Sean Fenton (he/him/his), executive director of Theatre Bay Area, has been active in the professional Bay Area theatre community for more than two decades as an actor, musician, director, and administrator. He has performed at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, San Francisco Playhouse, 42nd Street Moon, Ferocious Lotus Theatre Company, and Community Asian Theatre of the Sierra, among others. Backstage, he has been a leader at Bay Area Children’s Theatre, Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre, and WolfBrown’s Intrinsic Impact program. Sean is a member of Actors' Equity Association and SAG-AFTRA and holds a BA in Cultural and Social Anthropology from Stanford University.

Dr. Tasha Golden directs research for the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins Medicine. As a national leader in arts + public health, Dr. Golden studies the impacts of arts & culture, music, aesthetics, and social norms on well-being, health research, and professional practice. She has authored many publications related to arts and health, served as an advisor on several national health initiatives, and is adjunct faculty for the University of Florida’s Center for Arts in Medicine. In addition to her research, Golden is a career artist and entrepreneur. As singer-songwriter for the critically acclaimed band Ellery, she toured full-time in the U.S. and abroad, and her songs appear in feature films and TV dramas (ABC, SHOWTIME, FOX, NETFLIX, etc). She is also a published poet and has taught university courses in public health as well as in writing, rhetoric, and literature. Holding a Ph.D. in Public Health Sciences, Dr. Golden draws on her diverse background to develop innovative, interdisciplinary presentations and partnerships that advance health, health equity, creativity, and well-being.

As CEO of California’s statewide arts advocacy organizations since 2018, Julie Baker has worked to increase the legislative clout and visibility of the arts and culture communities by building coalition across the for and non-profit sectors of California’s creative industries, producing a month-long arts awareness and advocacy campaign every April, and fighting for resources and legislation to serve and protect artists and cultural workers. She serves as the California State Captain to Americans for the Arts' National Arts Action Summit and on the State Arts Action Network Council and as the co-chair of the Western Arts Advocacy network for WESTAF. She is on the board of California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project, a founding member of the Nevada County Relief Fund advisory council and was elected to the Nevada County school board in November of 2020.

Becky Bucar has worked for the Town of Truckee in the Public Works Department for 17 years and she holds bachelor and master of science degrees in civil engineering from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She has been the staff liaison for the Town of Truckee's Public Art Commission of Truckee (PACT) since 2022 and has worked with the PACT on a number of projects, including the installation of two art pieces and the development of an annual work plan.

Haven Caravelli is an owner of MEC Roofing and El Barrio Mexican market. She is now serving her first term as a Grass Valley City Council member, advocating for the arts and supporting public art initiatives. She sponsored and/or promoted five murals in downtown historic Grass Valley, and helped streamline the public art process for the City. Born and raised in Nevada County, Haven Caravelli has combined her deep respect for philanthropy with her passion for community.

Brian Chambers is Founder and Curator at The Chambers Project, the world’s leading psychedelic art gallery representing the most influential contemporary artists in psychedelic culture. He holds long standing relationships with some of the most important psychedelic artists and collectors of our time, such as Ralph Steadman, Roger Dean, the Rick Griffin Estate, Oliver Vernon and Mars 1. Deeply immersed in the psychedelic scene since the mid-nineties, owner-curator Brian Chambers has dedicated his life’s work to connecting the dots between art and the psychedelic state, culminating in the opening of his most recent gallery space in Grass Valley, California.

Northern California visual artist Sarah Coleman is known for her bold and colorful murals that translate culture and place into meaningful visual narratives. Living locally, her paintings are in collections across the US, from New York to Chicago, from Los Angeles to San Francisco, while she is regularly covered in magazines such as Artweek, California Home + Design, Sacramento Home, and San Francisco. She holds degrees in both fine art and cultural anthropology from UC Santa Cruz. Utilizing her education in both creativity and culture, she explores the emotional and cultural impacts of atmosphere and weather, emphasizing our shared cosmic connection. Over the years, she has employed a variety of painting surfaces in her practice (including canvas, multi-layered glass, and walls), but more recently Coleman has prioritized public art. Along with making the murals, she is skilled at large-scale project management and has utilized teams of artists for most of her projects. In 2021, Coleman and her team completed a complex large-scale mural inside the historic Nevada Theatre in downtown Nevada City, CA, which cosmically celebrates the community and land.

