Israel Carranza is a Mexican-American artist whose been creating abstract expressionistic paintings inspired by his Indigenous Mexican heritage for many years. He was born and raised in Illinois and recently moved to Lincoln, Nebraska.
Carranza’s art is a reflection of his deep connection to his cultural roots and his passion for exploring the intersection of Indigenous Mexican traditions and contemporary art. His paintings are characterized by bold, vibrant colors and abstract forms that evoke the natural landscapes, myths, and symbols of Mexico’s Indigenous communities.
In addition to his art, Carranza is also active in organizing cultural events in Lincoln that celebrate and showcase the rich heritage of Mexico and its people. He has been instrumental in bringing traditional music, dance, and food to the local community and promoting cross-cultural understanding and appreciation.
Carranza’s work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the United States, and he has received recognition for his contributions to the arts, community and culture. He continues to create and share his art with the world, inspiring others to connect with their own cultural heritage and explore the power of art as a means of expression and connection.

Director of Community Impact, Aurora Theatre

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, I have always been an art dreamer since I was about 4 years old. Singing was my favorite thing to do growing up. Through high school, I explored playwrighting and storytelling without knowing the impact it would have late in my life. It wasn’t until I reached college that I discovered Musical Theatre and the possibilities this would bring. For the last 11 years, I’ve dedicated my life to exploring, studying, and experiencing the arts in many of their forms. From classical to Spanish Rock singing, to musical theatre, to acting, to arts administration. With my degrees in Music, Performing Arts, and Arts Presenting and Live Entertainment Management; and my experience as a singer, actor, playwright, and administrator, I possess a wide perspective of the world of art. Currently, after wearing different hats as an Acting Apprentice, I hold the Director of Community Impact position at Aurora Theatre, where I connect with our diverse communities and provide them with multicultural programming that highlights heritage and culture. My job is the best combination of community and arts building. A true dream come true.

Youth Studios Manager, The Union for Contemporary Art

Jacquline Smith is the youth studios manager at The Union for Contemporary Art. In addition to developing and administering The Union’s Youth Engagement programs, she serves as a liaison between the artists, partner organizations, youth and their families. She graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a Bachelor’s in General Studies – Art Concentration, with a certification in nonprofit management. She brings nearly 20 years of experience working with youth to The Union’s programs. Prior to joining The Union, Smith served as an art teacher at The Montessori Co-Op School from 2016 to 2019 and taught at Metropolitan Community College in its Continuing Education program from 2015 to 2018. She also taught art classes abroad as a volunteer in San Ignacio, Belize (March-May 2010), and Banos, Ecuador (October 2016).

Discipline: Music

Graduate Teaching Assistant, The University of Wyoming

Communications Manager,, Baltimore Center Stage

I am a Baltimore native who is passionate about writing, youth work, and community service. My writing focuses mainly on equity, community service, and community organizations, and I have several published pieces, including work in Baltimore City Paper and BMoreArt. I also have worked as a mentor & writing coach for youth in Baltimore through the Bloomberg Arts Internship, and have committed much of my time to community service. During my time at UMBC, I co-founded a student organization called The Charm City Connection that focuses on connecting people from UMBC’s campus to the people of Baltimore City through service and community engagement. Currently, I work as a Gift Officer at Baltimore Center Stage, which is a role that allows me to use my writing and community engagement skills to engage with funders, donors, and other community members.

Jeanika Browne-Springer (she/her) is first generation Caribbean-American, a resident of East Hartford CT, and local creative. She has a BA from Trinity College in Theater & Dance with minors in Studio Arts and Urban Studies and holds an M.Ed from the University of Saint Joseph in Multiple Intelligences. She was a Hartford elementary teacher for several years then transitioned into arts administration as a grant writer and programmer at an arts education non profit. She is now the Director of LifeLong Learning at HartBeat Ensemble, a non profit professional theater company that helps audiences interrogate civic issues and develop empathy through theatre. She is an artistic collaborator and Board Vice President for Night Fall, local performer with Vintage Soul Productions and SageSeeker Productions, and emerging director for youth performances. She is a member of the Artists of Color Unite! advisory group for Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, academic teacher of arts & culture at the Legacy Foundation of Hartford, and is currently part of the Hartford Heritage curriculum writing team around 19th Century Black community formations in Hartford.

