Diving Deeper: K-12 Education Policy (2020 Event)

James Palmarini is the Educational Theatre Association Director of Educational Policy. He was the founding editor of Teaching Theatre journal. James serves on the Arts Education Partnership Advisory Board; the Washington D.C.-based Arts Education Working Group; the National Coalition for Core Arts Standards (NCCAS) Leadership committee; the Innovation Collaborative Board; the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education Board; and manages EdTA’s Advocacy Leadership Network. He just completed management of the association’s National Endowment for the Arts grant, the Model Curriculum Framework Project, in which 12 theatre teachers and 12 teaching artists collaborated to create standards-based lessons in a range of theatre skills.

Kathi R. Levin, a national leader in arts education for over 20 years, is an ongoing consultant with the National Art Education Association since 2008, managing a portfolio which supports the association’s policy, advocacy, research, national standards and leadership development efforts. She is the Program/Development Officer for NAEA's grant-making National Art Education Foundation and consults with organizations in arts education, strategic planning, management and governance. She is a founding board member of the Innovation Collaborative and vice president of Carolyn Dorfman Dance (NJ). Her clients have included the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, and Americans for the Arts. Ms. Levin was Director of the Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network for over a decade where she conceived of and wrote A Community Audit for Arts Education, the foundation of the Center’s Any Given Child Initiative and managed outreach and leadership development initiatives including over 25 national partnerships. Ms. Levin has served on the Steering Committee of the Arts Education Partnership and the Arts Education Council of Americans for the Arts, and has held senior management positions with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and AASA, the professional association of public school superintendents. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arts Administration Master’s program with a B.S. in Arts Education from the University of Delaware, she is a member of the American University Arts Management Program Advisory Council and taught visual art in the Wilmington (Delaware) Public Schools.

Tooshar Swain serves as Assistant Director for Public Policy for the National Association for Music Education (NAfME).  In his role, Tooshar focuses on ESSA implementation, higher education policy, and policies aimed at promoting music education in underserved areas.   

Prior to Joining NAfME, Tooshar most recently served as Policy and Communications Director for congressional candidate Micah Edmond in Virginia’s 8^th Congressional District.  Tooshar also served as Deputy Policy Director for Rick Santorum’s 2012 presidential campaign, focusing on economic policy. 

Additionally, Tooshar spent five years at the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) where he developed and advocated for tax and financial services policy supporting the biotech industry.  Tooshar also spent four years on Capitol Hill serving as a policy staffer on tax issues. 

As the husband of a school teacher, Tooshar understands the vital role that music education plays in a child’s life.  He is thrilled to be serving such a worthy cause that touches the lives of students across our country.