Hammond Regional Arts Center

Melissa Griffin was born and raised in Tangipahoa Parish. She holds a degree in Communication from Southeastern Louisiana University. Over the years, she has pursued professional development opportunities to further her education and understanding of her passion: nonprofit marketing and management. She’s a member of the Rotary Club of Hammond and has volunteered with organizations like the Alzheimer’s Association, Children of Destiny, Grieving with Grace, and 90.9 FM KSLU. Melissa’s career path has taken her to locations across southern parts of the U.S. and allowed her to hold many different positions, including radio producer, downtown event coordinator, business development and marketing manager and even executive director of the Hammond Regional Arts Center (2011-2013). In 2019 Melissa returned to HRAC with a renewed passion for her hometown community and welcomed the challenges of managing an organization that contributes to enriching people’s lives through culture and the arts. Melissa, her husband Josh, and their two young sons are happy to be back home in Hammond.

Shayla M. Kelly, a dedicated art educator and artist with over a decade of experience in nurturing creativity and artistic skills across diverse educational settings. She holds a Master’s degree in Art Education from Boston University and a Bachelor’s degree in Media Arts and Animation from The Art Institute of California – San Francisco. Her professional journey has encompassed roles such as a Talented Visual Arts Teacher, and Lecturer at Southeastern Louisiana University. Her passion lies in fostering an inclusive and supportive environment where students can explore, develop, and express their artistic talents. 

Lisa Pevey was born in Taiwan but has called Louisiana home for over a decade. Though her degree from Tulane University is in public health, her passion is in the arts. She's a hand lettering artist and some-times illustrator and crocheter. You may come across some of her sign paintings around Downtown Hammond! Lisa now lives in Hammond with her husband, author Seth Pevey, and their pup Smokie.

Jeffrey Talbot (Board Vice President)
Jeffrey Talbot has a B.A. in Education from The University of New Orleans and currently works at Audio Works Inc, a post-production audio studio in New Orleans. He has worked on countless radio and TV commercials, dozens of TV shows and movies, and has done sound design for many theater projects as well. Jeffrey also serves on the Board of Friends of Sims Library. He loves art, loves his recent move to Hammond, loves being on the Board of HRAC. 

Pamela Bankston became acquainted with the Hammond Regional Arts Center by participating in their annual “Celebration of the Written Word” and attending events with her husband, local architect and previous board member, Chris Bankston. A writer in the community, Pam is the author of the Frizzy Frieda Books, a series of middle-grade children’s novels that use humor to cope with fitting in at school. Along with practicing as a Registered Nurse, certified in Pediatrics, she also writes a weekly social column titled #OhMyHammond for “The Daily Star Newspaper.” A native of Hammond and mom to STA and Theatre student Brennan, what Pam most loves about the HRAC is their wide support of various art forms. Pam enjoys attending and participating in the center’s many unique events held throughout the year and writing about them! 
 

Eric Johnson
After 46 years as a librarian, half of that time in academic libraries in his native Connecticut, Eric W. Johnson retired as Library Director at Southeastern Louisiana University. He has been active on library and non-profit boards, currently serving as president of the Friends of Sims Library Executive Board. He is the author of numerous articles on library services and co-author with Catherine H. Tijerino of "Hammond", a volume in the Images of America series from Arcadia Publishing that contains historic photographs of Hammond with accompanying text. Self-described as a frustrated art historian, he has lectured on art and collectible books at conferences, the HRAC and Southeastern. He collects art, limited edition books, Broadway musical cast albums, and opera DVDs. He feels at home in used bookstores and art museums wherever he travels and is delighted to be back on the HRAC Board.
 

Beverly Covington has been active in volunteer work in the community her entire life. She has lived in Hammond since 1980 and has participated in several local service and charitable organizations. She was a past Executive Director for the Hammond Regional Arts Center, serving from 1993-95. She holds a degree in Business Management from LSU, she is a life member of Hammond Junior Auxiliary of Tangipahoa Parish, and is a member of the First United Methodist Church where she serves on the finance committee and sings in the sanctuary choir. She is also currently a member of the Residential Committee of the Hammond Downtown Development District and volunteers weekly at Our Daily Bread.
 

Dusty Cooper was born and raised in Ponchatoula, Louisiana. He has been a photographer for 25 years and pursued fashion photography in New York City. In 2013, he received his master's degree in creative writing. Dusty exhibits at local galleries, creates music videos for local musicians and experiments with different photography techniques. He now lives with his fiance, Stephen King (not the author), in his hometown, where he is the Director of Videography at Anntoine Marketing and Design.

Dick Macke is an established Art Educator from Cincinnati, Ohio who relocated to Hammond in 2007. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education from the University of Cincinnati, and a Master’s Degree in Art Education From Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. In his “Educational Journey” he has also studied at the Savannah College of Art & Design, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Ohio University and Xavier University (Cincinnati). Being a Studio and Art History teacher for 30 years, Dick has a passion for promoting the Visual Arts. Shortly after relocating to Hammond, he became drawn to the HRAC exhibitions and is excited to be able to contribute to their mission of supporting the arts, artists and education in our community.

Julie Keen is a mother, teacher, playwright, and director from Hammond, Louisiana. She loves her community and sharing her passion for theatre, and has directed multiple shows over the last 10 years. She is a graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University and has been teaching for 17 years. The performing arts have been a part of her life since she was a child. She has written two plays and recently published a one act play written for the OBIE winning Harlem9, Inc. She is currently working with 225 Collective to produce her play The Noticer this Fall.

Kacie Sanders is a multidisciplinary artist originally from Kenner, Louisiana. She primarily works in the mediums of oil painting, photography, and installation but has an appreciation for all art. Much of her work centers around themes of memory, the passage of time, family, and how place contributes to one's sense of identity. Kacie graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University with a Bachelor's of Arts with a Concentration in Photography in 2019.  She is currently a pharmacy technician at a local independent pharmacy and currently lives in Robert, Louisiana with her wonderful husband, Ryan Magee.