VICTORIA MURRAY BAATIN
Victoria is a capable and dedicated thought leader committed to excellence. She is the Principal of Apex Arts Consultants, a consulting firm dedicated to bolstering the health and vitality of the arts and humanities sector by tailoring comprehensive services to meet the unique needs of clients. She is currently the Senior Director of Social Impact at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts where she leads a dynamic team in leveraging the arts for non-arts outcomes to advance justice and equity.
Victoria has also had the distinct privilege of serving on the national team for the Creative Forces: NEA Military Healing Arts Network – a partnership of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs dedicated to meeting the special needs of military patients and veterans with traumatic brain injury and psychological health conditions through the provision of creative arts therapy. Prior to this, Victoria served at the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the official arts agency for the District of Columbia as the Deputy Director for Policy and Strategic Action and the Legislative and Community Affairs Director. In these capacities she worked to develop and articulate the Commission’s policy agenda and priorities and formulated strategies that created opportunities for the Commission to advance these priorities. Victoria has also worked with Americans for the Arts Action Fund where she managed the growth of the Arts Action Fund Political Action Committee (PAC) and served as liaison to federal candidates and campaigns. She also advanced the ArtsVote2012 campaign – a national initiative geared towards ensuring that the arts impact federal elections with a presence at both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions.
Holding a Master’s in Art and Public Policy from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and a BFA in Theatre Arts from Howard University, Victoria is an artist in her own right and has directed numerous productions throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area and is a member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society.
An avid traveler, Victoria has trained both nationally and internationally, New York City (Lincoln Center Theatre Director’s Lab, Women's Project Producer's Lab); Ashland, Oregon (Oregon Shakespeare Festival FAIR Fellow); Washington, DC (Allen Lee Hughes Fellow, Arena Stage); Italy (LaMaMa, ETC. International Symposium for Directors); Brazil (Center for the Theatre of the Oppressed); and London (British Academy of Dramatic Arts Shakespeare Program).
Victoria resides in Washington, DC with her family. She proudly serves on a number of nonprofit boards including The VIVA School, Theater Washington, The Studio Acting Conservatory, and The Lamp. When not working, she enjoys teaching yoga and mindfulness, swimming, traveling, and attending cultural events.