Our Team

Toya A. Lillard
Executive Director

Toya Lillard is a theater artist, director, arts educator, and facilitator. Toya currently serves as Executive Director of 651 ARTS, a nationally renowned arts presenting organization. Before joining 651 ARTS, Toya was Executive Director of viBe Theater Experience, an arts education organization and theater company in Brooklyn, New York. Prior to her role at viBe, Toya was Director of School Programs for The New York Philharmonic’s Education Department, where she helped develop its nationally recognized School Partnership Program. Toya is part-time faculty at The New School, where she teaches Collaborative Theatre Practice. Toya serves on the Board of the New York City Arts in Education Roundtable, and co-chairs the TaskForce on Equity and Inclusion, and serves on the Board of viBe Theater Experience. Toya holds a B.A. from Vassar College, and an M.A. from New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. She currently resides in Brooklyn, NY.

Robert W. Henderson, Jr.
Director of Production & Operations

Robert W. Henderson, Jr., has been with 651 ARTS since 2005, managing a wide range of live performance events, including 651’s 25th Anniversary Celebration at the BAM Harvey Theater with the Mississippi Delta Heritage Project, a 2-week celebration of the artistic culture of the Mississippi Delta. He has been since 2011, and continues to be, the primary lighting designer for Tiffany & Co. Fifth Ave Flagship windows; and the Production Coordinator for Center Stage, a public diplomacy initiative of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. He was the resident lighting designer for Theatre Three Productions in Port Jefferson, NY, for 18 years. He has production managed ceremonies for Pratt Institute and NYU Steinhardt at Radio City Music Hall; Brooklyn Youth Chorus’s Silent Voices workshop and premiere at BAM Opera House; Season of Cambodia, a month-long festival featuring 125 Cambodian artists throughout NYC; and Thirsting for Peace, commemorating 70 years of UNESCO at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, among many other events in NYC and internationally. Robert has a BFA with Honors in Theatre Production with an emphasis in Lighting Design from the University of Florida and an MFA from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts Department of Design for Stage and Film.

Farren Wood
Manager of Programs & Community Engagement

Farren Wood is a South African/Australian arts manager, creative professional and fierce community advocate. An inherent and culturally inherited love of storytelling has seen her dedicate her career to either telling the story or cultivating a place and space for stories to be told. Farren has worked as an actor, writer, performer, producer, event and artist manager. She has created and produced events for multiple West-Australian arts organizations including Fringeworld Perth. Her most recent work includes events for the capital city local government, the City of Perth. These range from small community gatherings to large-scale commercial music festivals. Wood has a BA in Arts Management from the West Australian Academy of Performing Arts. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Sarah Fonseca
Marketing Manager

Sarah Fonseca is a writer and arts communications veteran who has helmed messaging efforts for Emily Books, Feminist Press, Film Forum, Cinereach, Brooklyn Arts Council, and the American Federation of Arts — with an emphasis on copywriting, press relations, project management, and arts administration. A recent yet proud addition to the 651 ARTS team, Sarah is excited to serve 651’s remarkable artists through all things PR, marketing, and professional advancement.

Alisha Delissaint
Program & Executive Assistant

Alisha K. Delissaint is a Haitian-American multidisciplinary artist born in Brooklyn and raised in Springfield, Massachusetts. Alisha’s artistic journey has been shaped by diverse experiences, including two formative years in Tianjin, China. During this time, she immersed herself in new cultures and perspectives, which contributed to her development as a multidisciplinary artist with a focus on visual arts, digital art, and music.

From 2018 to 2024, Alisha curated and conducted interviews for her independent online blog, Paper Koi, where she highlighted unsung artists and creatives, ensuring their stories were shared with the world. After returning from Tianjin to reconnect with her Brooklyn roots, she worked as the Program Assistant for The Woodshed Network, collaborating closely with its founder, the renowned jazz musician DeeDee Bridgewater.

Alisha is deeply committed to educating and reinforcing the importance of Black arts within the Brooklyn community, continuously striving to uplift and celebrate the richness of Black creativity.

Matthew Allen
Operations Assistant

Matthew Allen is an award-winning music journalist and TV producer/director. He’s written for publications such as theGrio, Ebony, Jet, The Root, Village Voice, Okayplayer, NewsOne, Complex, The Amsterdam News, and Soulhead. His video work can be seen on PBS/All Arts and Brooklyn Free Speech TV.

Press and Public Relations
Flowers Communication Group

Development Consulting
Advance NYC

Accounting Services
Rich & Bander, LLP

Capital Projects
CJAM Consulting, LLC
Landair

Pro Bono Legal Counsel
Meredith Kane and Ruobing Chen
Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP

Board of Directors

Robyne Walker Murphy, Chair
Lise Suino, Treasurer
Theodore Bennett, Esq., Secretary

Obadele O. Davis, Esq.
Cynthia Gordy Giwa
Charlotte Hunter
Johari Jenkins
Claude M. Johnson
China Moses
Bahia Ramos
Malik Yoba