Since taking the helm of Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation (MKAF) as CEO in December 2020, Sinfonia Gulf Coast Music and Artistic Director Demetrius Fuller has grown patron and sponsorship support, elevated programming, and is increasing the brand awareness and reach of both art organizations by adding to his staff. As part of a synergistic partnership, Zandra Wolfgram has joined Sinfonia Gulf Coast and MKAF as Director of Marketing and Communications.
“We are thrilled to welcome someone who is both a seasoned professional and a passionate arts advocator to lead our marketing and communication efforts,” said Demetrius Fuller. “Zandra is uniquely suited to help us amplify our core mission to entertain, educate and inspire our community through innovative and engaging arts programs.”
“It is an honor to be the first person to hold this dynamic role for not one, but two premier art organizations so integral to the Northwest Florida Gulf coast,” Wolfgram said. “The opportunity to work with a visionary like Demetrius Fuller, exceptional colleagues, dedicated board members, and the top-shelf team at Frances Roy Agency is a thrill.”
Most recently, Wolfgram served as the Director of Marketing and Digital Content for Rowland Publishing, Inc., where she increased subscribers and spearheaded new lead generation and content creation programs. Her 30-plus-year career began in the arts in Cleveland’s famed Playhouse Square where she promoted both Broadway show tours and classical theater productions under notable artistic director Gerald Freeman including productions with actors such as Hal Holbrook, Steven Weber, Delroy Lindo, Olympia Dukakis, Piper Laurie, Elizabeth Franz, Robert Foxworth, Claire Bloom, Tom Hanks among others.
She segued into cultural tourism in New Orleans with Arts Tourism Partnership, a pilot initiative funded to market the arts to visitors. These creative collaborations led her into the hospitality industry, where she led the marketing efforts for the Sheraton New Orleans hotel.
Since moving to the Emerald Coast in 1999, she has held executive leadership roles across the Northwest Florida Gulf Coast for Wyndham Vacation Rentals, The Town of Seaside, Portofino Island, and Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. Under her leadership, the marketing team rebranded Sandestin, launched the resort’s first magazine, newspaper, and TV channel, and opened the Raven Golf Club, The Village of Baytowne Wharf, and The Grand Sandestin.
In addition to developing cultural arts marketing strategies for hospitality organizations, she has used her communication skills to promote local art organizations and marquis events in her community including Wine, Women & Shoes, and Crescendo! (Sinfonia Gulf Coast), the Festival of the Arts and Concerts in the Village (Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation), South Walton Beaches Food & Wine Festival, and Digital Graffiti (Alys Beach).
A founding member and past president of the Northwest Florida Coast Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (FPRA) and an active member of the Travel and Tourism section of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), her work has earned more than 40 American Advertising Federation (Addy) Awards, 13 FPRA (Image) Awards, including the Grand Golden Image Award, and three Hospitality Sales and Marketing AssociationInternational (Adrian) awards.
Wolfgram is a writer and holds a journalism degree from Ohio Wesleyan University. She held the editorship for Emerald Coast magazine for seven years and was a senior writer for both Tallahassee and 850 Business magazines. Her work has appeared in numerous resort publications such as Sandestin Living (Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort), Experience (St. Joe Company), Footprints (Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa), Treasures (The Resort Collection), Be (Newman-Dailey) and the Panama City Beach Official Vacation Guide. She has written travel stories for Forbes Travel, and Visit Florida and served as the Emerald Coast Insider for VisitSouth.com. Her byline has also appeared in niche publications such as Legends, VRM Intel, and Florida Cancer Specialists magazines.
An avid arts advocate, Wolfgram supports national art causes such as Musical Theatre Project, Costume Industry Coalition, and Americans for the Arts. She plies her passion within her own community as a member of the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County and the Arts & Design Society of Fort Walton Beach. She served on the board of Emerald Coast Theatre Company from 2014-2022.
For Wolfgram, marketing the arts goes beyond good business sense. “I wholeheartedly believe that for a destination to have a true quality of life and a sense of place, it must have a vibrant cultural arts scene,” she says.
Wolfgram lives on Okaloosa Island in Fort Walton Beach with her husband of 21 years, and her sullen bulldog, Hapi.
