advocacy on behalf of the Dallas arts community at Dallas City Hall and in Austin. He just marked his 15th year at the Center.

Prior to this, Chris served as chief of staff to Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert. Before that, he had an 18-year career as a television journalism in cities across the country, with the last seven years covering Dallas City Hall and politics for WFAA, Channel 8. Over his career, he earned 13 Emmy Awards for his work.

Chris serves on a number of boards including the Dallas Economic Development Corporation, Visit Dallas, Klyde Warren Park/Dallas Arts District Public Improvement District, Dallas Area Cultural Advocacy Coalition and Texans for the Arts.

Moderator

Jennifer Benoit-Bryan, PhD

Director, SMU DataArts

Professor, Arts Management, Southern Methodist University

Jen Benoit-Bryan, PhD, is the director of SMU DataArts and a Professor of Arts Management at Southern Methodist University. Her research focuses on the conditions that support vibrant arts ecosystems, the sustainability and well-being of the cultural workforce, and the broader community impacts of equitable access to the arts.

A recognized leader in arts research methodologies, Dr. Benoit-Bryan frequently contributes her expertise as an advisor and grant reviewer for national institutions including the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and numerous arts service organizations.