Brenda Lee Johnston received her Bachelor of Arts in Arts Management with an emphasis in Dance and a minor in Theatre Arts—Drama from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.  She has worked for Milwaukee Repertory Theater, First Stage Children’s Theater, and Skylight Opera (now Music) Theatre. In August 2004 she took on the role of Founding Director of the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center (SMPAC). After six years at SMPAC, she pursued a dual Master’s degree in Arts Management from Carnegie Mellon University and Innovation and Organization of Culture and the Arts from Universita di Bologna in Italy. Her graduate thesis research was conducted at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History under the guidance of Nina Simon. Her thesis is entitled, “The Roles of Museums in Communities: Social Inclusion & Community Engagement.” She joined the Arts Administration faculty at Butler University in 2015 after serving as the Executive Director of the Schauer Arts Center and teaching as an adjunct lecturer at UW-Stevens Point.