Associate Artistic Director, Cornerstone Theater Company

Bruce Lemon is a storyteller born and raised in Watts, CA. As a child, his father made him write stories and read them aloud in the hallway as punishment for lies and mischief. He’s still in trouble.
Recent credits: Actor in the short film HALLELUJAH, an Official Selection of the 2022 Sundance Film Festival.
Director of THE ANONYMOUS LOVER at the LA Opera.
Associate Artistic Director/Ensemble with Cornerstone Theater Company, Co-Artistic Director of Watts Village, Company member of Illyrian Players and Collaborative Artists Bloc.
BruceALemonJr.com
@balemonjr

Art Show Coordinator, Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum

Name: Chastity Williams. Title: Founder of Spotlight Our Youth, Drama Director at Franklin Middle School.
Chastity Williams was born and raised in Illinois. She moved to Iowa, where she studied Theatre Arts at the University of Iowa and currently attends the University of Dubuque for Elementary Education, to integrate her arts experience in an educational setting. Chastity served as Miss Northeast Iowa 2023 where she continued to amplify the value of the arts. She is an advocate for arts education through her initiative “Spotlight Our Youth – Educate, Engage, and Emerge in Arts Education”. The arts help children find their voice and develop skills that help them become leaders. Her initiative is about sustaining artistic opportunities for kids so they can create their own stories. She has done work with Englert Theater in Iowa City and Chicago Shakespeare Theater in Illinois. She has also been on stage in productions across Iowa, some for other states. Chastity serves as a teaching associate and drama director in the Cedar Rapids School District and is a fan of anime. She’s excited to be a part of this fellowship and learn how to bring inclusivity into the arts!

Public Programs and Outreach Coordinator, Plains Art Museum

My name is Chelsea Steffes and I work at the Plains Art Museum as the Public Programs and Outreach Coordinator, a Teaching Artist, and a Senior Visitor Services Associate. I am a mixed race Filipino American who dedicates her time primarily towards the community that myself and my institution can serve. I got my Bachelor’s degree in Heritage and Museum Studies & Pre-professional Studio Art from Concordia College, Moorhead in 2019. Rather than specialize in a particular artistic medium, I focused on learning multiple artistic skills/practices and becoming an accessible and engaging informal arts educator. I have worked at my current institution since 2018 and have jumped at every opportunity that I can to improve myself and in turn, how I can serve my community. My goal is to make all arts community spaces an accessible and inclusive experience for anyone who visits. I make efforts to engage with our visitors and the local Fargo/Moorhead community through visitor experience, teaching classes, giving gallery tours, and participating in local community events by providing free art activities.

Event Coordinator, Arts Council of Big Sky

A self-described introvert with a very public profession, Dasan Ahanu is a North Carolina-based cultural organizer, artist, and scholar. As an accomplished cultural leader and poet, Dasan has appeared on NPR, TV One’s Verses and Flow, and the documentary Poet Son, among other features. He is a resident artist with the St. Joseph’s Historic Foundation/Hayti Heritage Center, co-founder and managing director of Black Poetry Theatre, and a visiting professor at UNC-Chapel Hill, teaching Hip-Hop and Black culture courses. A respected recording artist, Dasan has collaborated with many Jazz, Soul, and Hip-Hop artists in North Carolina. He is an alumnus of the Nasir Jones Fellowship with the Hip Hop Archive at Harvard University’s Hutchins Center for African & African American Research. In 2023, he was named the 15th Piedmont Laureate for poetry. He has published extensively and is the author of five poetry collections. Dasan also works with organizations as a strategist and builder who uses art & culture as a foundation and framework for creative solutions to internal and external needs. An imagination worker, he develops programs, collaborates on projects, helps map out initiatives, coordinates resources, and fosters ideation with groups looking to increase impact and embrace possibilities.

Dance Director, Michigan Dance Council

Clara Martinez is the Dance Director at Everett High School in the Lansing School District. A lifelong dancer with a passion for community organizing, she views her role at Everett as arts educator and community leader. She is a proud union representative and advocates for students and educators in the Lansing Schools Education Association. Clara won Best Dance Instructor in Lansing’s City Pulse Top of the Town 2020 Contest. She is Chair of Michigan Dance Council and Board Member for All Of The Above Hip Hop Academy and Cultural Advocacy Network of Michigan. Clara was recognized as a Rising Leader in the Arts and selected for the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs’ Rising Leaders 2021-2022 Cohort. Clara is pursuing her Masters of Social Work (MSW) in Organization & Community Leadership at Michigan State University. Clara received her Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA) in Dance from The Ohio State University.

Founder, The Mae Fellowship & Quitman Studios

Courtney Young is a writer of fiction, screenplays, popular culture criticism and creative nonfiction. She is a recipient of residencies from Willapa Bay Air, Vermont Studio Center, Faber, Hambidge, Bainbridge and Chateau D’Orquevaux. She is also the founder of the Mae Fellowship, a virtual, annual program that provides financial and professional support to women and non binary writers seeking to publish her/their first book and a co-founder of This Season. Her current projects include completing both her first narrative feature entitled This Savage Life Makes Us Hard to Kill and her first collection of short stories entitled Scar Tissue of the Extraordinary. A graduate of Spelman College and New York University, she received her B.A. in English with a minor in Management and her M.A. from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study, completing an interdisciplinary program that combined Entertainment Business, Performance, & Africana studies. She was born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana.

