About

Building Durham’s Cultural Vision Collectively

As part of the Durham Cultural Roadmap planning process, the City of Durham and Durham County hired MJR Partners to better understand the needs of the arts and culture community.

The MJR Partners team brings knowledge and experience grounded in the intersection of arts management, community development, and cultural planning.

MJR Partners gathered input from local steering committee members, agency staff, and community thought leaders to inform and guide our research protocols and resulting recommendations.

_{Public Art: “Here Comes the Sun”, 1975,}
_{Mural by Karen Stern Perkins.}

Your Voice Shapes Durham’s Cultural Future

Our team is here to listen. We want to understand your goals and hopes for a Creative Durham. We have focused on hearing from a wide range of voices. Your input helped us look at how people currently access arts and culture—and how we can make that better.

By working together, we can help build stronger support for Durham’s arts, culture, and humanities community.

We look forward to meeting you and hearing your voice!

Margie J. Reese

Principal

Margie is a veteran in the field of arts administration, who has served as the Executive Director of city arts agencies in Dallas, Los Angeles, and Wichita Falls, Texas.

Marlena R. McKnight

Marlena is the team’s chief research officer. Marlena’s focus areas include developing data-driven professional development, and guiding systemic change management through the lens of racial equity and inclusion.

Gerry McCants

With an extensive background in business analysis, Mr. McCants is passionate about providing
facilitation and consultation for companies, governmental agencies, and nonprofits.

Yolanda R. Alameda

As a member of the MJR Partners team, she sees her purpose as a resource to local communities to help demystify government processes that can lower access to civic resources, particularly to Latino residents and to communities of color.

James Adams

James is the logistics manager for the MJR Partners Consultant team. He oversees contract compliance, reporting, scheduling, and on-site coordination.

Brandon McKnight

Brandon is a passionate communications professional and graphic designer who focuses on supporting non-profit organizations.