In new role, arts administration alumna uses classroom skills to lead regional program

October 30, 2025

Kailyn Shalosky credits OHIO’s MAA program as instrumental in developing the skills she uses in her new role in the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

For Kailyn Shalosky, MAA ’25, a new role in the arts sector relies on knowledge imparted at OHIO.

The arts administration alumna recently took a new position with the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival where she serves as an ASPIRE coordinator Region Two — comprising western New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Delaware, Maryland, Washington, D.C., West Virginia and northern Virginia — for the duration of the 2026 festival in January.

KCACTF is a national theater program serving more than 18,000 students annually across the country at the collegiate level. Shalosky works with students in Region Two to enhance the student experience and coordinate at the national level.

Shalosky said one of the resources referenced by the ASPIRE program, an arts leadership program aims to cultivate the next generation of theater leadership with a specific focus on traditionally underrepresented communities, is Invitation to the Party by Donna Walker-Kuhne, a book she read while enrolled in the Master of Arts Administration program.

“This book specifically taught me how to break down barriers and build bridges in order to make the arts more accessible to the communities we serve,” she said.

Shalosky added that the book imparted upon her the importance of approaching her new role with “sensitivity and a commitment to inclusivity.”

“It reminds me to not make generalizations, and to focus on collaboration and community-building through our differences, which is something I hope to bring to this fellowship program,” she said.

Shalosky, an alumna of KCACTF herself, said she is particularly excited to help solidify the ASPIRE program — which was still in development during her participation in the festival — as an opportunity for students hoping to gain experience in arts leadership.

She said she hopes the experience will help her “grow as a facilitator and mentor” and that she will shift from the student role to supporting the next generation of students themselves.

“This is my first major opportunity to help shape a space for emerging arts leaders, and I’m eager to learn how to intentionally create that space, offer meaningful guidance, and empower others to recognize their potential leadership,” she said.

In the MAA program, Shalosky said one of the most important things she gained was “the confidence to ask for opportunities.” In classes, she learned that seeking not only employment opportunities, but public leadership and board opportunities as well were essential to developing as both an individual and an arts professional.

“My takeaway is that if I'm not seeking out a leadership opportunity, then who is?”

For current and future students in the program, Shalosky said she advises individuals “to remember where they planted their roots.”

“I received this opportunity because I stayed in touch with my undergraduate theatre advisor, who reached out to me knowing I was in the MAA program, which aligns closely with the goals of the ASPIRE program,” she explained.

Shalosky also advised students to take detailed notes and track their own thoughts and reactions to better understand what they value and where they see themselves fitting into arts leadership.

“Being able to connect ideas across different contexts is one of the greatest tools the MAA program gives you!”