Executive Director, EcoArts Connections

Energetic, enthusiastic, connecting, Waaban Bneshiinh*

*Waaban bneshiinh is my Odawa name – as I understand it, it means dawn bird, first light bird, receives and sings/sends out the first light of the morning bird (or something like that, but probably lots more mundane!) – I’m not Odawa but was given that name by elders and I cherish it

I’m able to sneak into places and situations and persuade people to do things they might not otherwise have the interest, courage, energy, or endurance to do.

I’m a serial arts entrepreneur, initiating and/or co-creating numerous projects and three organizations including the Colorado Dance Festival, International Tap Association and most recently, EcoArts Connections. EAC brings the arts together with science, social justice, Indigenous, and other ways of knowing to inspire people to live more sustainably – environmentally, economically, socially/culturally, and personally. As a former dancer and producer, I now work in the “estuary” between different sectors, arts disciplines, races/ethnicities, and walks of life bringing people together in performances, exhibits, classes, convenings, youth programs, and more – held in theatres, museums, schools, mobile home communities, coal-fired power plants, and UN Climate Conferences, among other traditional and non-traditional venues.  Having experienced catastrophic flooding, a massive fire, and other disasters, I’m looking forward to learning about new (and/or) ancient roles for the arts in the mitigation of, preparation for, response to, recovery from, and transformation beyond climate change and extreme events.