Our People

Founding Director Randall B. Robertson shapes the trajectory of GladdeningLight assisted by a Board of Trustees and a National Council. A multimediaist, Mr. Robertson was first drawn to the marriage of art and spirit while studying the Italian Renaissance in college abroad in the 1970s. He applied that passion towards his first performance art piece produced with Newbery award-winning author Madeleine L’Engle, entitled The Glorious Impossible, combining the art of Giotto’s famed Scrovegni Chapel frescoes in Padua with musical passages of ancient sacred polyphony, classical, contemporary and secular works alongside Ms. L’Engle’s narrative on the life of Christ.

Presentation of The Glorious Impossible with Ms. L’Engle throughout North America led to encouragement from theologians John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg to create Phos Hilaron, a performance art “Christmas pageant for thinking adults” that toured the southeast with Drs. Crossan and Borg in 2008 and 2009. Led by a 32-voice chamber choir from Georgia Tech, complemented by CGI composite video and accompanied live by the world music of Free Planet Radio, Phos Hilaron played to audiences in Atlanta, North Carolina and coastal Georgia. Prior to the founding of GladdeningLight, Mr. Robertson spent the previous two years in graduate study of the spiritual arts in New York City.

“GladdeningLight is as much about art and love as it is about light. There are many paths to the godhead, and the power of infinite love leads affirming pilgrims on its way. The human condition beckons ancient rhythms to reawaken one’s appreciation for the dance of light and life. GladdeningLight aspires to be an artful beacon exalting the Holy Spirit’s expression within the creative call.” Randy Robertson, Founding Director

Trustee Lisa Bruttell Grant is an entrepreneurial wunderkind who began a two-person cooking service that eventually became Orlando’s most respected catering organization.  As co-founder of Arthur’s Creative Events & Catering, Ms. Grant worked tirelessly over twenty-five years building the company and its reputation before retiring to North Carolina.  She is a graduate of Father Richard Rohr’s Living School in New Mexico and is involved in all manner of spiritual endeavors, spearheading local group study and participating nationally in contemplative practices.

Trustee Elaine Woods Johnson is a veteran member of the Alabama State Council on the Arts, currently serving in her fourth term on the Council’s Board. She has received numerous awards for arts advocacy and service, including the Alabama Governor’s Arts Award. Ms. Johnson received her BS and MA from the University of Alabama and was a professional educator for 25 years. She lives in Dothan, Alabama where she continues her involvement with the arts and serves as a Ruling Elder in the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.

Trustee Perry Nies completed his undergraduate and graduate work at MIT and Harvard, and managed both for-profit and non-profit organizations his entire career. The Honduras ministry of El Hogar, for which he serves as Regional Coordinator for projects in Central Florida, is a particular passion for Mr. Nies. He also continues to work tirelessly with the organization, Horizon Communities in Prison, mentoring inmates at Tomoka Correctional Facility outside Daytona Beach. Now retired, Mr. Nies seasonally divides his time between Winter Park, Florida and Southport, Maine with his wife, Jane.

Trustee Kirk Squires is Director of Staff & Cultural Development at Full Sail University, a higher education institution dedicated to cultivating innovative careers in the arts, entertainment, and media. He currently runs Full Sail Leadership Academy – an internal leadership development program for high performing Full Sail professionals. Kirk previously served on the board of the Northland Foundation for Arts and Education and has also supported the C.S. Lewis Foundation, International Arts Movement, Mastermedia International – among other arts and entertainment initiatives.  Kirk lives in Winter Park with his beautiful bride, Christianne.