Dafina Toussainté McMillan

Dafina T. McMillan has spent her career at the intersection of arts management, technology, philanthropy and communications. In addition to co-founding art + tech company, Crux, she recently launched McMillan Works, LLC, a consulting business rooted in organizational development, staffing and team management, and the skillful orchestration of comprehensive projects, strategic plans and initiatives. Her clients include the City of Albuquerque, Center for Cultural Innovation, National Black Theatre, New Mexico Black Leadership Council and Penumbra Theatre Company.

Dafina was previously a program officer on the arts team of Bloomberg Philanthropies, where she managed Bloomberg Connects, a digital engagement initiative, and the Arts Innovation and Management (AIM) program, a capacity-building program supporting more than 260 small and mid-sized arts organizations in six U.S. cities.

She also served as the Director of Communications & Conferences for Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the national service organization for not-for-profit theatre. In 2012, Dafina was integral in launching TCG’s Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Initiative to support organizations and artists nationwide. Prior to joining TCG, Dafina served as the Associate Managing Director of Penumbra Theatre in St. Paul, MN. She’s held numerous leadership positions at global public relations agency GCI Group (now Cohn & Wolfe) in New York, and consulted with the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts on marketing and community engagement initiatives.

Dafina is an alumna of the Kennedy Center’s International Arts Management Fellowship in Washington, D.C. She is a proud native of Houston, TX, and a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. She serves as Vice Chair of Coronado Ventures Forum in Albuquerque, NM, where she resides.