Juniper L. Dacre has been working for over 25 years in the digital arts, branding and graphic design field. With a love of connecting people through visual art, she has managed projects for businesses both tiny and large. Although graphic and brand design has been a main focus over the years, she has produced a diverse body of work including label & package design, web design, convention booth layout, clothing design, interior design, car wraps, custom illustration, painting, animation and album cover art. Originally from Canada, Juniper has made California her home since 2007, and has been happily nestled in the Sierra Nevada Foothills for the past 12 years.

Jenny is Executive Director at Music in the Mountains (MIM), where, since joining in 2018, she has increased its average annual foundation and government grant giving by nearly 400%. She is the recipient of the Association of California Symphony Orchestras’(ACSO) 2022 Executive Leadership Award. She is a 2022 graduate of the League of American Orchestras “Essentials of Orchestra Management” program at The Juilliard School in New York City, and the Center for Nonprofit Leadership’s Executive Director Academy. In 2000, she earned her Juris Doctorate with honors from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies and Legal Studies from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Prior to joining the staff at MIM, she practiced law for seventeen years. She also taught law school for seven years working at both McGeorge Law School and Lincoln Law School teaching courses in business law; research and writing; and appellate and oral advocacy. In 2023, Jenny became a board member of ACSO, where she currently serves on the development and annual conference committees.

David Endacott-Hicks, is the Artistic Director and the President of the Board for Lyric Rose Theatre Company. As Artistic Director, David has been able to give performing arts opportunities to adults and hundreds of children through out Nevada County and beyond through enrichment and outreach. He is an Alumni of NUHS where he was very active in Theatre Arts and the Baggett Choir Program. He completed a Bachelor's of Music from UOP, Conservatory of Music and then went on to do his graduate training at the New England Conservatory of Music, as a Vocal Performance major. He has been a Professional Principal Performer on and off Broadway, in East and West Coast National Tours and several Opera companies. Just this past Summer, David was contracted by the Festival of Italian Opera, to play the role of “Don Ramiro” in La Cenerentola for 6 weeks in Northern Italy. Most recently, he has been a soloist with Music in the Mountains, "Prince Charming” and the “Wolf” in Into The Woods, “Jamie Wellerstein” in The Last Five Years, “Davison Sheeney” in 1940’s Christmas Radio with Off Broad Street Theatre, and is happy to announce that he will be performing the role of “Roger” in RENT at the Nevada Theatre in May/June of 2024.

Oz Fritz is a Grammy Award-winning producer and mix and mastering engineer for over 40 years. He has collaborated on over 60 projects with producer Bill Laswell that include L. Shankar, Material, Ginger Baker, Iggy Pop, The Ramones, Herbie Hancock, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Tony Williams, Elvin Jones, Sonny Sharrock, William S. Burroughs, Bob Marley, Digital Underground, Jungle Brothers, Golden Palominos, Information Society, Meat Loaf, and Rick Derringer. Fritz has engineered in state-of-the-art recording studios in Tokyo, London, Paris, Madras, Sydney, Havana, Rio de Janeiro, Los Angeles and New York. He has engineered releases by Paris Combo (went to #1 on the Billboard World Music charts), Wanda Jackson, Tabla Beat Science, Oysterhead, legendary Cuban pianist Pepecito Reyes, the Grammy award winning Mule Variations by Tom Waits, as well as Alice and Blood Money by Waits, Anti-Pop by Primus, and Wicked Grin by John Hammond – to name but a few. He currently resides in Grass Valley.

Sean Grayson, appointed as the City Manager to Nevada City in February 2022, brings over 27 years of public service experience to his position. A valedictorian graduate of Nevada Union High School, he began his career as a firefighter paramedic, and rose through the ranks before eventually becoming Fire Chief for the City of Rialto. Recognized for his strategic planning and team building, Grayson served as Interim City Manager in Rialto- demonstrating adept crisis management during the challenges of COVID-19. With a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's degree in public service leadership, Grayson is a credentialed leadership facilitator offering expertise in both crisis and long-term planning.

Ramona Howard is Executive Director at Nevada County Media. She has managed one of the largest grossing theaters in the country, in San Jose, producing many premier screenings and private events for filmmakers. She once kicked Robert Zemekis out of a theater for talking and saw Steven Spielberg sneaking into his own movie. Her second career was running her own part production / part software company. That sent her company global, its customers being both production and post-production feature film and television companies. Howard moved to Nevada County “to retire, dig in the dirt, play with the grand-baby and enjoy the outdoors”. So much for retiring!