Arts Education Director + Co-Interim Director, Juneau Arts & Humanities Council

I am an adoptee. Raised Tlingit-Filipino & Norwegian-German, of Athabascan, Inupiaq, and Japanese descent. I’m Luxnax.adi, Raven-Coho, and Shungukeidi yadi (child of the Eagle Thunderbirds). My birth-mother’s clan is the Bedzeyh Ti Xwt’ana, Caribou Tail Clan. My life has always been involved in the arts since I was a teenager and I have pursued it as a way of healing trauma to pass on to others through the arts, and community advocacy. Trauma impacts my Native communities, and adoptees especially. Through my pursuit of decolonizing, I have been navigating a way to lend to the prevention of, and healing of trauma.

Program Director, Brevard Music Center

Jenny Snyder Kozoroz is an active performer and enthusiastic educator who is committed to positively impacting the lives of the next generation of artists and musicians from across the country. As Program Director at the Brevard Music Center, Jenny is deeply committed to providing the intensive training and mentoring crucial to the success of young artists pursuing careers in classical music. Jenny previously served as Director of the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra’s award-winning Progressions program – an intense string training program designed to increase participation by students from populations that face barriers of access and equity in music study.

Jenny has served as Assistant Principal violist with the Virginia Symphony, performed with the Milwaukee Symphony, the Columbus Symphony, the Harrington String Quartet, and the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra. An advocate for education at every level, she has been on the viola faculty at Old Dominion University, Denison University, Christopher Newport University, West Texas A&M, The Sewanee Music Festival, The New England Music Camp, and for more than a decade at the Brevard Music Center. She also continues to be a strong advocate and advisor for the Sphinx Organization.

Jenny received her BM at the Ohio State University, and her MM at the Juilliard School. She currently serves on the faculty of Brevard College.

Founding Director, The Black Donors Project

I am pleased to submit for consideration an application for the National Leaders of Color Fellowship. I am an equitable fundraising practitioner and cultural worker with 20+ years in nonprofit management. My work is designed to shape organizational equity in nonprofit sectors with a focus on implementing new frameworks that optimize collective and inherent strengths.

From 2002 to 2016, I served as the executive director for Rennie Harris Puremovement, the world’s first and longest-running Hip Hop dance company to perform on national and international concert stages. I have watched the symbiotic relationship between Hip Hop culture and Black philanthropy grow, and it has shaped my work to include discourse regarding the art of Hip Hop, its impact on Black philanthropy, and its contributions to the arts ecosystem.

In late 2022, I created The Black Donors Project (www.theblackdonorsproject.org). The initiative is a participatory action research project that employs disciplined inquiry utilizing surveys, focus groups, and individual interviews to examine and highlight the relationship between the community, Black donors, Black artists, and Black-led arts organizations. My goal is to fill a void within the fundraising field that fails to investigate the capacity and willingness of communities of color to support the arts and dispel the mythology that drives racial disparities in and across the universe of giving and philanthropy.

Arts And Culture Coordinator, Latino Network

Discipline: Folklife/Traditional Arts

Jessica Harned has been fortunate to begin her career in Boise, Idaho. She first became a member of the Boise Philharmonic in 2016, and since, has performed with most local professional ensembles, including Mariachi Sol de Acapulco, who won the Governor’s Award for Musical Excellence in 2018.

To Jessica, education is of the utmost importance. In 2020, Jessica received her Masters degree from Boise State, after having won the Boise Philharmonic Graduate Quartet Fellowship. This experience emboldened her to speak up about the life and experiences of the BIPOC community within classical music. Since then, she has spent her time fostering conversation about representation in classical music, on the radio, in the classroom, and within her own work, all while participating in music in inventive and diverse spaces.

Understanding that her career is multi-faceted, and being very proud of that, Jessica believes that this diverse path has helped her become the musician and person she is today.

Discipline: Theatre

Jessyca Valdez is an aspiring photographer from Toluca, Mexico. She began pursuing photography 5 years ago when she moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and her passion is to shed light on the untold stories of the immigrant experience. She has completed advanced photography coursework through UNAVID: Escuela de Fotografía in Toluca, Mexico. Jessyca is a Community Mobilizer for Voices JH, and also works as a housekeeper.

Program Assistant, Osage Nation Musuem

Hello, my name is John HorseChief. I am from the Osage, Pawnee, Blackfeet, Potawatomi and Irish people. I live in Oklahoma and work at the Osage Nation Museum.I am a father and a grandfather. I am the Program Assistant at the museum, my main focus is digital archives and the digitization of cultural material. I am also a beadworker, moccasin maker, and a lodge builder within my community on the Osage reservation. I enjoy doing both technological work and traditional crafts. Preserving and sharing my plains culture and specifically my Osage culture gives me a sense of well being. Before working at the Osage Nation Museum I was employed with the Wahzhazhe (Osage) Cultural Center. During my time there I was part of a team that developed the Wahzhazhe Digital Preservation Project. The project aims to digitize and archive all media related to Osage language, culture and history. We currently have over 10 terabytes of data in our project. This exposure to media has made me aware of Indigenous and Osage people’s representation and the importance of telling our own stories through the media. Whenever you google Image search “”Osage people”” you mostly see black and white photos. I want our search to show us as we are today; vibrant and alive. Indigenous people have had a long struggle with other people telling their stories. I would like to learn to be a better storyteller and museum worker. Thank you for your consideration.

