Statement on the Passing of NEA Music Specialist Anya Nykyforiak

It is with great sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Anya Nykyforiak, an NEA music specialist with 37 years of service to the agency. Anya passed away on November 6, 2024, after a 28-month battle against cancer. The entire staff at the NEA grieves her passing, and we send our deepest condolences to her family, in particular her husband James H. Whitelaw and sisters Christine and Marichka. Anya is remembered as a devoted colleague who guided generations of new employees at the agency with care, patience, and humor. Staff recall she never failed to remember a birthday or anniversary—that she was mindful little things can have an enormous impact. Her small acts of generosity and kindness had an incalculable effect on the field and her colleagues, who were also dear friends. We will carry her spirit with us as we continue with the work she was so dedicated to. 

Anya Nykyforiak, NEA Music Specialist 

Anya was born on June 19, 1956, and grew up in a tight-knit Ukrainian community in Detroit. The arts were a part of her life from a young age — she took piano, ballet, and art lessons growing up. During the summers, she worked at her family’s summer hotel in the Catskills in upstate New York, spending time in the kitchen with her mother and learning from visiting Ukrainian painters. 

Anya moved to the DC area in 1982 for an internship at Wolf Trap, and then went on to work in other arts-related roles before making her way to the Arts Endowment in 1987. She began her work at the agency running the NEA Arts Administration Fellows program and later became a music specialist. Anya had a double bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance and Biology from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, and a master’s degree in arts administration from Indiana University, Bloomington.