3 time Top 10 Billboard Blues Albums artist (#9 "Katie Knipp Live at The Green Room Social Club," #4 "The Well," and #10 for "Take it With You," ), Northern California Blues Americana Siren Katie Knipp has shared stages with Robert Cray, Fantastic Negrito, Jimmie Vaughan, Joan Osborne, Walter Trout, The Hidalgos (David Hidalgo of Los Lobos), The Doobie Brothers, Tim Reynolds, Jon Cleary, Ruthie Foster, Joe Louis Walker, The James Hunter Six, William Duvall of Alice in Chains, among many others. She has won two SAMMIES for Best Blues Artist, and was nominated Artist of The Year by The Sacramento News and Review. She has been honored Female Artist of the Year in both 2021 and 2020 by the Country Folk Americana Blues Music Realm. Her 7th album, "Katie Knipp Live at The Green Room Social Club” hit #6 on the Itunes top 40 Blues Albums Chart upon its debut.

Lisa Swarthout was elected to her first term on the Grass Valley City Council in November of 2004. She was re-elected in November of 2008, November 2012 and November 2016. In her second term, Lisa served two years as mayor, and did so again in December of 2018. Previous to her elected position she spent nine years on the Grass Valley Planning Commission. Some of Lisa’s duties on the City Council included: General Plan Steering Committee, City representative to the Economic Resource Council, member of the Local Area Formation Commission (10 years), liaison to the City Parks and Recreation Commission, liaison with the Grass Valley Downtown Association and a member of the City’s budget committee. Lisa is also the past chair of the Grass Valley Downtown Association, and past chair of the Nevada County Economic Resource Council. She has served on the boards of many non-profit organizations in our community including The Friendship Club, Silver Springs Foundation and Soroptimist International of Grass Valley. Lisa currently sits on the board for the Center for the Arts and the Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital Foundation.

Ariel is the Executive Associate and Resident House Manager for Sierra Stages. She is a born and raised Nevada County local, who’s been performing here since she was 12. Ariel is an alumni member of NUHS where she was very active all 4 years in the Theatre department. She was the President of the Comedy Sportz club and received over 2000 volunteer hours in the Thespian Society by the time she graduated.  Ariel has an AA-T in Theatre Arts from Sierra College. She was part of the Nugget Fringe Festival committee from 2016 to 2020, where she was able to continue her artistic passions as a performer and discover her passion for producing art for others. One of her main roles for Sierra Stages is helping organize and run auditions for mainstage productions and the Theater by the Book series. You may have seen her most recently in Joy Luck Club as Rose Hsu and as Maureen in ‘The Beauty Queen of Leenane’. In August, she will direct the Theater by the Book production of Native Gardens for Sierra Stages. Alongside her passion for theater, Ariel is pursuing her Native American Studies degree at UCD to help keep her culture alive. She hopes to be a fluent speaker and story-keeper for her Nation. Ariel is thrilled to get to be part of this symposium. 

With an eight-year tenure at Bloomberg, David Nicholson, a skilled film and television Director of Photography and director, consistently showcases expertise and creativity. As the series Director of the acclaimed television show Hello World, an Emmy-nominated exploration of the vibrant personalities shaping the tech industry, encompassing topics such as AI, biotech, and the space industry, his work has taken him to nearly every continent, including some of the most remote places in the world. His documentary "Louder Than You Think" secured the audience award at the SXSW 2023 film festival. This accomplishment further enriches his impressive list of accolades, which includes multiple Webby Awards and various other honors for outstanding contributions. As the co-founder and former Program and Technical Director of the award-winning Nevada City Film Festival from 2008 to 2013, Nicholson has made a significant mark on the industry through a diverse portfolio spanning broadcast television, documentary, and sports videos.

Lindsey Nielsen

Lindsey Nielsen is a Nevada County native who recently moved back to the area, with her husband, to start a family. She joined the family business in 2021. For the past fifteen years, the Nielsens of Nielsen Professional Insurance Services have helped thousands of our neighbors find affordable healthcare. Trained in navigating the complex policy documents and bureaucracy of the Covered California marketplace, Lindsey gets you the care you need at the best price. A graduate of UCLA, Lindsey is also a certified nutritionist specializing in pregnancy and postpartum, and holds a Master’s degree in New Testament Studies from Boston University.

