Jasmine Johnson, Mentee 
Corporate Relations Manager, Portland Opera 

Jasmine Johnson made her professional role debut in 2022 with West Edge Opera as Nireno in Giulio Cesare, and in 2023, she was seen on stage with Portland Opera as the Third Wood Sprite in Rusalka. Johnson has a passion for performing new operas and works. Driven by an insatiable thirst for growth, Johnson now aspires to deepen her impact on the opera world. After completing a year as a Portland Opera resident artist, she started a two-year leadership fellowship at Portland Opera designed for opera singers to transition their artistic skill sets into leadership skills. Most recently, she became the newest board member of Renegade Opera located in Portland. This pursuit stems from Johnson’s desire to refine her leadership skills so that she can contribute to the artistic community in a positive and impactful way and foster the next generation of opera enthusiasts. Johnson is extremely excited to be a part of OPERA America’s Opera Leaders of Color program and can’t wait to start! 

Dennis Robinson, Mentor 
Director of Programs and Partnerships, Seattle Opera 

With a passion for opera and a commitment to fostering community connections through the arts, Dennis Robinson Jr. is a seasoned connector. As director of programs and partnerships at Seattle Opera, Robinson is responsible for developing and directing the company’s programs for all ages and building and nurturing organizational relationships in order to expand the company’s civic impact, build audiences, and enrich the experiences of current patrons. Driven by his dedication to creating meaningful and inclusive cultural experiences, he takes pride in re-engaging communities that have been historically excluded from the opera experience.  

Robinson aims to pioneer new approaches to community engagement in opera through dynamic programming and collaborative initiatives that establish sustainable partnerships, reignite student engagement, and advance the company’s racial equity and social impact plan. Previously serving at Palm Beach Opera, City Theatre Company, and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, he has a proven track record of creating inclusive programs that resonate with a broad audience. Robinson currently serves on the Young Professional Council for the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and the Community Advisory Board for Classical KING. In 2024, he was named one of the Puget Sound Business Journal’s 40 Under 40.  

Dione Parker Bennett, Mentee 
Creative Programs Manager, Opera Columbus 

Dione Parker Bennett (she/her) is a versatile soprano and arts administrator who leverages her fervor for the arts to actively promote cultural representation not only on the stage but also behind the scenes. With over 30 years of experience, Columbus-based Bennett is the creatives program manager at Opera Columbus, having joined the company almost two years ago through her mesmerizing performance in Vanqui. In her role at OC, she developed outdoor concerts from apartment balconies, pop-up performances all over the city, and a beloved career development day: “Create Your Artist Roadmap.” In addition to her impactful work with Opera Columbus, Dr. Bennett currently serves as the director of vocal and choral studies at Ohio Christian University, and she previously held roles at Capital Conservatory of Music, Ashland University, Illinois State University, and Mount Vernon Nazarene University. She also served as the artistic director of Opera Project Columbus, leaving an indelible mark on the artistic landscape. Renowned for her interpretative qualities and enchanting stage presence, she consistently captivates audiences in various roles, including Micaëla in Carmen and Bess in Porgy and Bess. 

Jennifer Bowman, Mentor 
Director of Community and Learning, Houston Grand Opera 

Jennifer Bowman is the director of community and learning at Houston Grand Opera, where she leads strategy and development of initiatives including programming that resonates thematically with the company’s audiences; performances and events for students, families, and educators; and community-centered initiatives that bring HGO together with the surrounding community. Under her leadership, HGO was awarded a $300,000 public programs grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. 

As the former Kennedy Center director of music education, Bowman developed performance programming and educational initiatives in collaboration with the National Symphony Orchestra, Washington National Opera, and the Center’s hip-hop, jazz, and chamber music programs. She began her career coordinating professional development programs for chief executives and staff at over six hundred arts and cultural organizations in the U.S. and abroad. She also spent six seasons managing the Folger Consort, the early music ensemble at the Folger Shakespeare Library. A native of Houston, Texas, Bowman is an alum of the Sphinx LEAD (Leaders in Excellence, Arts, and Diversity) program and serves on the board of Equity Arc and the Innovation and Education Committee of Music Academy of the West. She graduated from Dartmouth College and the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University. 

Zuly Inirio, Mentee 
Founder and Executive Director, Afro-Latinx Song and Opera Project 

Dr. Zuly Inirio is an Afro-Latina soprano, scholar, and arts leader from the Dominican Republic who champions representation and equity for BIPOC in classical music. Through her Afro-Latinx Song and Opera Project, she commissions new works, decolonizes the classical music canon, and elevates the stories of Afro-Latin composers. Notable performances include Verdi's Requiem in Munich and Aida in Sicily. Winner of the Pittsburgh Concert Society’s Major Artist Competition, Dr. Inirio collaborates with various ensembles and holds fellowships with the Sphinx Organization, NALAC, 1Hood Media, and more. She is the founder and senior consultant of Zuly Inirio Consulting, an arts and culture firm specializing in equity-focused, people-centered approaches to organizational needs and social impact. 

Alejandra Valarino Boyer, Mentor 
Director, Ravinia Steans Music Institute 

Alejandra Valarino Boyer (she/her/ella) is an arts leader with a passion for building relationships, developing people, and championing equity in the arts. She is the director of the Ravinia Steans Music Institute, where she leads an artist development program for young professional jazz and classical musicians at the Ravinia Festival. In her previous positions at Seattle Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago, Boyer focused on building and growing authentic community partnerships, designing learning programs for youth and adults, and producing new operas. An advocate for racial equity in the arts, she founded BIPOC Arts, an online database that celebrates opera professionals of color. Boyer is an alumna of the 2021 Sphinx LEAD program, American Express Leadership Academy, and OPERA America Leadership Intensive. She serves on the board of directors for OPERA America and co-chairs its Civic Practice Committee. Boyer holds music degrees from Florida State University and Northwestern University and is currently pursuing her M.B.A. at the University of Chicago Booth School as a Neubauer Civic Scholar.