Our Team
MICHAEL AND HANNA MANES
Co-founders / Co-directors
(High Point / Asheville, NC)
Hanna and Michael Manes are co-founders and co-directors of Manes Collection and Cohab Space, working at the intersection of fine art, design, and community building. Together, they bring complementary skills and shared values to their leadership, rooted in a deep commitment to supporting artists and fostering accessible, sustainable creative ecosystems.
Michael is an experienced arts leader and gallery director with over 15 years in the field. As the current director and co-owner of Blue Spiral 1, he has led major initiatives in artist representation, curatorial strategy, and gallery operations. Known for his strengths in fundraising, mentorship, and partnership development, Michael excels at creating opportunities for artists to thrive within both commercial and nonprofit contexts.
Hanna is a fine artist, creative director, and freelance interior stylist with a sharp eye for brand identity and visual storytelling. She co-founded Manes Collection to make original and historic artworks more accessible to collectors at all levels and is a founding partner of Cohab Space. Over the past five years, she has built a reputation for developing artist-centered platforms through strategic marketing, exhibition curation, and collaborative community engagement.
As a team, Hanna and Michael blend strategic leadership with creative vision—building bridges between artists, designers, collectors, and broader audiences through dynamic, inclusive programming and a shared belief in the transformative power of art.
JOHN MULDOON
Co-Founder and Advisor to the Board of Directors
(High Point, NC)
Creative Economy Catalyst | Product Development Veteran | Builder of Design-Driven Communities
John Muldoon is a Canadian-born creative leader and property developer with deep roots in global product development and a passion for using design to fuel inclusive economicrevitalization. He began his creative career in China in 1991 and later expanded to Indonesia, where he spent decades sourcing, developing, and producing home furnishings for international markets. Through that work, he built long-standing ties to High Point, North Carolina, a global hub for furniture and design.
In 2017, Muldoon purchased the historic Melrose Hosiery Mill in High Point’s West End. That acquisition marked the beginning of a bold, place-based vision to create a thriving ecosystem for artists, makers, and design professionals. The result is COHAB.SPACE, an evolving creative campus rooted in community revitalization, and the broader Cohab Campus plan—envisioned as a full city block dedicated to affordable live/work studios, cultural activation, and design industry connection.
Muldoon is the owner and developer of the campus and plays a facilitative role in enabling the mission of Cohab Space Creative Inc., the emerging nonprofit that will run programming,
workforce development, and artist support. While not part of the nonprofit’s leadership, he focuses on providing the physical infrastructure and advocating for public-private partnerships that allows the nonprofit to flourish.
With decades of global experience, deep community ties, and a focus on design as a lever for change, Muldoon works at the intersection of real estate, culture, and creative industry reinvention— building the conditions where creative talent and equitable development can thrive together.
TOM CONLEY
Chair, Board of Directors
(Phoenix, AZ / High Point, NC)
Tom Conley was the president and CEO of the High Point Market Authority until December 31, 2022. HPMA is the official sponsor and organizer of High Point Market, the world’s largest home furnishings trade show.
Drawing on almost 40 years of experience in the trade show and association management industries, Conley had led the Market Authority since 2011.
He has also served as president of several consumer products associations, including the American Fishing Tackle Manufacturers Association, the National Housewares Manufacturers Association, and the Toy Industry Association.
He worked in the for-profit management field with International Travel Management Partners, The Sanford Organization, and his consulting firm, TPC & Associates.
Conley’s innovative thinking and strategic planning expertise have led to a track record of balanced budgets, increased revenues, and streamlined processes, all resulting in organizations operating more efficiently and intentionally towards key goals while playing a vital role within their business and industries.
Conley has a BA degree from Columbia College and an MBA from the University of Chicago. He has taught Marketing and Strategic Planning at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.
JOSH COPUS
Vice Chair, Board of Directors
(Marshall, NC)
Josh Copus is an artist and creative entrepreneur from Marshall, NC. His primary focus throughout his life has been his work in the field of ceramics. He received a BFA from the University of North Carolina in Asheville in 2007 and is a 2006 recipient of the prestigious Windgate Fellowship.
Josh is an internationally famous ceramic artist who has travelled the world as a teacher, conference presenter and leader in the field. He has worked extensively in Australia, Mexico, China, and throughout Europe. His work is found in numerous museum and personal collections in the world. His work in ceramics deals primarily with local materials and place- based making processes to create work that is both personally significant and relevant to the contemporary world. He is the Founder of the Clayspace Collective in the River Arts District in Asheville, which is a studio and gallery space that has been supporting artists for over 20 years.
