KATHERINE DUNHAM

June 22, 1909 - May 21, 2006

"When you have faith in something, it's your reason to be alive and to fight for it."

-- Katherine Dunham

Anne Walker

Actor | Dancer | Vocalist | Administrator | Dunham Technique

PATC Certified

A native of East St. Louis and Lovejoy, IL, Anne Walker attended SIU at Carbondale and Edwardsville. She was the first student to matriculate from SIU-E through Miss Dunham’s Performing Arts Training Center, receiving her BA in Theater/Communication. Miss Dunham certified Anne upon her graduation, and also assisted her in acquiring a Missouri Teaching Certificate. Anne received a graduate certificate in Not for Profit Management from the University of Illinois (formerly Sangamon State University in Springfield, Illinois) under the Public Administration Program. It was also at Sangamon that she culled her broadcast skills as anchor/news producer at their National Public Radio affiliate station, having initially won the Illinois News Broadcasters Association Award for internship with Radio Station WRTH, a King Broadcasting entity.

In addition to working in government (City Cultural coordinator, public, governmental and media affairs) for 2 Mayors and the media (print, broadcast @ KETC-TV), Anne has worked for and or managed several not for profit corporations such as: Greater East St. Louis Arts Council – promoting the arts. Art is her favorite passion, having been mentored as teacher, dancer, actor, singer by Katherine Dunham and performed for the Muny Opera; The East St. Louis Small Business Incubator (developing and housing small businesses); Proceed Inc. – an image building and information dissemination entity and Bi-State Dev. Agency. 

In the mid 1980’s, she produced and anchored a cable TV magazine format program, “Community News Magazine”. She founded Esprit de Vie, a storefront community cultural center. Anne has served on the Casino Queen Foundation Board, The East St. Louis Community Dev. Corp. Board, The Enterprise Community Board, Arts Panels for the Illinois Arts Council. She was appointed to the advisory board of the Southwestern IL Tourism Bureau, The IL. Lewis & Clark Commission and serves the SIU East St. Louis Charter School as an advisory board member.

@2005 - 2008 www.katherinedunham.org   All Rights Reserved.

Dunham Institute-Atlanta, Inc. | P.O. Box 361780 | Decatur, GA  30036-1780

Founded in 1989

A native of East St. Louis and Lovejoy, IL, Anne Walker attended SIU at Carbondale and Edwardsville. She was the first student to matriculate from SIU-E through Miss Dunham’s Performing Arts Training Center, receiving her BA in Theater/Communication.

Miss Dunham certified Anne upon her graduation, and also assisted her in acquiring a Missouri Teaching Certificate.

She serves on the Belleville News Democrat Advisory Council and recently accepted an offer to serve on the Illinois State Treasurer’s Metro-East Affairs Council. As Founder and Project Director of Freedom Trails, Legacies of Hope in 2000, an African American Heritage Tourism Development Project, Anne helped link potential tourist sites to history and folklore representing the African American experience in Illinois. This includes Underground Railroad activity, Civil War involvement, Migration, significant people, places and events offering opportunities for human/ community/economic develop- ment, historic preservation and artistic/cultural interpretation. In the summer of 2007, Anne was the Chapungu exhibit liaison for the Missouri Botanical Garden and went on a trade Mission to South Africa before being asked to serve as director of the KDCAH.

Performing Arts Training Center (PATC) Dunham dancers:

Anne Walker and Darryl Braddix

(1975).