Shelly Covert is the Spokesperson for the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe. She sits on the Tribal Council and is community outreach liaison. She is also the Executive Director of the Tribally guided, non-profit, CHIRP (the California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project), whose mission is to preserve, protect and perpetuate Nisenan Culture. Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribal members are direct, lineal descendants of the original Indigenous people who were here thousands of years before the gold rush. Recently, with the efforts to restore federal recognition to the Nevada City Rancheria, her work has taken on a wider scope that includes social, environmental, and racial justice topics that impact the Tribal community and their wellbeing. Undoing the erasure of Nisenan history has been at the forefront of Tribal efforts and a focus for CHIRP. Raising the visibility of the Nisenan through community outreach, public events, and education has been of great importance as the Tribe struggles with the reintroduction of its culture and identity. As Tribal liaison, Shelly works closely with the Elders, Tribal Council, and Tribal members, to identify the areas of greatest need, and then guides CHIRP as Executive Director, to develop projects and implement those that have found funding. 

Kolin Perry is a curatorial assistant at the Nevada Museum of Art, where he has worked since 2022. He has previously held positions at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, MA (2020-2022), Boston Children's Museum (2017-2018), and Artown in Reno, NV (2015 & 2017). Recent exhibitions and publications include End of the Range: Charlotte Skinner in the Eastern Sierra (2023; Nevada Museum of Art); and Nick Larsen: Old Haunts, Lower Reaches (2024). Kolin holds a BFA in Photography, BA in Art History, and an M.Ed in Teacher of Visual Art from Lesley University.

Mark Salinas is the Public Art Program Manager for the City of Berkeley, California, and is responsible for the development and implementation of municipal public art policies, procedures, and programming. He is an activist for centering social responsibility and cultural competency at the intersection of art and government, believing transparent and inclusive practices support a healthy democracy. In 2020, amid Black Lives Matter protests and the COVID-19 pandemic, Mark created The First Lady Presents…, an online arts education initiative promoting the visibility of artists from non-dominant communities throughout Nevada. Alongside namesake project partner Nevada First Lady Kathy Sisolak and the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, this statewide program reached national recognition. Mark is a former columnist at PBS Reno Art Views, initiating in-depth opportunities for the agency to amplify BIPOC artists within Nevada and Northern California. Salinas is a recipient of the 2019 Nevada Humanities Rising Star Award and the 2022 Nevada Governor’s Point of Light Award.

Sky Scholfield is a Wintu, Pit River, and Wailacki producer with 10 years of experience in local media. He holds a Journalism degree from Cal Poly Humboldt. Major projects include producing shows like Blue Dot in Chico, CA and creating local food show Modern Rural: Great American Recipe in Redding, CA. He interned at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York and also served as UN Representative for the Youth Caucus Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues. Scholfield is the Artist in Resident at Shasta County Arts Council. He is currently creating the Pit River Documentary to tell the stories of elders and spiritual leaders in the Northeastern corner of California. Outside of work, he makes music.

Freda Scott is the founder and owner of Freda Scott Creative, an agency representing an impressive roster of commercial photographers, illustrators, and directors. She hand-picks artists for their talent, innovative approaches, professionalism and impeccable technique. Scott has always been a strong advocate for artists, from being an early adopter of licensing and copyright law, to serving as a member of the APA for many years, and now confronting the challenges that AI presents. She is a powerhouse of the industry, and offers decades of experience; connections and expertise; along with an unrelenting need for discovery and innovation.

With a BA in Ethnomusicology from the College of William & Mary, Conrad Sisk started in sound engineering; recording and mixing scores for his friends’ film and theater projects, and doing live sound production for his own bands and musical ensembles. In 2014, Conrad began doing live sound as a full-time vocation, working as an audio tech and engineer for large-scale productions. In 2020, Conrad was hired as a sound engineer at the Center for the Arts. Throughout the pandemic, he has provided stage sound for the performers and broadcast sound for the at-home audience for the Center’s livestream concert series. Currently, Conrad holds the role of Technical Director of the Center. 

