Arts Alumni Spotlight: Mary Dell’Erba and Colin Holter

Mary Dell’Erba (Dance, INDS ‘14) is a senior project manager at the Arts Education Partnership, a center within the Education Commission of the States and a collaborative of the National Endowment for the Arts and U.S. Department of Education. Colin Holter (Music ‘01) is Executive Director of the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra, northeast Ohio’s oldest extracurricular large-ensemble program. They will each talk about their respective careers and professional trajectories since graduating from UMBC.

In her role as senior project manager at the Arts Education Partnership, Mary Dell’Erba leads a team of staff developing arts education policy research, reports and national convenings. She also offers technical assistance on arts education policy issues to the AEP network of more than 140 partner organizations and ECS Commissioners, including state policymakers and national arts and education organizations. Prior to joining AEP, she worked in state level policy and advocacy, leadership development, philanthropy, and state government. Mary is currently a fellow in the Education Policy Fellowship Program through the Institute for Educational Leadership. Mary received her Master’s in Public Policy with a focus in Education in 2015, as well Bachelor’s Degrees in Dance and Interdisciplinary Studies in 2014 from UMBC where she was a Linehan Artist Scholar.

Colin Holter is Executive Director of the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra and directs the NOYO Lab Group, a collaborative composing ensemble that plays repertoire created by its participants. In addition to his work with NOYO, Colin serves on the board of Cleveland dance company, The Movement Project, and is an occasional improviser, interdisciplinary collaborator, and writer on music. Colin holds a PhD in composition from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, along with master’s degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Brunel University London. Colin graduated from UMBC in 2001 in Music (composition) and was a Linehan Artist Scholar.