Staff & Leadership

Manager of Programs and Services

Deonté Griffin-Quick, a New Jersey native, is an actor, singer, and arts administrator who is committed to the advancement and diversity of American Theatre. Deonté joined the NJTA team as an intern in December of 2016 and was enthused to continue his work with the Alliance as the Marketing and Communications Assistant before becoming the Manager of Programs and Services. 

Before joing the Alliance staff, Deonté was afforded the opportunity to complete internships with several NJ theatres including New Jersey Repertory Company and Premiere Stages. In 2018, Deonté served as a grant review panelist for Alternate ROOTS (Atlanta, GA) to review applications for Partners in Action, a program that fosters and funds social justice partnerships with progressive activist artists from all artistic disciplines in grassroots communities across the U.S. Southern Region. He has also worked with the organization to facilitate workshops focused on equity, diversity, and anti-oppression. From 2018-2019 he served as the State Coordinator of New Jersey Poetry Out Loud, working with New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

In April of 2019, Deonté received the "Outstanding Achievement in the Arts" award from the Urban League of Union County Young Professionals. Deonté holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre with a Communication minor from Kean University and is a candidate for membership of the Actor's Equity Association. As a performer, Deonté has performed at The Prudential Center, Enlow Recital Hall, New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the world renowned Apollo Theater in Harlem, Premiere Stages, Luna Stage Company, New Jersey Repertory Company, and on Fox 5 Good Day NY. 

Deputy Director

Erica Nagel is the Deputy Director of the New Jersey Theatre Alliance, an organization that provides capacity building, training, networking, and audience development services to New Jersey’s professional theatre community. Before joining the Alliance in 2019, was the Director of Creative Development and Strategy at McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, where she served as a senior member of the artistic staff, oversaw a variety of programs for learners of all ages, and lead cross-departmental initiatives such as The Every 28 Hour Plays, The Migration Plays, and sensory-friendly relaxed performances. Erica previously worked as Director of Education and Engagement at McCarter, during which time she significantly expanded educational partnerships with the Trenton Public School District and re-imagined audience engagement offerings to deepen the impact of attending live performance.

Before her time at McCarter, Erica served as the Producing Associate and Resident Dramaturg at Premiere Stages in Union, NJ. She has also consulted as a dramaturg, curriculum developer, grant panelist, and assessment specialist for numerous organizations across the country, and has worked as an adjunct professor at Princeton University, SUNY Brockport, and Texas A&M University. She is a proud recipient of a 2010 TCG New Generations Future Leaders Grant, which “seeks to identify exceptionally talented theatre professionals who will impact the field in a positive way,” and was honored to participate in the second cohort of the TCG Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Institute

Erica received her MFA in Performance as Public Practice (Theatre and Social Change) at the University of Texas-Austin, where she was a recipient of a Continuing Fellowship Award for her thesis project, Collaboration, Context, and Common Ground: A Model for Community-Engaged Dramaturgy, and regularly wore cowgirl boots to rehearsal.