Shalisa Kline Ugaz

Shalisa Kline Ugaz is an accomplished executive with over 20 years experience leading arts education organizations and managing creative teams. Her track record is one of generating access and levels of participation in music study, increasing sales, and achieving a social impact. She has served most recently as the Executive Vice President of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music in Milwaukee where she led a remarkable turnaround from operating deficits to profitability in just two years. Her achievements over her seven-year career at the WCM include increasing people served from 1,500 to 16,000; leading a $10-million capital campaign; and initiating a pilot project with RCM’s Smart Start program that has grown, during a pandemic, from start-up to serving over 1,000 students this fall.   

Prior to WCM, Ms. Kline Ugaz held leadership roles at Third Street Music School Settlement in New York City, and she founded and led Alegre Strings in the Latinx communities in Chicago. Alegre Strings later merged with the Merit School of Music where thousands of young musicians have thrived in the program. She holds a Bachelor of Music Performance from the University of Wisconsin and recently was recognized as Drake Scholar while earning an Executive MBA at Northwestern University’s prestigious Kellogg School of Management. Ms. Kline Ugaz also performed as a violinist in the Madison Symphony Orchestra for four years.