BOARD MEMBERS p2
Nate Jacobs
Westcoast Black Theatre
Troupe
Founder/Artistic Director
​​Nate Jacobs is the founder and artistic director of Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe. The mission of the nonprofit organization, founded in 1999, is to produce professional theatre that promotes and celebrates African American history and experience, engages a broad base of patrons and audiences, supports the development of a dynamic group of aspiring artists and builds self-esteem in youth of color.
A graduate of Florida A&M University, Nate has written, composed, directed and performed in many shows, as an actor, singer, dancer and comedian. He trains and mentors youth in the performing arts through programs such as Stage of Discovery, WBTT’s summer musical theatre intensive program.
Nate and the troupe marked WBTT’s 20th anniversary in 2019 with a musical retrospective of the company’s first two decades. In January 2020, following the successful Heart & Soul capital campaign, WBTT staged its first show in its renovated theatre.
In March 2020, WBTT joined theatres around the world in an unscheduled intermission. Undaunted, Nate and his colleagues pivoted to online offerings. Live performances resumed in October 2020, outdoors on the theatre’s campus. The troupe returned to indoor shows in October 2021 for its 2021-2022 season.
In addition to performances and events on its campus on Orange Avenue in downtown Sarasota, under Nate’s artistic leadership WBTT reaches out to the community to present events at various locations, including a 2019 concert at Ed Smith Stadium, ‘70s Soul Party. Each January, WBTT presents Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: Celebrating His Legacy in Spoken Word and Song. The program has been presented for several years at Booker High School and, in 2021, at First United Methodist Church in downtown Sarasota.
Nate has received several awards and accolades through the years. The Sarasota County Branch NAACP Youth Council recognized Nate as one of its 2012 Men of Valor. In 2015, he was honored with the prestigious Larry Leon Hamlin Producer Award at the National Black Theatre Festival in Winston-Salem, N.C., “for his contributions to Black theatre specifically and American theatre in general.” Nate received the Arts Leadership Award for Artistic Achievement from the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County in 2018. In 2021 he received the Perfect Pitch Award from Key Chorale, which recognized him as a driving force in the arts and for his collaborations with other arts organizations, including American Roots: The Gospel Experience, a series of concert performances with WBTT performers and Key Chorale presented in three area churches in the fall of 2019.
Michelle Saunders
Fayetteville State University
Outreach and Engagement
Coordinator, Department of
Performing and Fine Arts
Outreach and Engagement Coordinator, Department of Performing and Fine Arts
Excerpt of Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
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Liaison between the Arts Community and the department arts students to build work relations.
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Serve as a project manager to organize events for Fine Arts Series.
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Develop and negotiate artist contracts, marketing, and advertising budget for Fine Arts Series programs.
Adjunct Professor, Principles of Marketing & Principles of Management
Excerpt of Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Teach Principles of Marketing & Principles of Management classes for over 120 undergraduates.
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Create lesson plans, tests, and assignments to ascertain how well students retained class material.
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Utilize appropriate course materials to support various student learning needs and styles to deliver content in relevant, distinctive ways.
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Leverage modern technology to enhance student comprehension/engagement.
Barbara Chandler
Barbara Chandler Productions
Born in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, Barbara Chandler is a long-time Central Florida resident. She worked for 11 years as the manager and cultural arts educator at the Hannibal Square Heritage Center in Winter Park, Florida, where she educated visitors on African Americans’ contributions (past and present) to the Winter Park community; to foster dynamic cultural exchanges; organize educational events and oversees all center operations.
In 2025 Barbara launched Barbara Chandler Productions. She is an –esteemed community leader, advocate, and formidable leader with a presence in Winter Park and Central Florida not-for-profit and arts community. In 2019 Barbara became the first African American to run for Winter Park City Commissioner in Winter Park, since 1985. Her vigorous work ethic and talent for people-to-people engagement have flourished with over 20 years of non-profit experience in community relations, fundraising, and management. She is an advocate for inclusion and creative self-development and holds a robust presence within the Winter Park arts community. Founder & Host of “Our Seat Our Table,” a community talk show and podcast in partnership with Rollins College WPRK Ref: OrlandoVoyager 9/13/2022
Curtis McCloud
Spectrum News 13 Investigative Reporter
As a journalist with Spectrum News 13, Curtis McCloud is a dual threat. He commands the weekend morning anchor desk and digs deeps to get answers to local issues as an investigative reporter.
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You can watch Curtis every weekend morning starting at 6, but make sure that you check-in with News 13 during the week. As one of the original Spectrum News 13 Watchdog investigative reporters, Curtis McCloud has made an impact covering major stories like the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trail in Minneapolis, Wisconsin and tackling a number of important issues across our communities including guardianship abuse and uncovering the racial disparity that exists within Central Florida home lending.
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Throughout his career as a seasoned award-winning investigative journalist, Curtis has covered some very memorable stories working in newsrooms all around the country including Virginia, Tennessee, Washington, D.C and Georgia. His favorite is probably a story about saving Cedar Grove, a historic African-American slave cemetery in Tennessee. Through a series of in-depth reports, Curtis help launch a region-wide initiative to clean up the forgotten cemetery. He took concerns to city and state leaders, who stepped in to help find out why this cemetery was forgotten and who was responsible for it. This is the kind of work Curtis has loved since he was in third grade, and he’s been crafting his skills ever since.
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Curtis values community engagement and is a proud member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, Investigative Reporters & Editors and the National Association of Black Journalists.
Ref: Pulled directly from - Curtis McCloud — Anchor