Trey Carlisle
Trey Carlisle uses the power of storytelling and songs to be a voice of hope and unity for our generation. A spoken word artist, singer-songwriter, rapper, multi-instrumentalist, and dancer, Trey Carlisle, also known as EMCEE P.O.E.T.R.E.Y, is a storyteller of many forms. 

His passion is using songs and stories to cultivate wellness, healing, and belonging within individuals and between communities. Carlisle is the program director for Music in Common, a nonprofit that curates experiences for people across social divides to find common ground through music and facilitated conversations. A certified mindfulness coach with the Dream Bigger Foundation, he also helps individuals transform conflicts and foster wellness and peace within themselves. 

Beyond that, Carlisle is a 2022 Garrison Institute Fellow, member of Soul Food Cypher, and creator of the podcast P.O.E.T.R.E.Y’s Place. Whether through podcasts, performances, artistic pieces, or projects, EMCEE P.O.E.T.R.E.Y helps audiences of all ages celebrate and honor our shared humanity and planet.

Amir Jackson
Amir Jackson is a United States Air Force veteran and proud Weber State University alumnus. He is the founder and former director of Nurture the Creative Mind, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering youth and fostering self-value through creativity. Since its founding in 2007, Jackson’s leadership has positively impacted the lives of more than 30,000 young people throughout Utah. Currently serving as the development director for the Lindquist College of Arts and Humanities, He brings a deep commitment to community building and donor stewardship.

Throughout his career, Jacksonr has been recognized with numerous honors, including two Ogden Mayor’s Awards, the Newman Civic Fellowship, the Red Cross Hero Recognition Award, the Governor’s Change Leader Award, and the WSU Salutes Award.

A TEDx Fellow and one of the founding members of TEDx Ogden, he also served as the event’s former project manager. His extensive leadership experience includes roles as director of the Ogden Arts Festival, founder and director of Día de los Muertos Ogden, and co-founder of the NAACP chapter at Weber State University.

He has served on several boards, including the WSU Alumni Association, ACLU of Utah, Visit Ogden, and Creative West (formerly WESTAF), reflecting his ongoing dedication to arts, culture, and civic engagement.

mariana moscoso
mariana Aq’ab’al moscoso (ja’/elle/they) is a nonbinary reconnecting Indigenous queer of Achi (Maya), Nicānāhuac, and Afro-Indigenous roots living between Vesak (Sacramento, California) and Tz’ikin Jay, Iximuleuw (Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala). A cultural practitioner, narrative strategist, digital artist, and emerging weaver, their work is grounded in Maya cosmology and ancestral knowledge.

moscoso is the founder of Ceiba Futures, a consulting practice rooted in Indigenous values, cultural strategy, and liberatory program design, and the developer of Casa Ceiba, an emergent artist residency and cultural incubator based in Santiago Atitlán, Guatemala. They are also a freelance senior strategic associate at Scansion, where they support equity-driven strategy and facilitation projects with public and nonprofit partners. 

moscoso is a published writer and artist whose work appears in Terra:Soul, Crushing Colonialism Magazine, Mujeres de Maíz en Movimiento, SNAG Magazine, and Weaving Our Stories: Return to Belonging. They are the co-visionary of Toj + Tijax: The Ritual of Myth Making, a creative Indigenous queer healing space, and currently serve as senior program officer at California Humanities. Follow their work on Instagram at @aq_ab_al.

CJ Ochoco
CJ Ochoco is a theatre producer, storyteller, and arts leader dedicated to using creativity as a tool for systems change, sustainability, and community healing. Her work focuses on collaboration, decolonial practice, and collective care through theatre, film, and cultural organizing.

Shannon Stokes
Shannon Stokes is a multifaceted creative professional dedicated to arts, wellness, and community transformation. As a movement artist, cultural organizer, and wellness entrepreneur, she champions whole-person community engagement and collective healing through arts and culture. Her journey began as a classically trained vocalist and dancer, experiences that continue to influence her work.

Currently, she serves as the vice president of strategy and community impact at the Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County. In this role, she facilitates trust-based philanthropy and community engagement, managing initiatives like grantmaking, exhibitions, and public art projects. Notably, Stokes played a key role in the national Arts For EveryBody initiative, which explored how arts can lead to healthier communities.

Stokes is also the founder of Zen By Shannon and the Healing Unlimited Wellness Collective, where she integrates mindfulness, holistic nutrition, and authentic leadership principles to combat stress and burnout. As a certified transformational nutrition coach, she empowers individuals to align with their core values and wellness goals. Her commitment to wellness and personal growth is further reflected in her involvement with the Mindfulness Collaboratory at the Pratt Institute. Shannon’s heart-centered approach aims to inspire meaningful change and community connection through access, education, opportunity, and the social impact of arts and culture.