Board Development
Board Inventory & Gap Analysis
Jubilee Players, Inc. · A Proud History. A Promising Future.
⚠ Partial Data — 4 of 6 Board Members Responded
Completed forms received from Anita Heiskell, Joe Allen Brown, SaJade Miller, and Misha Sturns. Dr. Charles Langham and Arveda Lewis have not yet submitted. This analysis will be updated once all responses are received.
Rating Scale
All scores have been normalized to a single 1–5 scale.
1
None
2
Awareness
3
Working Knowledge
4
Strong Contributor
5
Subject Matter Expert
Member Profiles
Anita Heiskell
Board President
Background
Certified Social Graces Etiquette and Image Consultant and Executive Trainer.
Primary Expertise
Fundraising Comfort
Donor stewardship & follow-up
Hours / Month
10
Growth Priority
Governance — self-identified
Joe Allen Brown
Vice President
Background
48-year career at Texas Wesleyan | Chair of Theatre, Dean of Fine Arts, Dean of Freshmen | Past President, Live Theatre League of Tarrant County | Arts Council Heart of Gold recipient.
Primary Expertise
Fundraising Comfort
Donor stewardship & follow-up
Hours / Month
8
Succession Alert
Rotating off August 2026
SaJade Miller
Board Member
Background
Senior executive and management consultant, 15+ years across nonprofit, education, and civic sectors. Principal, Long Game Consulting.
Primary Expertise
Fundraising Comfort
Direct asks when prepared
Hours / Month
6
Misha Sturns
Board Member
Background
Event planner, sports marketing, professional model, and pharmaceutical/healthcare sales.
Primary Expertise
Fundraising Comfort
Direct asks when prepared
Hours / Month
8–10
Note
Scope limited until 2028; open to growing role in 18–24 months
Unified Skill Ratings — All Respondents
| Skill Area | Anita | Joe Brown | SaJade Miller | Misha Sturns | Board Average | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governance & Board Operations | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | Gap | |
| Nonprofit Finance & Budgeting | 1 | 2 | 5 | 1 | Gap | |
| Audit Readiness & Internal Controls | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | Critical Gap | |
| Fundraising Strategy | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | Gap | |
| Grant Readiness & Management | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | Gap | |
| Major Gifts & Donor Stewardship | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | Gap | |
| Corporate Partnerships | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | Gap | |
| Marketing & Audience Development | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | Gap | |
| Communications & Public Relations | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | Gap | |
| Community Engagement & Civic Relationships | 1 | 3 | 5 | 3 | Adequate | |
| Arts & Theater Industry Expertise | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 | At Risk ⚠ | |
| Education & Youth Programming | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | Gap | |
| Facilities & Venue Operations | 1 | 4 | 5 | 1 | Gap | |
| Real Estate & Lease Strategy | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | Gap | |
| Legal & Contracts | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | Critical Gap | |
| Human Resources & People Operations | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | Gap | |
| Technology & Systems | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Gap |
⚠ Arts & Theater expertise rated "At Risk" currently carried entirely by Joe Brown (5/5). Average drops to 1.67 after his August 2026 departure.
⚠ Legal & Contracts and Audit Readiness are the only two Critical Gap areas with a board average below 2.0.
Community & Relationship Connectors
Anita Heiskell & SaJade Miller
No connectors submitted.
Joe Allen Brown
Arts Council of Fort WorthLifetime Achievement recipient; long-standing relationship
Live Theatre League of Tarrant CountyPast president; regional theater network
Texas Wesleyan UniversityAcademic sponsor: theatre, scene shop, classrooms, props at no cost. Personal facility approval authority.
Misha Sturns
The Links, IncorporatedEstablished civic network relationship
AT&T (Pending)Potential corporate connectionn
K104 Radio: DeDe McGuireDirect media contact — earned media opportunity for audience development and visibility
Dr. Charles Langham & Arveda Lewis
No connectors submitted.
Capacity, Contributions & Growth
Anita Heiskell
Hours / Month
10
Fundraising
Donor stewardship & follow-up
Q1 & Q2
Phone calls and emails
Growth Areas
Governance — self-identified
Joe Allen Brown
Hours / Month
8
Fundraising
Donor stewardship & follow-up
Q1 & Q2
Cast & crew catering (~$4–5K/yr); Wesleyan facilities at no cost; dues at $2,400
Growth Areas
Better board support and advocacy for staff
Notes
Rotating off August 2026. Urges board diversification for grants.
SaJade Miller
Hours / Month
6
Fundraising
Direct asks when prepared
Q1 & Q2
Not submitted
Growth Areas
Not submitted
Misha Sturns
Hours / Month
8–10
Fundraising
Direct asks when prepared
Q1 & Q2
Promoting Jubilee; social media; mobilizing groups to attend
Growth Areas
Open to growing role in 18–24 months
Notes
Scope constrained by work schedule until 2028
Gap Summary & Findings
With unified scoring applied across all four respondents, the board has one area at Adequate (3.0), two Critical Gaps below 2.0, and fourteen of seventeen skill areas rated as gaps. This reflects the reality that the current board is lean and mission-focused, with deep pockets of strength held by individual members rather than distributed across the group.
✓ Strengths
- Community engagement & civic relationships (only area at or above Adequate (3.0)); consistent across the board
- SaJade Miller carries the board in finance, major gifts, audit, HR, fundraising strategy, and education (all rated 4 or 5)
- Joe Brown is the sole Subject Matter Expert in arts & theater (5/5) and strong in facilities (4/5)
- Misha Sturns rated Strong Contributor in communications & PR (4) (offset in that area)
- Three of four members comfortable making fundraising asks or providing stewardship
- Misha's K104/DeDe McGuire and The Links connections are high-value untapped assets
⚠ Critical & Priority Gaps
- Legal & Contracts (1.75) Critical Gap; three of four members rated 1.
- Audit Readiness & Internal Controls (1.75) Critical Gap; three of four rated 1. High risk given recent audit experience.
- Grant Readiness & Management (2.00) Board-wide weakness at the most consequential level for funding sustainability.
- Real Estate & Lease Strategy (2.00) Two members rated 1; significant given the org's current facility.
- Technology & Systems (2.25) Consistent low rating across all four members; no board-level digital strength.
- Nonprofit Finance & Budgeting (2.25) SaJade carries this alone at 5. (three members rated 1 or 2.)
→ Succession Risk
- Joe Brown departs August 2026 (arts expertise average drops from 2.50 to 1.67 without him)
- Facilities score drops from 2.75 to 2.00 after his departure
- Wesleyan partnership must be formalized in writing and transferred to a named administrator before August
- VP position and arts & theater expertise both need succession candidates identified now
- LTL and Arts Council relationships need a documented warm handoff
→ Board Recruitment Priorities
- Attorney or Legal: Most urgent given 1.75 average and critical org needs
- CPA or Audit/Internal Controls: 1.75 average; post-audit timing makes this urgent
- Grants: 2.00 average; zero SME strength across the full board
- Theater Arts: To succeed Joe Brown's irreplaceable expertise
- Corporate/Sponsorship Development: To activate and build pipeline
- Both Joe and SaJade flagged board diversity as an urgent priority for grant credibility and organizational growth