Marin Alsop, Keli Lee and Jessie Woolley-Wilson

Presented by the Aspen Institute Arts Program as part of our ArtLeads initiative, we asked Harman/Eisner Artist in Residence Marin Alsop what social issue she wanted to address and discuss with others outside her field. She identified the continued struggle for gender equity and leadership. We paired her in conversation with Keli Lee, who has been named one of the “25 Most Powerful Women in Global Television” for her pioneering work in inclusive casting while at The Walt Disney Company’s ABC Television Network and ABC Studios and Jessie Woolley-Wilson, whose many accolades include being placed on Forbes list of “Impact 15” for being a disruptor in education for her work as President and CEO of the educational tech company DreamBox Learning®.

In this conversation, you will hear their nuanced and personal thoughts about their journeys to becoming one of the few women leaders – disrupters – in their fields, as well as broader ideas and narratives about what we can and should be doing to advance gender equity.

 

ArtLeads: Gender Equity in Leadership

Marin Alsop, Keli Lee and Jessie Woolley-Wilson

Marin Alsop currently serves as Chief Conductor of the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the first Music Director of UMD’s National Orchestral Institute + Festival, and the first Chief Conductor and Curator of Chicago’s Ravinia Festival. In 2021 she will assume the title of Music Director Laureate and Founder of the OrchKids youth program of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, after a 14-year tenure as its Music Director. She was Music Director of California’s Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music for 25 years. Alsop is the first and only conductor to receive a MacArthur Fellowship, and has been honored with the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award, numerous honorary doctorates and multiple Gramophone Awards. In 2002 she founded the Taki Concordia Conducting Fellowship for female conductors, which was recently renamed in her honor as the Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship. A new biographical film about her life, “The Conductor”, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2021.

Named one of the “25 Most Powerful Women in Global Television” by The Hollywood Reporter, Keli Lee is a transformational and innovative leader with a successful track record of combining her expertise and passion in business and creative with an industry leading vision for investing in diversity and inclusion. During her 25-year career in media and entertainment, Keli Lee has been responsible for redefining network television with her strategic, iconic and award-winning inclusive and international casting as Executive Vice President of Talent and Casting for The Walt Disney Company’s ABC Television Network and ABC Studios and for her impact on global television in her role as the Managing Director for Disney/ABC Studios International. In this role, she created, built and managed the operations of The Walt Disney Company’s first international TV studio division from start up to producing multi-season, award-nominated series within its first three years.

Jessie Woolley-Wilson is President and CEO of DreamBox Learning®. Prior to joining DreamBox, Jessie held several executive positions in leading EdTech companies including, Blackboard’s K-12 Group, LeapFrog SchoolHouse and Kaplan.

Jessie supports the broader education community by serving on several boards including Rosetta Stone, the Western Governors University Board of Trustees, and Ursuline Academy. She has been a featured speaker at events including TEDx Rainier, SXSWedu, DENT and GeekWire Summit.