Amanita Pleasanat-Heird
Assistant to the Senior Vice President for Development and Public Affairs

Amanita Pleasant-Heird considers St. Augustine, Fla., her hometown, though her parents moved around a lot when she was young. She received her bachelor's degree from Flagler College (in St. Augustine) with a double major in English literature and education and a minor in French.

Amanita Pleasant-Heird enjoys her life as a New Yorker. (Photo by Chad Heird)

How long have you worked at Juilliard, and what do you remember about your first day?
I have worked here for nearly three years; what I remember most of my first day here was being taken on a tour of the building and just being amazed at the gorgeous performance spaces available to students.

What job at Juilliard would you like to try out for a day and why?
I would love to be Michael Kahn for a day. To have had that kind of life in the theater, and the expertise gleaned from it, would be fabulous. Short of that, I would like to be a "fly on the wall" and observe some of his classes.

What is the strangest job you've ever had and what made it strange?
I worked in a swimwear store on the beach in Florida during college. While that's not so strange itself, the variety of people and "body issues" (or lack thereof) that I encountered made for interesting moments!

If out of the blue your boss said to take the day off, what would you do with your free time?
I would probably spend the day in Central Park, my favorite place in the city.

Do you have a background in music, dance, or drama? Are you actively pursuing it?
I taught theater to children and performed onstage for several years in Florida before coming to Juilliard. Although I did not plan to pursue acting at all when I moved to New York, I couldn't stay away. I have now been in eight shows and three films within about a year and a half.

What kind of performances do you prefer to attend and why?
I love to see any theater—good and bad—because you can learn as much from a bad show as you can from a good one. I am always particularly impressed and inspired by our Drama Division's fabulous performances.

What other pursuits are you passionate about?
I love to travel, especially to anywhere mountainous where I can go hiking and camping.

What was the best vacation you've had and what made that trip so special?
Right after I graduated from college, my future husband and I spent the whole summer taking a 10,000-mile road trip around the country. It was amazing—just the two of us and our camping gear in my old car, further away from home than either of us had ever been and relying on each other throughout the desert hikes, city crawls, and all of our other adventures. After that trip, we knew we were going to spend the rest of our lives together.

What is your proudest accomplishment in life?
I still get letters from students I taught in the past, telling me what they are doing with their lives now, and that I had a real influence on them. Knowing that I was able to really connect with so many kids at a formative time in their lives makes me very happy. I know that my time spent teaching was time well spent.

What might people be surprised to know about you?
Hmmm, I'm pretty much an open book. I guess people are always surprised to know that I have been a vegetarian my entire life and have never eaten meat at all, ever.

Next Month: Carol Hass, director of the production department.