Alexandra James, is a Southern Maine-born maker, mover and mother. As an independent artist, she’s engaged with improvisation and interdisciplinary investigation, the interrogation of pedagogy and craft, seeking liberation through the integrity of embodied knowledge and the sharing of practice. In addition to her role as BDF’s Director of Training Programs, Alexandra is a professor of dance at Bates, and artistic director of a youth Hip Hop company. Her work has been presented in Chicago, New York and South Africa, with a teaching practice that carries her nationally. She earned her BFA from the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago in 2009.

Alexandra Olivares is an arts administrator based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her focus is audience research and evaluation, leveraging qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to inform institutional strategy and drive meaningful community engagement. Her expertise is demonstrated through her published work examining motivations for and barriers to arts participation, as well as the role of cultural representation in shaping visitor experiences.

With over a decade of experience in the museum field, she has developed innovative evaluation initiatives to systematically collect and apply visitor feedback, building deeper connections between museums and their audiences. As board president of the North Carolina Museums Council, she leads statewide efforts to strengthen collaboration, advocacy and professional development across North Carolina’s museum community.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Ottawa and a Master of Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Membership and Operations Coordinator, Benvenuti Arts

Alicia Margarita Olivo (theythem) is a Houston-based Mexican American playwright, performer, and weather enjoyer, whose work focuses on the fiery interactions between identity, gender, rage, and memory. Alicia’s plays have been developed and received readings with Stages, Company One Theater, The Workshop Theater, Teatro Chelsea, Telatúlsa, AlterTheater, and The Inkwell Theater. Alicia is the Membership and Operations Coordinator at Benvenuti Arts, an arts consulting company for small and mighty arts orgs. B.A. Wellesley College. Alicia loves talking about comic books, good food, and the weather. @aliciamargaritx / amolivo.com

ALMA

Amanda King is a classic singer of standards and jazz, celebrated as a true chanteuse with a straight-ahead style steeped in tradition.

Praised by The New York Times critic Stephen Holden as one of the nightclub world’s “exceptional rising talents,” King dives deep into the treasure trove of musical history, honoring the stories, songs, and legends that shaped the rich tapestry of early American popular music and jazz.

Having recently made her international debut, she is currently touring across the United States, captivating audiences with her smooth voice and confident style. Her performances, infused with the sophistication of a bygone era while resonating with contemporary vibrancy, have earned her the affectionate moniker “Las Vegas’ Queen of Swing.”

In 2024, she was featured on “Standards Deluxe,” an album by the Rob Dixon/Steve Allee Quintet. The record spent 18 weeks on the JazzWeek Top 50 chart.

Community Capacity Building Nonprofit Professional

I am a Community Capacity Building nonprofit professional with experience in program design and strategy, ecosystem building, and art programming. I’m passionate about advocating for communities of color, women, queer, and poor working-class folks that have historically been on the margins. I’ve devoted much of my research and expertise to teams that enhance on-the-ground storytelling, arts, and community engagement to strengthen equity amongst large metropolitan areas from the East Coast to Mississippi. With a Bachelor of Arts degree in Media Studies & Production and African American studies from Temple University, I have consistently made it my goal to tie in art creation and curation with collaborative problem-solving. I enjoy working with teams of people, mentoring high school students in film and directly servicing underserved communities. I also live for live soul music, roller skating, cycling and film.

With a decade of experience in the design field, Ámbar holds a BFA in Design & Digital Arts from the School of Fine Arts & Design of Puerto Rico (Escuela de Artes Plásticas & Diseño de Puerto Rico), graduating as Summa Cum Laude. Ámbar has been recognized with grants from organizations such as the Luis A. Ferré Foundation (Fundación Luis A Ferré) and Seguros Múltiples of Puerto Rico. She has also earned several awards, including the People’s Choice Award from the Collective Exhibition “El Bizarro” during the Puerto Rico Horror Film Fest. One of her artworks is featured in the Contemporary Puerto Rican Art Collection (Colección de Arte Puertorriqueño Contemporáneo). Her work has been displayed in respected galleries like Exhibixiones del Plata, Lorenzo Homar Gallery (Galería Lorenzo Homar) at the School of Fine Arts & Design of Puerto Rico, and the Museum of the Americas at the Ballajá Barracks (Museo Las Américas, Cuartel de Ballajá). She received the Audience Choice award at the 2021 Circus International Film Festival for her work in Sound Mixing and Film Editing on the short film “Isla Bonita Circus Tour” for the National Circus School of Puerto Rico. For a duration of two years, Ámbar served on the Faculty of the International School of Design & Architecture (Escuela Internacional de Diseño y Arquitectura) within the SUAGM (Sistema Universitario Ana. G. Méndez). Ámbar is also part of The Currier Collective board from the Currier Museum of Art, where she advocates for the recognition of diversity and culture in Manchester, New Hampshire. She currently works at BOLD as a Product Designer focusing on UI/UX and visual branding.

Discipline: Humanities

View Website

Amy June is the artist, activist and seed keeper behind Bluejacket Handcraft and Good Way Farm in Lawrence, KS. She also serves as Land Relations Specialist at the Land Institute, engaging in the cultural piece of agriculture. She was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area and relocated to Kansas in 2023, making her new home on Kaw, Osage and Kickapoo territories. While rooted heavily in photography, she enjoys a multidisciplinary approach to applied research and craft. Her work is largely informed by her mixed heritage as an enrolled member of the Eastern Shawnee Nation of Oklahoma and queer identity. Her work addresses themes of racial and social justice, Indigenous self-determination and food sovereignty.

Amy Le Ann Richardson is a writer, educator and advocate from Carter County, Kentucky, where she lives and works on her multi-generational family farm. Rooted in Appalachia, her writing explores place, resilience, motherhood and people’s connection to the land. She is the author of three poetry collections—“Make Believe Worlds We Built Together,” “Who You Grow Into” and “Out of Places”—and editor of the forthcoming “Rooted, Resilient, Rising: Women Growing Food across the Mountains.”

Her work has appeared in Still: The Journal, Appalachian Journal, Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel and Kentucky Monthly. She holds a bachelor’s in English from Morehead State University and an MFA in creative writing from Spalding University, and has received grants from the Kentucky Foundation for Women.

Through teaching and community workshops, Richardson works to expand literary access and amplify women’s voices in Appalachian communities. She leads the Bloodroot Writers Collective, a youth-centered literary initiative fostering creative voice and place-based belonging across eastern Kentucky.

Discipline: Multidisciplinary

I was born and raised on the island of Guam. I’ve been an Elementary ESL teacher for 28 years. My hobby is dot painting Guam landscapes and symbols representing the indigenous Chamorro culture. I desire to promote the Chamorro culture through art and share my love of dot painting and art in general with my students.