Jordan Tate, born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is a multi-talented individual with a passion for both basketball and art. Growing up as a hooper and an artist, he discovered his love for creative expression early on. Recognizing the potential of merging his artistic talent with a professional career, Jordan pursued a degree in graphic design at Colorado State University.

After graduating, Jordan embarked on a career journey that led him to the vibrant world of media. He found a home at iHeart Media in Northern Colorado, where he honed his skills and made significant contributions. It was during this time that he met his future wife, prompting a move back to his hometown of Albuquerque.

In Albuquerque, Jordan seized the opportunity to establish his own creative agency, aptly named Creative Duke. Here, he channels his artistic prowess into helping businesses and individuals bring their visions to life through innovative design and branding solutions. Jordan Tate’s story is a testament to the power of passion, skill, and the pursuit of one’s creative dreams.

Deputy Director, Indigo Arts Alliance

Jordia Benjamin is a community engagement specialist, art educator and curator with a passion for creating compelling programs, cultivating and curating creative environments for artists and communities to thrive using art as the mechanism for change. With over a decade in the art sector, and a background in museum education, she embodies a commitment to equity, inclusion, empowerment and advocacy for communities of color. Benjamin has worked for national and international museums; overseeing their education departments ie. the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas as the Education Officer and again oversaw Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine public and community engagement programs along with being on the ground floor of the launch of the Lunder Institute for American Art.
In her role as Deputy Director at Indigo Arts Alliance, Jordia co-leads with the Executive Director/Co-Founder the organization’s day-to-day operations along with ensuring that the quality and impact of Indigo Arts Alliance’s activities and programs directly support its’ mission. A highly effective collaborator, manager, relationship builder, and communicator, she guides and refines the artist residency program, developing related programming that connects our local, national and international communities. She currently serves as a board member to the Museum Education Roundtable and MassAction Anti-Racism Think Tank committee. Jordia is also a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated.

Managing Director, Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts, Northwestern University

Prior to joining Northwestern University as the Managing Director for The Virginia Wadsworth Wirtz Center for the Performing Arts, Jorge Silva was the Managing Director for the renowned experimental collective, The Neo-Futurists, leading the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic utilizing revitalized infrastructure. Before The Neos, he was the Producing Coordinator for the Goodman Theatre serving as the producing liaison for community engagement projects and the curator for artistic programming

While based in Washington, DC, Silva was a performer and administrator for the Smithsonian Institution’s Discovery Theater and a founding teaching artist for their DCPS in-school arts education program, ‘Tools of Discovery.’ Much of Silva’s work, however, is identified with The Neo-Futurists beginning as a 2016 recipient of the Artists of Color Scholarship; he is also an artistic affiliate with Teatro Travieso (Wooster, OH).

Outside of theatre, Silva has worked with the Daniel Murphy Scholarship Fund and The Posse Foundation: Chicago in their respective student mentoring programs. He was also a Lecturer and graduate projects advisor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s Writing Program. Notably, Silva was a featured speaker at Latinos Progresando’s flagship community event, MEX talks, and remains a member of the event’s Host Committee.

JU-EH is a Las Vegas based visionary, community leader, and operatic vocalist. As a conceptual curator, JU-EH has initiated projects that defy genre, period, or easy categorization. JU-EH self-produced the musical drama The Living Dying Opera based on the story of their life addressing a racist experience as an Asian queer male in the opera industry; They also brought worldwide attention to the episodic audio opera Asian Casta Diva on the social media platform Clubhouse responding to the #StopAsianHate Movement.

JU-EH has collaborated with numerous non profit organizations to raise awareness of safe and caring environments for people of color artists and employees.

The brand new business the Milk Tea Opera House was recently launched as a pioneering concept combining performing arts and beverages as a placemaking act for the daily life of Nevadans. JU-EH would like to cultivate a creative space to meet where people are at, and to invite people who do not have professional training to interpret how art makings do not have prerequisites. MTOH aims to engage local residents in finding their own creative voice, and expand the connection of our voice to be the place to meet who we truly are as the new definition of the opera house for the next 100 years.