Our Team

FNO is lead by a pretty amazing team — learn about our powerhouses here.

Donnabelle Casis // Founder & Chair

Donnabelle oversees the programming of FNO and collaborates with her team to make this amazing event happen! Outside of FNO, Donnabelle is an artist, curator, ArtBeat Report radio host on WHMP, Curatorial Team Member of The ArtSalon, Advisory Board Member of LiveArts Magazine, community activist and entrepreneur.

More about Donnabelle’s work: donnabellecasis.com, donnabelledesigns.com, theartsalon.com, & https://whmp.com/podcasts/shows/bill-newman/

Amanda Herman // Co-Curator

Amanda is FNO’s Visual Arts Curator as well as the Education Curator at the University Museum of Contemporary Art at UMass, Amherst! She holds an MFA from California College of the Arts and has been a visiting lecturer of Photography and Social Practice at local colleges. Recently, Amanda produced Live Art Magazine, an annual art and music magazine created for the stage at the Academy of Music!

Cassandra Holden // Event Production Coordinator

Cassandra is an artist, designer, and Creative Director of Laudable Productions. She also consults with Way Finders, the largest non-profit affordable housing developer in MA, incorporating public art into their properties and creating residency opportunities for artists. Cassandra believes firmly that when we interact with the arts, we are reminded of the value and dignity of each human life.

Robert Ross // Community Coordinator

Robert is a long-time Florence resident and business owner who has served on the FNO board for the past two years. Robert has also been on the Florence Civic and Business Association board for 20 years, serving as President during that time. Light Up Our Village & Florence Luminary are just a few of the local events that Robert has helped create. In his free time, Robert enjoys spending time with his spouse, his 2 dogs, and his 3 children.

Jasmine Goodspeed // Music Program Manager

Jasmine Rochelle Goodspeed[She/They](Nipmuc) is a Massachusetts based actor, singer/songwriter, playwright and director. Prior to the pandemic she produced free Shakespeare in the park at Look Park for 5 years under the name “Billy Shakes Free Shakespeare”. She graduated from UMass Amherst with degrees in Theatre, English, and a certificate from the 5 colleges in Native Studies in 2019. Most notably, Jasmine has written, produced, and acted in a musical about her tribe, the Nipmuc people of Massachusetts. This musical was titled 1675, and told the story of King Philips War and the Tragedy of Deer Island. This musical was performed at UMass Amherst to full houses in 2018 with plans to continue moving the show forward. During the pandemic, Jasmine has been engaging in writing new musicals, plays, and continues to direct and perform when the opportunity arises. 

Sheryl Hunter // Music Coordinator

Sheryl Hunter covers the Valley’s diverse and vibrant music scene in her weekly column “Sounds Local” that appears in the Greenfield Recorder. Her work has also appeared in Relix magazine, Goldmine, the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Glide magazine and other publications.

Sarah Lanzilotta // Film Coordinator

Sarah Lanzillotta is a film and music programmer based in Greenfield, MA where she lives with her partner and 6-month-old daughter, operates the performing arts venue 10 Forward, and is on the board of the Looky Here arts collective. She has a bachelors degree in filmmaking from Hampshire College and has curated several film programs in the Valley including the Good Night’s Sleep screening series and the experimental section of the Northampton Film Festival. She recently completed two short 16mm films in collaboration with Jake Meginsky on the late drummer Milford Graves.

Carla Costa // Volunteer Coordinator

Carla Costa joined the FNO team in 2014 as a co-curator and has since focused on telling the stories of FNO’s artists, performers, and sponsors. This year she’ll be welcoming volunteers to the FNO team. Carla is an arts administrator and career coach supporting people in the pursuit of creative careers.

Nicole Bourdon // Business and Sponsorship Liaison

Nicole connects with local organizations to raise funds to support Florence Night Out. She was raised in Florence and loves celebrating it! When not working on FNO, Nicole oversees the ValleyCreates Program at the Community Foundation of Western MA, and spends a lot of time walking along the Mill River with her 3 kids and dog, Goldie.

Abby West // Media & Marketing Coordinator

Abby is a graduating senior at Suffolk University in Boston, majoring in public relations and minoring in arts administration & philosophy. She has been a dancer her whole life, sparking her desire to pursue a creative career in the arts administration field. Abby is loving getting to help bring FNO’s mission to life through social media and marketing strategy!

Julia Shea // Graphic Designer

Julia Shea is an illustrator and graphic designer who recently graduated from Amherst College. She’s a new addition to the Florence Night Out team and is the artist behind the new logo and branding! Check out her work on her website!