Dr. Michael DeWhatley, Ph.D.

Michael DeWhatley, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Arts Administration at the University of Kentucky. His research focuses on governance, executive transitions, and the role of community and personal relationships in the development of arts organizations. Michael is joining the faculty at UK after serving as the post-doctoral research fellow in gender studies in the arts at Southern Methodist University and SMU DataArts, a national leader in arts research, dedicated to building collectively strong and equitable arts communities. Prior to attending graduate school, Michael spent ten years as a practitioner in the arts and culture sector, including work at Zilker Botanical Garden, Austin Film Festival, Kentucky Shakespeare, Berkshire Theatre Group, Lexington Children's Theatre, and Actors Theatre of Louisville. Michael's research has been published in The American Journal of Arts Management, American Theatre, Theatre Topics, Etudes, Howlround Theatre Commons, Theatre Design and Technology, and Artivate: A Journal of Entrepreneurship in the Arts. Michael holds a PhD. In Performance as Public Practice and a graduate portfolio certificate in Arts and Cultural Management and Entrepreneurship from the University of Texas at Austin, and a B.A. In Theatre from Wake Forest University.