Ash Moore can’t help it. “My passions are all in the arts,” says the marketing and PR manager for the Richmond Performing Arts Alliance. “I have a few nerdy hobbies. I play Dungeons and Dragons on occasion and I do sword practice on Saturdays.”

But mostly, Moore’s free time is spent helping other worthy arts organizations like Gallery5, where the Virginia Beach native volunteers time as the venue’s board secretary, and SPECTRE, an open class, independent percussion drumline. “We are entering into our second season,” Moore says. “Richmond was in need of an organization like this, and we recently announced that we will be partnering with the VCU music department.”

“Since Ash came to the Gallery5 board last year,” founder Amanda Robinson says, “they have been pivotal in our Move the Stage campaign and helped us get grants from CultureWorks, the City of Richmond, and the Virginia Commission for the Arts. They put together the fundraising and marketing strategy behind the renovations, which were quite extensive, and organized the contractors we had to work on it.”

Moore attended VCU, earning a bachelor’s degree in mass communications with a concentration in creative and strategic advertising from the School of Media and Culture. They planted permanent roots in Richmond after graduation, working various marketing jobs for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and Richmond Symphony.

“It’s what they do for the larger community that stands out,” says Robinson. “Ash is so dedicated to being in the know about what’s happening in the arts in Richmond, whether it’s on the legislative level or on the community level. To see the time and energy that Ash puts in, and to see the dedication … I don’t know how they find the time to do it.”