Our Values

As Project Coordinator, Abigail handles organizational & operational needs as well as team coordination across CJAM’s network of partners and clients. She specializes in working with small and medium-sized organizations to develop sustainable solutions and equip them with tools to meet the needs of their community.

They are a Harlem-based arts leader, award-winning interdisciplinary artist, and activist with experience that spans from regional work to Off-Broadway at theatres such as New World Stages, Atlantic Theatre Company, Mill Mountain Theatre, The New Group, Clubbed Thumb, and SheNYC. In addition to being part of the CJAM team, they are currently serving as the Interim Managing Director of Musical Theatre Factory (MTF), where she was previously the Advancement Manager and formerly a line producer for workshops of new musicals and concerts at venues such as Signature Theatre and Joe’s Pub. They are also the Founder and Program Director of the June Bingham New Playwright Commission at Live & In Color and co-founded award-winning media production company Sol & Yue Productions alongside their partner Andrew Young. Abigail graduated magna cum laude from Marymount Manhattan College where she earned degrees in Directing and Arts Management. She has also completed certifications in human resources management and is a proud Associate Member of SDC.

Candace Jackson has worked for over 25 years as an entrepreneur and arts manager guiding numerous theater, dance, film, visual arts and cultural organizations to design new business models, develop sustainable operating systems, and expand institutional capacity.



Candace founded CJAM Consulting in 2006 to create advanced business strategies for arts and cultural institutions, particularly in communities of color. Under Candace’s leadership, CJAM has successfully planned and directed institutional startups and expansions, business model design, managerial and financial capacity building, and capital construction development for projects ranging from $500,000 to $17 million for emerging and high-profile companies and governments.

Leith ter Meulen is a leading development management consultant to institutional, government and commercial owners involved with public private partnerships, aligning clients’ business objectives with their real estate needs. As a consultant and trustee, she has been advising nonprofit organizations in the arts, education and preservation toward strategic, value added business goals for more than 30 years. Leith’s’ experience reflects a deep emphasis and broad portfolio of initiatives in arts and culture in New York City, the tri-state area and across the US.

Leith is recognized for her participation in highly visible initiatives, like the renewal of Times Square and post 9/11 Lower Manhattan in New York, as well as leading and garnering wide public and political support for the Channel District Arts Plan in Tampa. For the past 25 years she has advised NY cultural organizations including Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, NYC Ballet and NYC Opera, Jazzmobile, National Jazz Museum in Harlem, the American Dance Institute. She is currently serving MoCADA and 651 Arts in Brooklyn and the Downtown Community Television Network (DCTV) in Manhattan.

William Bryant Miles (WBM) has been an integral member of the CJAM team since 2008. While at CJAM, WBM has provided strategic expertise, executive coaching and on-site operations support to clients including 651 ARTS, Apollo Theater, August Wilson House, Bessie Smith Cultural Center, the Dunbar Theater, the Flea, IABD, Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh and WACO Theater Center. Beyond his projects with CJAM, WBM worked with non-profit and commercial arts organizations throughout the United States and London, including Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC), Shakespeare Theater Company (DC), Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Old Vic (London), and the Creative Arts Team (CAT). 

WBM maintains a vibrant artistic practice. He is one half of The Incredible Drunkertons, a music comedy parody duo; creator of Show:UP!, an immersive theatrical dining experience, and creative director and consultant to many artists throughout the country. 

WBM is a tenure-track assistant professor of Black performance and creative practice at Purchase College, SUNY and earned a BFA from Howard University, MA from Goldsmiths, University of London and a professional certificate in personal and executive coaching from NYU.

David Sweeny has dedicated his career to advancing social justice by leveraging real estate to support education and economic development-focused non-profit organizations. His capacity to balance strategic planning with deep transaction experience has culminated in a variety of noteworthy projects. His work has been recognized with several awards and honors, including the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur Award, Architects, Designers and Planners for Social Responsibility, the Union Square Award, and the HUD Urban Excellence Award. Sweeny founded two first-of-kind non-profit real estate and capital access organizations, Civic Builders and Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center.

Civic Builders, where Sweeny continues his involvement as a corporate Director, has built over 30 charter schools and has managed a charter facilities loan portfolio of some $500 million. Through Civic, Sweeny has sourced philanthropic capital for a variety of education and cultural programs and facilities developments. GMDC developed 680,000 square feet of light industrial and arts/culture property in Brooklyn during Sweeny’s tenure, including five historic buildings with 130 commercial tenants and 210 fine artists and artisans. GMDC and Civic Builders both leveraged multiple capital sources – philanthropic, government and social impact – to fund a wide variety of educational, cultural and industrial ventures. After launching Civic and GMDC, Sweeny founded a non-profit finance and real estate planning company, PDS Development, and over ten years, has provided a variety of finance and development services to educational and cultural access organizations. Sweeny also built and financed a mixed-use portfolio of public purpose projects including affordable permanent art-making spaces, low-income housing, and educational facilities.

Monica Triplett has over 20 years of experience designing workable solutions that fit the culture of the organization, team or individual. As a consultant for CJAM, Monica’s portfolio of work includes human resources development and organizational assessment and strategies for institutions including the Bessie Smith Cultural Center and multiple Newark Symphony Hall initiatives.

Throughout Monica’s career, she has worked with companies in the healthcare, education, banking, nonprofit and government sectors covering business strategy, strategic planning, leadership development, project management, program management, community engagement facilitation, organizational and operational improvement.

Monica creates an environment for change, learning and collaboration where clients make progress on organizational vision, mission, and goal achievement. She has an exceptional ability to define and manage the implementation of strategic work plans and practical business solutions tailored for large scale projects. Monica thrives on developing innovative ways to engage stakeholders and drive project results. Monica delivers thought leadership, industry best practices and business acumen to each client engagement to ensure the success of each project.

Monica has held positions as Vice President, Project Manager, Vendor Manager and Quality Assurance Manager at JPMorgan Chase. Previously, she served on the board of Riverside Rotary Club, Advisory Board and Chair of Marketing & Communications Task Force of Jacksonville Women’s Business Center. In 2007, Monica founded Kateland Consulting Group, LLC, a management consulting firm. Monica earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Howard University and a Master of Science in Information Systems from DePaul University.

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Esther (they/she) is the Administrative Assistant at CJAM Consulting. They manage meeting scheduling and coordination, general file management and organization, note-taking and editing, and project research.

Esther graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts with a BFA in Drama and from NYU College of the Arts and Sciences with a BA in History. She was a recipient of the Founders Award in 2021. They are currently working to earn their Masters in Marketing at Emerson College. Esther is also an actor and filmmaker. Their short screenplay, Han, was a Finalist in the Academy award qualifying film festival, Flicker’s Rhode Island Film Festival and their film Blue Hour was a semi-finalist at the same festival.

Michael Unthank is an accomplished arts administrator and independent consultant in the arts and culture space. He has an unparalleled track record in shaping arts and funding partnerships through special initiatives for cultural development. 

Michael joined CJAM Consulting in 2016 as a visionary leader in project management, research, and planning. His CJAM project portfolio includes Culture and Heritage Strategic Plan for City of Mount Vernon, New York, Strategic Vision Planning for Bessie Smith Cultural Center, and planning for the Apollo’s Theaters at the Victoria.  Prior to joining CJAM, Michael’s served as Executive Director for the Harlem Arts Alliance; Director of Public Events, and Special Assistant for Programs at the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs; and as Program Director for State and Local Partnerships at the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA).