New NFAC leader Alison Omens looks to bring ‘exciting things’ to Greenport

Alison Omens was looking for a way to root herself more deeply in Greenport when the North Fork Arts Center found itself preparing for its next act.

A former Obama administration aide who went on to lead a nonprofit focused on corporate accountability, Ms. Omens, 41, moved to the village full-time last summer.

Last month, she succeeded founder Tony Spiridakis as executive director of NFAC at a moment when the Greenport arts center is looking to build on its newly renovated historic theater and expand its role as a year-round community hub.

“I’m really excited to figure out what kind of programming brings people in the doors, not just here, but more broadly regionally, year-round,” Ms. Omens told The Suffolk Times. “We need exciting things to come here for. I’m much more interested in trying and failing at some things than not trying. I’m very excited to see what works here.”

Ms. Omens and her husband, Nikos, bought their house in Greenport in 2020 — wearing N95 masks at the height of COVID. Through a mutual friend, she later met Mr. Spiridakis, and the two got to talking about the arts center’s future.

Their first event together came in April 2025, when Ms. Omens suggested doing a dinner for NFAC built around a simple conversation prompt.

“It’s called a Jeffersonian Dinner, which sounds very high-falutin,” she said. “It’s basically asking everyone a question that brings people together, like, ‘What is your first memory of art?’ or ‘What was your first experience with art?’”

She and Mr. Spiridakis began getting closer following the dinner, with Ms. Omens staying more in touch and more involved in the center. Then, the following month, Ms. Omens’ husband had a medical crisis, keeping him hospitalized for three months.

It was during those long, lonely hours that she would scroll through social media posts about events happening at NFAC. Seeing the posts got her even more excited about what could be done and what they could do together.

When Nikos was discharged, she got a call from Mr. Spiridakis saying he wanted her to be more involved.

It turned out to be a good omen.

“It felt very meaningful to me at a time when I was looking for ways to be in the community that wasn’t this awful thing that happened,” Ms. Omens recalled. “It allowed me to imagine how I could show up here in ways that were true to myself, and build something really cool together.”

The conversations about taking over NFAC continued organically before Mr. Spiridakis decided to focus on other endeavors, including his upcoming movie, “Hello Darkness.”

“I could see how right the choice was because she’s so detailed, she’s so good with people, she’s so organized and absolutely so intelligent,” said Mr. Spiridakis, who will remain chairperson of the board of directors. “It’s really scary when you have to turn that over, but I think we all felt that doing this this way was the absolute best thing for the organization, and it has been.”

Ms. Omens officially joined the NFAC team in January, learning the ropes and getting up to speed. Her first official day as executive director was May 15, when the center unveiled its $500,000 renovation, as The Suffolk Times reported.

The improvements include a new ADA-compliant elevator, accessible bathrooms and seating, an HVAC system and a new piano — upgrades that marked the second phase of NFAC’s multi-year capital improvement project.

“The potential of NFAC means that it would be irresponsible not to question if I’m the right person for that,” she said. “But I love Greenport, I love community, and I know how to run organizations. I know that this is a community that wants to create things together, and so it felt like a really amazing opportunity to try.”

Ms. Omens grew up just outside San Diego and attended Scripps College in Claremont, Calif., where she majored in American government and politics.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked in media relations and public affairs for 12 years. In 2014, she made a mid-career decision and completed a one-year master’s program in public administration at the Harvard Kennedy School.

She then landed a role in the Obama administration, serving as an adviser for private sector engagement to labor secretary Tom Perez. There, she collaborated with business leaders and organizations to promote and embrace leading strategies around inclusive capitalism and the future of work.

“I got to put together all of these dialogues on the role of the private sector in creating good jobs and working in the community,” she said. “It was just everybody trying to do good work, and I loved it.”

After Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, she wanted to step away from politics. She moved to Brooklyn and began working for JUST Capital.

The organization conducts large surveys to learn what people think about business practices and values, helping identify which measures of performance matter most to the public.

Ms. Omens spent the next nine years at JUST Capital, eventually being named president, but she began to ache for work in the community where she lived full time.

Now, she is preparing summer offerings to draw younger audiences, including an improv class.

Meanwhile, Mr. Spiridakis is excited to have found a kindred spirit.

“I am so thrilled to see somebody of her caliber understanding and making great choices to make sure that we’re going to have fun as a community at the arts center,” he said. “I’m lucky I’ll get to work with her and help her to succeed. I think everybody’s really ready to help her succeed, and we all know she’s going to succeed.”