The Association of Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) has announced that Broadway League board of governors member Colleen Jennings-Roggensack is the 2026 recipient of the Arts Champion Award. The award honors individuals or groups whose philanthropy and leadership inspire others to support the performing arts. Jennings-Roggensack will be given the award on Jan. 12 during an APAP members breakfast at the New York Hilton Midtown.
Jennings-Roggensack, who serves as Arizona State University’s vice president for cultural affairs and executive director of its 3,000-seat performance hall ASU Gammage, is the state of Arizona’s only Tony Awards voter. A former APAP board president, Jennings-Roggensack sits on a number of other boards, including Americans for the Arts Action Fund, Creative Capital and the Broadway Green Alliance. She also serves as senior advisor to Women of Color in the Arts and is a member of Black Theatre United and many other arts organizations. President Bill Clinton appointed Jennings-Rogggensack to the National Council on the Arts. In 2024 she was awarded a Tony for Excellence in the Theatre.
“She plays a critical role in shaping national arts policies and initiatives,” the APAP said in their press release announcing the award. In a statement, Jennings-Roggensack thanked the APAP, saying, “The arts thrive when we are brave enough to take risks, open doors and champion the transformative power of performance. I’m proud to stand with so many who share this belief.”
The APAP is a national service, advocacy and membership organization for the live performing arts field. Jennings-Roggensack is one of six arts professionals receiving awards at this year’s APAP conference. Other recipients include Cleo Parker Robinson getting the Award of Merit, Renae Williams Niles receiving the Fan Taylor Distinguished Service Award, Alicia B. Adams being honored with the William Dawson Award for Programmatic Excellence, Matthew Covey being presented with the Sidney R. Yates Advocacy Award, Samora Pinderhughes getting the Spark of Change Award and Emma Orme receiving the 2026 CIPA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Creative Producing. Find out more about the other awardees here.
