Our Team
Dr. Robert T. Townsend
Co-Founder/Artistic Director
Robert T. Townsend is a professor in the School of Educational Leadership at Indiana Wesleyan University. He is also a musician and composer/arranger. Dr. Townsend’s duties include teaching, mentoring and supervising pre-service teachers in education and graduate students. His teaching credentials are from Western Michigan University where he majored in music and received the Michigan All Grade license in music and all subjects’ endorsement for grades 7 and 8. After moving to the Indianapolis area, he attended Indiana University-Bloomington and completed the Master of Music Education degree.
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Karome Vanessa Walker
Dance Facilitator
Karome Walker began her dance and choreography training at Concord High School, Charleston, SC. Throughout her years of choreographing, traveling, and competing with the dance team association she discovered her passion for dance.
Ms. Walker completed her Bachelors of Science degree in Dance Performance and Family Consumer Science. Her high levels of dance training consist of styles in ballet, jazz, modern, tap, hip-hop, liturgical, contemporary and lyrical. During her college years she performed in over 15 Ball State Dance Theatre productions, choreographed over 25 dance masterpieces and created 12 of her own productions and was voted Best Dancer by her peers.
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Dr. Robert Townsend
Vocal Facilitator/Co-Founder
Robert T. Townsend is a professor in the School of Educational Leadership at Indiana Wesleyan University. He is also a musician and composer/arranger. Dr. Townsend’s duties include teaching, mentoring and supervising pre-service teachers in education and graduate students. His teaching credentials are from Western Michigan University where he majored in music and received the Michigan All Grade license in music and all subjects’ endorsement for grades 7 and 8. After moving to the Indianapolis area, he attended Indiana University-Bloomington and completed the Master of Music Education degree.
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Tiffany Gilliam
Drama Facilitator
Tiffany Gilliam is a professional vocalist and actress born and raised in Indianapolis, IN. She is a graduate of Arsenal Technical High School and Indiana University, where she earned her B.S. in Health Sciences Education. While Tiffany’s journey into theater is not a conventional one, she is very active in the local theater community and is a member of Actor’s Equity Association. She has worked in several theatre companies in the city including, The Indiana Repertory Theatre, Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre, Beef and Boards Dinner Theatre, Footlite Theatre as well as The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Her recent productions include Symphony on the Prairie’s “Broadway Under the Stars,” Booth Tarkington Civic Theater’s “The Color Purple,” Beef and Board’s, “Beehive,” IRT’s, “The Watsons Go To Birmingham,” and “Elephant and Piggie, “We’re in a Play.” Tiffany can also be seen in several commercials and has had the pleasure of working in film with local independent filmmakers.
Tiffany is a wife and mother to 3 children. She enjoys teaching and working with young people to help them realize that their dreams and goals are within their reach.
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Jordyn Payne
Instrumental Facilitator
Jordyn Payne started playing violin in fifth grade in Lawrence township. She kept up her studies playing throughout high school at Lawrence North High School and even played with the Performing Arts Conservatory her senior year of high school. After high school, Jordyn received a music scholarship to perform with the Jackson State University orchestra while attending college. Now in 2023, she is currently going to school at Lincoln Tech to become a medical assistant.
Nia Townsend
Digital Media Coordinator
Nia Townsend is an educator at heart. She seeks out ways to help students make a connection in a deeper way. She is currently pursuing her dual master's degrees at Ball State University in Business Education and Public Relations. Townsend received her undergrad degree from Ball State University with a Bachelors in Elementary Education and a concentration in math. Nia has worked with a number of students all ages as an Orientation Leader, Resident Assistant, CO-Director of Ball State University Dance Marathon's Morale Team, and practicum teacher of elementary and middle school aged students. Townsend also has many years of media and digital production experience in various venues including churches, schools and community facilities. Nia Townsend is also a former TPAC student and has now assumed the role of Digital Media Coordinator for The Performing Arts Conservatory, Inc. Nia resides in Indianapolis, IN.
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