We’re excited to introduce ASI’s 2026 Springboard Fellows: Tilynn Robinson, Chelsea O’Donnell-Samer, and Ebony Pace!
Through 120 hours of paid work experience, mentorship, and ongoing support from ASI, these emerging arts professionals are build skills all while contribute to the work of three Western New York arts organizations: the Niagara Arts & Cultural Center, Southern Tier Symphony, and Shakespeare in Delaware Park.
Get to know our Fellows and discover the unique roles they’ll take on with their Host Organizations below!
Chelsea O’Donnell-Samer
Arts Administration & Community Engagement Fellow, Southern Tier Symphony
The Southern Tier Symphony brings live orchestral music to communities across Western New York and Northern Pennsylvania, enriching the region’s cultural life through accessible musical experiences. As an organization rooted in both musical excellence and community connection, the symphony offers Chelsea O’Donnell-Samer an opportunity to put her organizational skills, community-minded approach, and passion for music to work in a new way.
A longtime musician, Chelsea knows firsthand that a creative career involves much more than making art. Alongside writing and performing songs, she manages the many moving parts of her own music career, from booking local shows and regional tours to marketing, media outreach, and social media.
She also works in radio as a host, producer, interviewer, and playlist curator, using her platform to spotlight artists from Western New York and Southern Ontario.
As the Southern Tier Symphony’s Arts Administration & Community Engagement Fellow, Chelsea will help coordinate its Toys for Tots program, manage the Sponsor a Musician initiative, and develop a framework for educational outreach concerts. Her experience coordinating events, building relationships, and balancing the creative and practical sides of the arts makes her well positioned to contribute to the symphony’s community-focused work.
For Chelsea, the fellowship is an opportunity to build on her experience as an artist while exploring a new professional path. After years of working across freelance and part-time roles to support her musical ambitions, she’s eager to learn more about the administrative side of the arts and find new ways to champion the regional creative community. Through hands-on experience and mentorship, she hopes to build connections, strengthen her skills, and discover what a future in arts administration might hold.
Ebony Pace
Administrative Fellow, Shakespeare in Delaware Park
For Ebony Pace, Shakespeare in Delaware Park has been part of her theatre journey since childhood. A graduate of Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts and SUNY Buffalo State College, Ebony brings more than 20 years of experience in theatre instruction, directing, and programming, with a focus on mentoring young artists and connecting communities through the arts. Now, she’s returning to a familiar part of Buffalo’s theatre community in a new capacity.
As Shakespeare in Delaware Park’s Administrative Fellow, Ebony is gaining insight into the behind-the-scenes work that makes accessible, community-centered theatre possible. Her responsibilities have included researching donor
information, organizing season records, managing audience data, and supporting the company’s Fall Touring Production at schools and community sites throughout the region.
For Ebony, the fellowship is both a professional next step and a personal milestone. Since returning to Buffalo in 2024, she’s been looking for opportunities to reconnect with the local arts community and deepen her understanding of theatre administration. She hopes to one day establish her own company, creating opportunities for young artists in Buffalo’s East Side communities. Having grown up watching Shakespeare in Delaware Park and recognizing the lack of people of color represented onstage, Ebony sees this experience as a full-circle moment and an opportunity to help build a more inclusive future for the next generation of theatre artists.
Tilynn Robinson
Marketing & Community Engagement Fellow, Niagara Arts & Cultural Center
For Tilynn Robinson, art has always been a way to express herself, tell stories, and make sense of the world. She understands the importance of seeing diverse voices and experiences reflected in the arts and was drawn to the Niagara Arts & Cultural Center (NACC) for its commitment to a wide range of artistic disciplines and its work preserving the rich cultural history of Niagara Falls and the surrounding community.
As NACC’s Marketing & Community Engagement Fellow, Tilynn is gaining hands-on experience in the many ways an arts organization connects with its community. She has contributed to social media and the center’s Tenant of the Month feature, begun work on a comprehensive art catalogue, and
participated in planning community programming and events. By shadowing community partner meetings, she’s also learning how collaboration helps bring arts experiences to life.
Tilynn hopes to bring her background in advocacy and community engagement into the arts and culture sector, helping build relationships that make the arts more accessible, inclusive, and connected to the people they serve. Through the fellowship, she’s exploring how arts organizations can elevate underrepresented voices, preserve community stories, and create spaces where people feel represented. She also hopes to reconnect with her own creativity, which she sees as a powerful tool for healing, growth, and community.
