Shanta Thake is the Ehrenkranz Chief Artistic Officer at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Previously she was the Associate Artistic Director/ Director of Artistic Programs at The Public Theater, overseeing the growth and development of Public Works, Mobile Unit, Under the Radar, Joe’s Pub, The Shakespeare Initiative and Public Forum. She spent 10 years as the Director of Joe’s Pub, the intimate cabaret venue which hosts over 700 shows annually and is consistently hailed as one of the country's most prestigious venues for both emerging and established artists. In addition, Ms. Thake is the co-director of globalFEST, North America’s world music festival and non-profit organization whose mission is to foster cultural exchange and to increase the presence of world music in diverse communities nationwide. Ms. Thake received a BA in theater as well as a degree in management from Indiana University and currently lives in Brooklyn.