Nellwyn Barnett joins the Spokane Symphony as Director of Development, bringing nearly 30 years of experience in fundraising, strategic planning, communications, and organizational leadership across the nonprofit, healthcare, higher education, business, and arts sectors. In her role, Barnett will lead donor relations, fundraising strategy, major gifts, corporate partnerships, and philanthropic initiatives supporting the Symphony’s artistic and educational mission.
 

Most recently, Barnett served as Regional Director of Development for The Salvation Army Spokane, where she led fundraising and community engagement efforts. Previously, she served as Executive Director of the Peterson Health Foundation and spent nearly a decade in leadership with the Midland Chamber of Commerce.
 

Barnett has a longstanding commitment to the arts and arts organizations. She served multiple terms on the Board of the Arts Council of Midland, including as Board Chair from 2017–2018, and served on the Board of Midland Community Theatre from 2015–2020. Her professional and volunteer leadership reflects a particular strength in connecting organizations with their communities, cultivating philanthropic support, and building partnerships that advance mission and impact.
 

Barnett holds a bachelor’s degree in Humanities from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin and is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and Institute for Organization Management (IOM) graduate.

Julie Happy joins the Spokane Symphony as Director of Marketing, bringing extensive experience in strategic communications, marketing, program management, audience development, and community engagement across nonprofit, public-sector, and for-profit organizations. In her role, Happy will lead marketing campaigns, digital strategy, media relations, audience development, and public communications for both the Spokane Symphony and The Fox Theater.
 

Happy previously served as Vice President of Marketing for Vehrs, a Pacific Northwest wine distribution company, and as Communications Director for the Business and Services Division at the City of Spokane under Mayor David Condon where she led a mayoral initiative focused on economic development for the city. She also served as Community Affairs Director for Spokane Valley Fire Department, where her work in community outreach and communications earned national recognition with the 2024 Randy R. Bruegman Agency Innovation Award from the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE). Her work led to innovations to advise fire service agencies across the country on community outreach and communications practices and was the subject of a chapter dedicated to innovative communications practices in Randy R. Bruegman’s Advanced Fire and Emergency Services Administration.
 

Happy holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Communications and a Masters of Historical Theology and has built her career around developing strategies, programs, and partnerships that strengthen connections between organizations and the communities they serve. Happy has been a long time patron of the Spokane Symphony and the greater Spokane arts community.