Jane Colony Mills in the HotSeat

Charlottesville’s Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry provides free groceries to an average of 12,000 people every month. “Our goal for each visiting household is to provide a week’s worth of food, based on household size, that accommodates dietary restrictions and cultural preferences,” says Jane Colony Mills, the nonprofit’s executive director. C-VILLE recently caught up with […]

Nicole Thomas in the HotSeat

The Women’s Initiative has a new leader: Nicole Thomas, Ed.D. As she stepped into the role of executive director of the Charlottesville org in August, Thomas brought more than a decade of experience in higher education and nonprofit leadership, with a career rooted in equity, wellness, and trauma-informed care. Most recently, she directed UVA’s Contemplative […]

Kristen Chiacchia in the HotSeat

Since taking the reins at Second Street Gallery in 2016, Executive Director and Chief Curator Kristen Chiacchia has expanded the nonprofit’s reach while creating programs that connect artists and audiences in fresh ways. One of her biggest successes is “Teeny Tiny Trifecta,” the annual exhibit and art sale that has grown from 72 artists its […]

Khalilah Jones in the HotSeat

Now in its fifth year of celebrating Black excellence in Charlottesville, the Soul of Cville festival returns with a week of engaging and exciting events throughout the city. Kicking off on August 10 with a free Soul Skate at McIntire Park and peaking with Soul of Cville at IX Art Park on August 16, the […]

Jay Pun in the HotSeat

To say that Jay Pun is a busy guy is an understatement. The musician, restaurateur, educator, and father of two recently authored a children’s book, Som Tum and Sticky Rice, and co-founded VeryAsian VA, which in turn launched the VeryAsian VA Celebration. The fourth annual music event takes place on Friday, May 9, at Ting […]

Terrance Simien in the HotSeat

The eighth-generation Louisiana Creole musician Terrance Simien has been at the forefront of traditional zydeco music for more than four decades. The two-time Grammy Award-winner has dedicated his time to preserving the unique cultural expression of Creole sounds through concerts and education programs. Ahead of his performance with Zydeco Experience at Boogie on the Bayou, […]

Asked and answered

We’ll put just about anyone in The HotSeat—visiting performers, interesting professionals, local tastemakers—as long as they don’t mind answering a few of our hard-hitting questions (asking about a go-to Bodo’s order is the height of journalism, folks). Here are a few of our favorite answers from 2024.  Grad student/lecturer Chandler Jennings Most embarrassing moment: A […]

John Gibson in the HotSeat

No stranger to the stage, John Gibson worked at Live Arts for 18 years, from 1992 to 2010. During his run as executive and artistic director, Gibson introduced youth programs and new works, advocated for under- represented playwrights, and launched pay-what-you-can performances, among other initiatives. Since moving to Atlanta in 2011, Gibson has worked as […]

Ilya Tovbis in the HotSeat

Overseeing the programming of more than 120 films and nearly 100 guests as artistic director of the Virginia Film Festival, Ilya Tovbis knows how to curate a celebration of cinema. He’s worked with the San Francisco Independent Film Festival, the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, and the Mill Valley Film Festival (organized by the California […]

Brian Regan in the HotSeat

Visiting close to 100 cities each year on a nonstop theater tour, comedian Brian Regan has built a 30-plus-year career through lots of laughs. A co-star in three seasons of Peter Farrelly’s TV series “Loudermilk,” Regan has also starred in his own Netflix sketch comedy and stand-up series “Stand Up And Away! With Brian Regan.” […]