Social Media & Contact Info:
* Twitter: @cocacy @maefellowship
* Instagram: @ccarlissyoung @themaefellowship
* Website: www.themaefellowship.com
* Newsletter: themood.substack.com

Associate Director, Alumni Affairs, Berklee

Dana James has built a career on bringing together technology solutions and emotional intelligence. A strong believer in community organizing, Dana previously served as the Information and Systems Specialist for Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County (CCALAC), serving over 60 member health centers. Over 6 years, Dana led the design of several grant-based programs from workforce to emergency management initiatives. Leaning on her strong belief in grassroots outreach and engagement, Dana has a strong track record for programmatic success. During her tenure in community health, Dana was invited to speak at multiple national conferences presenting her engagement strategies to peer organizations. Though driven to support organizational success, throughout Dana’s career she has been drawn to supporting the experience of the workforce. Throughout her professional tenure, Dana has led numerous staff development programs which contributed to significant improvement of worker satisfaction. A strong believer in community organizing, Dana currently serves as the Associate Director of Alumni Affairs for her alma mater, Berklee College of Music, leading alumni engagement strategy for the west coast. Whether bringing large scale community events to fruition or designing continued learning workshops in partnership with community members, Dana’s belief in community and investment in worker success shows up in the outcomes of her programming and projects.

Mississippi, Speaking Down Barriers

Davelyn Hill is the Executive Director for Speaking Down Barriers. SDB is an organization whose mission is Equity for all. SDB seeks to build community across all that seeks to divide us by ending oppression and valuing everyone. She has a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy from Converse College. Alongside providing counseling services, she has led support groups, presented research, and conducted university presentations around racial trauma and oppression. She enjoys facilitating groups and retreats around grief and wholeness. Davelyn Hill, also known as Davelyn Athena is an author, poet, and intuitive painter. She has her MFA in creative writing with an emphasis in poetry from Converse College. Davelyn Athena’s poetry and art have been featured in print and digital media. She is a curator for Spark and Echo which is a collective of artists giving artistic interpretation to every verse of the Bible.

Producing Artistic Director, Global Lounge Incorporated

Debra Littlesun is the Assistant Director of the University of Wyoming Art Museum since 2018. Previously Associate Director of Scholarships & Program Coordinator for Diversity Initiatives in the Office of Scholarships & Financial Aid. Appointed by the University President to administer and serve as ex-officio for the Northern Arapaho Endowment and Chief Washakie Memorial Scholarship Programs. Prior to coming to UW Littlesun was Director of Scholarship for the American Indian College Fund in Denver, Colorado. Littlesun earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Business Administration from Chief Dull Knife College, Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration Cum laude, from Rocky Mountain College and a Certificate in Arts Management, from University of California, Irvine. Littlesun is an enrolled member of the Crow Tribe and a direct descendant of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe. Debra is responsible for the financial management of museum activities but most enjoys when called on by curators for historical information related to objects from Native American Tribes. She has developed a deep appreciation for museums as a medium for teaching while continuing to explore ways to use objects to educate and inform individuals to view culture through a different lens, and to encourage growth and collaboration.

Artist/Educator, DDAT Management | San Juan College

Devin Hursey is a writer and graphic designer, with a passion for telling stories about people living with HIV and public health. Hursey, from Kansas City Missouri, holds dual master’s degrees in public health and strategic communications from the University of Missouri Columbia. In 2019, Hursey was honored as one of the 40 under 40 in public health by de Beaumont, as well as a 2023 Public Health Thought Leader by the Boston Congress of Public Health. His local and state work includes a featured columnist of the Next Page KC, leadership of the Real Justice Network contributing to campaign related to local politics, and board membership of Blaqout KC. Formerly: an appointed member of the CDC/HRSA Advisory Committee on HIV and Viral Hepatitis, and many other roles related to the health and rights of people living with HIV.

Director of Community Engagment, Grand Opera House, Inc.

My name is Emari Vieira-Gunn. I have been working in the education and arts fields for the past four years, and was most recently appointed to the position of Director of Community Engagement for the Grand Opera House, Inc. I am a lifelong Delaware resident and my commitment to creating change through the arts/ed and bettering existing programming within my organization, is my main area of focus. I have a passion for enriching the Delaware community and beyond, with engaging, impactful and enriching educational arts programming.

Curator and Creative Consultant, Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum

Fabiola (or just Fa) is a Venezuelan Human Rights Lawyer who turned her career around and wears many hats as an independent curator, creative consultant, writer, and performer. A former Amnesty International Regional Manager in her native country, her activism proved too dangerous, forcing her to move to the United States where she currently seeks political asylum and dedicates herself to finding justice through artistic and cultural expressions. Recognizing storytelling as the essence of her practice, she strives for thought-provoking and imaginative projects that highlight different perspectives, ignored, and forgotten stories.
She’s a co-founder of KAMA DC, a community-building platform for immigrant-led cultural experiences, and a member of the Curatorial Selection Committee of the GLB Memorial Fund for the Arts, an annual award supporting womxn artists and curators in DC, Maryland and Virginia.
Fabiola has worked with the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, National Museum of American History, National Museum of Asian Art, Anacostia Community Museum, The Embassy of Venezuela, The Embassy of Spain, Washington Project for the Arts, Times Square Arts, The Center for Book Arts NYC, The Brooklyn Museum, MacArthur Fellow Mel Chin, The FUNDRED Project, S.O.U.R.C.E. Studio, and more.

Curatorial and Administrative Assistant, Firehouse Art Center

Harvee White is the Education and Programs Manager at History Cherokee in Cherokee County, Ga. Naturally gregarious, Harvee loves bringing diverse and inclusive stories to the forefront of the community, and her work emphasizes the importance of shared authority and engagement. Harvee’s upbringing in Bossier City, Louisiana and the Atlanta, Ga area has informed her love of Black Southern culture and history. She holds a BA in Art History from Georgia State University and an MA in Public History and Museum Studies from the University of West, Georgia . Harvee prides herself on her ability to keep multiple houseplants alive, and will never say no to sour gummy worms.

Artistic Director, Phoenix Boys Choir

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).

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.