Haley Smyser

Haley moved from North Carolina almost exactly one year ago, wanting to push herself a bit outside of the community that she'd called home for her whole life. Before Mason, she worked for another university's performing arts center that gave her a glimpse of the broad field of arts administration and how she could combine her creativity and love for the arts with her project management skills.

Best day on the job:

The first residency I planned was with a dance company that I'd idolized my whole life—the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company. They were workshopping and performing a world premiere piece at the Center for the Arts and were incorporating 25 community members and students into the final act of their show. Getting to watch this group of people, who were basically strangers, come together and create something as a community was beautiful.

What she likes best about working at Mason:

I've found Mason to be an incredibly supportive environment for new innovation and collaboration. If there is something you want to do, let's figure out a way to make it happen. Especially in this transition to digital, my colleagues across CVPA have been game to try some new things far outside of all of our comfort zones.

What she does when not working:

In the before times, I enjoyed seeing friends, going to concerts, and trying new restaurants, but these days I've found a lot of joy in making things with my hands. I've gotten perhaps too into breadmaking and taught myself how to macrame. I love going on hikes and watching countless hours of “Love Island (UK).”