Co-Directors
Hope Falk is the Arts Student Engagement Manager for the Center for the Performing Arts and Student Engagement Programs. Hope is passionate about community/audience engagement practices, creating programs that contribute to peoples well-being and providing opportunities for lifelong learning. She is always seeking to create spaces where community can happen authentically which is what she hopes to bring to IllumiNATION.
Amy Dupain Vashaw is the audience and program development director for the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State. In this capacity, she works with the Center’s director to curate a diverse, inclusive, and wide-ranging season of professional performing artists from around the world. Her team then plans activities designed to create many points of entry for various audiences to experience the artists’ work. These include workshops, masterclasses, panel discussions, in-school activities, classroom visits, and public community programs, among many others. She focuses on equity, inclusion and utilizing the performing arts to promote empathy and ultimately create a welcoming environment at Penn State. She has served the university and community in a host of ways over her 22-year career, from positions including the Chair of the President’s Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Equity, to President of her daughter’s high school swim team booster club. Prior positions at a contemporary dance presenter and an off-Broadway theatre provided her with foundational skills including resourcefulness, flexibility, and a collaborative spirit.
Creative Director
Cheryl Capezzuti is best known for her parade-sized giant puppets and her largest work, the First Night Pittsburgh Parade. She is also a master teaching artist, commissioned puppet-maker, creator of puppet shows and a giant puppet fitness enthusiast. Cheryl has been integral in the creation of IllumiNATION; designing and building our playful lion puppets, training the team in how to run our various workshops, and sharing her expertise and knowledge around parades.
Brand Designer
Li Jung Lee (Emily) was Hope’s marketing intern during the 2018-2019 school year. She is responsible for designing the IllumiNATION logo, branding, and marketing plan. Emily graduated Summer 2019 and now lives in Dallas, Texas working on building her coding skills.
Arts Administration Interns
Tim Eimer is one of the arts administration interns for the 2021-2022 school year with the Center for Performing Arts. Tim is currently a 3rd year student majoring in Telecommunications and Media Industries at the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. Tim is interested in working in the world of music and entertainment, along with event planning. In his free time he enjoys listening to music, going to concerts and festivals, snowboarding, and being engaged in the outdoors. Tim is also a member of Lion Ambassadors here at Penn State, a professional touring organization.
Jess Naegele is the second 2021-2022 arts administration intern. She is a fourth-year student studying Marketing in the Smeal College of Business. Other than her academic focuses, Jess is heavily involved in the arts community at Penn State, serving as the A Cappella Community Relations Director for the Performing Arts Council as well as serving as President of her a cappella group, The Pennharmonics. She enjoys photography, live music, and traveling in her free time.