In 2007 Josh established his woodfired pottery compound in Marshall. He bought two acres of land, burned an old house down, built a 27-foot long woodburning kiln and a studio. His pottery compound is an ever-evolving art installation which continues to be his base of operations to this day. Josh is the owner of Zadie’s Market and the Old Marshall Jail Hotel, which are both housed in the Old Marshall Jail, a building that he spearheaded the renovation of and he co-owns.
The Old Marshall Jail is an adaptive reuse project that functions as a home to two of his businesses and is also a social practice art project, music venue and a living history museum.
The Old Marshall Jail is home to the only continuous ballad swap in the entire country. He is a board member of two non-profit arts organizations, Azule and Cohab Creative. He is also the founder of the Building Community Project, which uses the mediums of clay and bricks to create folk monuments that honor the people of this world. His latest project is revitalizing a trailer park in his native Appalachia to create affordable work force housing and community while redefining the negative stigmas that people maintain about trailer parks. He also lives there, which is important.
He is known for his infectious enthusiasm, ability to connect people for a common cause and his passion for the Arts. Josh’s hobbies include welding, building rock walls, doing firewood and historical research on the Old Marshall Jail. When he is not sleeping, he is constantly searching for interesting materials to build and make things with.
MAY WONG
Secretary, Board of Directors
(South Florida)
Born and raised in Hong Kong, May Wong has spent the last 25 years in the United States, where she has become a deeply engaged member of the nonprofit arts community, particularly in ceramics and craft-based education. A lifelong practitioner of clay, May began working with ceramics as a teenager and has since participated in, assisted with, and helped plan a wide range of workshops at nonprofit art and craft Organizations.
For over a decade, she has played an instrumental role in the Empty Bowl Project in Martin County, Florida, helping organize this beloved community fundraiser that unites artists and neighbors in support of hunger relief. May is also part of a kiln-building crews, contributing to the construction of modern hybrid kilns—combining physical labor, contemporary design, and traditional firing methods.
May holds a Marketing degree and an MBA with a Finance concentration from the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. Her early exposure to the arts came during an exchange program in Paris, where she discovered the transformative power of cultural expression.
Professionally, she managed a cross-border logistics company, specializing in heavy machinery and project-based transportation—an industry that demands detailed planning, precise coordination, and effective team- building. These strengths translate seamlessly into her nonprofit work, where strategic collaboration is essential.
May is known for her ability to serve as a liaison across diverse sectors in the nonprofit world. She has helped organizations secure sustainable funding through innovative mechanisms such as restricted endowments and matching funds, tailored to support artist residencies, workshops, infrastructure development, and long-term community Impact.
Outside the art and nonprofit sectors, May is an avid sportswoman with a passion for wind and water. Her hobbies include sailing, windsurfing, wing foiling, and snowboarding. Nearly 20 years ago, she became one of the first—if not the very first—Chinese female sailing judges certified in the U.S., bringing the same precision, fairness, and coordination to her volunteer judging that she brings to every aspect of her life.
ADDISON MAILLE
Treasurer, Board of Directors
(High Point, NC)
Addison Maille brings over three decades of experience in business, law, and finance to our board. A licensed CPA and attorney, he has spent his career guiding families and business owners through strategic growth, tax planning, and succession with a steady hand and clear insight. His thoughtful approach to estate planning and trust administration reflects his deep commitment to helping people build lasting legacies.
Addison is a partner at CRI Advisors, where he serves clients across the Triad and beyond. He’s also an active civic leader, serving on the boards of the Rotary Club of High Point, Crime Stoppers of High Point, the Greensboro Estate Planning Council, and the Triad Outreach Project.
KATIE OATES
Board of Directors
(Asheville, NC)
DAN MURRAY
Board of Directors
(Asheville, NC)
Dr. Dan Murrey is a physician, civic leader, and advocate for the arts who brings a thoughtful, community-centered perspective to our board. With a background in orthopedic spine surgery and healthcare leadership, Dan has long worked at the intersection of public service and wellbeing—whether through his tenure as CEO of OrthoCarolina, his role in bringing the 2012 Democratic National Convention to Charlotte, or his service as a Mecklenburg County Commissioner.
In 2013, he was honored as Rotarian of the Year for his community leadership.
When he’s not advising clients or serving his community, Addison enjoys hiking, golf, and riding motorcycles. Originally from New York, he still cheers for the Jets—but we won’t hold that against him.
Now based in Asheville, Dan is an active art collector and appreciator, drawn to creative communities and the role the arts play in shaping vibrant, inclusive places. His home reflects a deep appreciation for visual culture and storytelling, and his belief in the power of creativity aligns deeply with our mission.
Dan holds degrees from Davidson College and Harvard University, and his career has been marked by both innovation and public engagement.