Amy Appleton is a nonprofit leader, community artist and educator with nearly two decades of experience in arts education. She joins Young Audiences in 2026 as Director of Operations, where she looks forward to strengthening operational systems that support organizational sustainability and resilience.
Most recently, Amy served as the Director of Connected Arts Networks at the National Art Education Association, leading interdisciplinary teams to design virtual professional learning communities for nearly 1,000 arts educators nationwide. Previously, she held leadership roles including Program Director at Creative Art Works; Education Director at Marquis Studios, supervising more than 100 teaching artists; and Program Manager at Free Arts NYC, where she developed visual arts mentoring programs.
Amy began her career as a teaching artist working with youth and families at the Banana Factory in Bethlehem, PA, the Creative Alliance in Baltimore, MD as an AmeriCorps member, and later in schools, museums, and community centers throughout New York City. She is a visual artist professionally (painting and mosaics), a musician as a hobby (flute and harp), and a strong advocate for interdisciplinary collaboration through the arts.
Amy holds a BA in Studio Art and Spanish from Muhlenberg College and a MA in Community Arts from MICA. She is a 2016 graduate of NYFA’s Emerging Leaders Program and a member of the 2026 Global Leaders Institute, culminating in an Executive MBA in Arts Innovation. She serves on the Art Education Advisory Board of Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design and is a co-founder of the Trinity Creative Collaborative in Astoria, NY, where she is also active on a Queens-based social justice committee.
