Diane Ragsdale currently holds the position of doctoral student within the Faculty of History, Culture, and Communications at Erasmus University in Rotterdam. She lectures and leads seminars on the creative economy, arts management, marketing, visual art markets, and creative/cultural organizations. Prior to transitioning to academia, she oversaw theater and dance grantmaking at The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, served as managing director of the performing arts center On the Boards in Seattle, and had stints at several film, music, and arts festivals. She holds an M.F.A. in acting and directing from University of Missouri Kansas City, a B.F.A. in theater and B.S. in psychology from Tulane University.