Our Team

Meet Our Team

Emily Madero, President & CEO

Emily Madero has served as President and & CEO of French Quarter Festivals, Inc. since 2017.  Under her leadership, the organization has placed increased focus on its non-profit mission to showcase New Orleans’ culture and heritage and contribute to the economic well-being and pride of the community. She has championed initiatives such as festival recycling, inclusivity, and community partnerships while supporting expanded programming that provides opportunity to more local musicians. Prior to taking the helm at FQFI, Emily devoted over a decade of her career to building a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem in New Orleans with The Idea Village. While there, she served as a critical part of economic recovery in the immediate aftermath of hurricane Katrina. Formerly serving as COO and acting CEO, Emily was a key player in starting and building New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, a festival celebrating entrepreneurship and innovation in the city. A longtime New Orleans resident, Emily earned her Masters in Business Administration and Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Psychology from Tulane University. Outside of her professional career, Emily is actively engaged in many community endeavors. She is a founding member of Campaign for Equity New Orleans, a grass roots movement committed to dismantling structural racism in New Orleans. Emily is fanatical about live music, visual arts, and food! She savors spending time with her husband and two daughters and their menagerie of pets, and her favorite room is the kitchen, where she loves to cook and enjoy long, boisterous evenings with friends and family.

Karin Curley, Development Director

Karin joins the FQFI team full-time in 2022 after serving on our festival Sponsorship Crew since 2017. She has been a part of numerous community-focused events in the region including re-opening the historic Saenger Theatre, leading marketing and fundraising efforts at Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo, and most recently serving as Director of Operations for Young Leadership Council, the historic New Orleans organization that leads vital community projects including YLC Wednesday at the Square. Karin is a native New Orleanian who is passionate about our creative culture. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Public Relations and a Master’s in Business Administration, both from Loyola University New Orleans.

Sabrina Cutaia, chief Development officer

After graduating from Tulane University, Sabrina Cutaia began her career in event production with the New Orleans Hornets (now the Pelicans) and moved on to work large-scale events with NOLA Motorsports Park, eventually transitioning into music festivals.  Sabrina has worked on many notable events over the years, such as the BUKU Music + Art Project, VooDoo Music Festival, and finally French Quarter Festivals, Inc.

Greg Schatz, Entertainment Director

New York native Greg Schatz majored in music at Ithaca College for one year and later received a B.A. from Cornell University, where he studied anthropology and ethnomusicology. He moved to New Orleans in 1995 to pursue a career in music. As a composer, bass player, accordionist, and keyboard player, he works with several ensembles around New Orleans and has performed at clubs and festivals in Europe and around the U.S., including French Quarter Festival. In fall 2008, he joined the staff of French Quarter Festivals, Inc. as Entertainment Manager and in 2019 was named Entertainment Director.

Kenneth Spears, Food & Beverage and Hospitality Director

Kenneth Spears is a native New Orleanian who earned a BA in music and business management from Dillard University. Kenneth has worked closely with the French Quarter Festival family while serving as a venue contact/liaison for Woldenberg riverfront park while in the role of Event Operations Supervisor at Audubon Nature Institute. In addition to his work at Audubon, Kenneth has over a decade of festival experience by working on festivals including Essence Fest, Jazz Fest, Voodoo, Fest Fried Chicken Festival, and more in various capacities such as Stage Manager, Artist Relations, and Operations. Kenneth is a loving father and husband whose hobbies include composing digital music and enriching the artist community & culture of New Orleans through his work as co-founder at Abstract Nola.

 

Dave Stover, Finance Director

Dave Stover embodies the perfect mix of talents for French Quarter Festivals, Inc. – he is a professional musician and a professional accountant. Stover attended Florida State University and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in 1995. Shortly after graduation he moved to New Orleans to pursue a career in music. As a bass player, Stover has enjoyed sharing the stage with many of the city’s incredible musicians performing a myriad of musical genres. After Hurricane Katrina, Stover moved to Nashville to further his education by studying accounting at Middle Tennessee State University. After two years away he returned home to New Orleans and joined the French Quarter Festival staff in the fall of 2009.

Morgan Valerie, Marketing and Communications Director

Morgan Valerie is a native of Houston, TX that found her home in New Orleans after graduating from Xavier University of Louisiana with a B.A. in Communications. She joins the French Quarter Festivals, Inc. team with over a decade of experience in public relations, qualitative research, and business management. Morgan headed Focus Group Testing, a marketing research firm under The Ehrhardt Group umbrella for nearly a decade as Director before birthing her own communications and research consulting firm in 2019. She has also worked in festival productions for ESSENCE Festival, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and VooDoo Music Festival. With a special interest in community, Morgan is actively engaged in several non-profit and professional organizations and boards, locally and regionally.

Andrew Woodruff, Operations & Event Production Director

Andrew has been a part of the French Quarter Festival, Inc. team since 2011 previously holding the roles of Site Manager and Assistant to the Operations Director, before becoming Operations Director in 2019. Andrew has worked in festival production in New Orleans for over a decade, including positions with the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, New Orleans Film Festival, VooDoo Music Festival, and Essence Music Festival. He holds a B.S. in Music Industry Studies from Loyola University New Orleans and enjoys gardening and songwriting in his free time.