Leila Srouji is a first-generation Palestinian America and influential social media entrepreneur who has amassed close to 14,000 followers for her small business, Tierra Madera. Srouji signed up for pottery classes at a local studio shortly after receiving her bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Cincinnati. She swiftly evolved from pottery student to Artist in Residence, and in 2019 she founded her ceramics studio. Her passion for crafting functional tableware stems from her upbringing gathering around family and food. Transitioning first to her own studio as a full-time artist in 2020, she and her partner relocated to Nevada City, California in 2021 to pursue their respective pottery and carpentry dreams closer to nature.

Swazzle Inc. is a California-based puppet company providing custom-designed and built puppets, rental services, live shows, and puppet production services both for stage and screen. Their professional team has crafted puppets for notable projects like Netflix's Waffles and Mochi, Showtime's Kidding with Jim Carrey, and Comedy Central's Crank Yankers. With over 20 original traveling puppet shows, Swazzle performs at libraries, schools, and special events in California. Their signature productions, The Little Prince and bilingual musical Dream Carver, have graced theaters across the U.S. Additionally, Swazzle served as puppet producers for Cartoon Network's Pillywags Mansion and contributed puppet segments to Amazon Studio’s Little Big Awesome.

Jeffrey Thompson, MA, MBA, EA, is a tax professional as well as a writer, actor, and magician.  In addition to filing over 400 tax returns every year, he serves as an artistic director for Impro Theatre, teaches at the Westside Comedy Theater, and serves on the board of The Ruby LA and The Improv Network.  He has taught psychology at Citrus College and given lectures to artists at CalArts, California Lawyers for the Arts, and the City of Santa Clarita.

CHERI AWALT

Cheri Awalt currently serves as the Deputy Director at Verge Center for the Arts in downtown Sacramento, California. A life-long appreciator of the arts, she pursued a degree in Art History and is proud to have graduated from the University of California, Davis in 2019. During her studies, she was given the opportunity to intern at the Sacramento Fine Arts Center, which kicked off her career and laid the foundation for her passionate support of artists, arts organizations, and the broader creative community in the Sacramento region and beyond. Over the intervening years since, she has held key positions at multiple nonprofit galleries in the greater Sacramento area, providing crucial support to local and nationally touring artists and exhibitions, and ensuring that the public can access and engage with the arts in a meaningful way. Since joining the Verge team in 2022, she has overseen Sac Open Studios, a free-to-the-public studio tour serving nearly 300 artists and 30,000 attendees annually, among many other programs and shows that continue to bolster the vitality of the arts in her community.

Kara Q. Smith is an arts professional with over 16 years of experience working for museums, galleries and non-profit institutions in California and beyond. She is passionate about advancing equity and accessibility in the arts, championing the role of arts and cultural organizations in our communities, and advocating for art as a driver of social change and mutual understanding. Kara currently holds the position of manager of programs and organizational advancement for Californians for the Arts to advance support for and awareness of the state's creative workforce and economy. She previously served as the executive director of Gallup MainStreet Arts & Cultural District in Gallup, NM, where she developed programs to support artists/entrepreneurs in the downtown district and drove creative economic development strategies through placemaking projects and cross-sector partnerships. She has curated exhibitions, spoken at art fairs and symposiums, officiated workshops and lectures, and written for numerous publications–most often focusing on the intersections of contemporary art, the built environment and queer identity.

Eliza Tudor's experience as an arts leader spans three continents and multiple disciplines and social practices. As Senior Commissioner for the UK's National Health Service in one of London's most majority non-White high poverty areas, she advocated for social prescribing and early arts on prescription initiatives. From serving as Senior Development Executive–Arts & Humanities at the University of Oxford driving access to scholarship funding, to serving the Boards of Trustees of Magdalen Road Studios and Rosetta Life, Eliza worked nationally through the arts with people suffering life limiting illnesses. From directing two State-Local Partner agencies, Yuba Sutter Arts and Nevada County Arts Council, Eliza now supports government, business and creative sector partnerships through her shared leadership of two California Cultural Districts. She serves the boards of California Arts Advocates and Californians for the Arts, and—through Nevada County Arts Council—leads Upstate California Creative Corps as an Administering Organization for California Arts Council. Under Eliza’s leadership, 18 State-Local Partners across Northern California are supporting artists and culture bearers, arts organizations and creative producers who have never before accessed state funding.

Kellie Cutler is the current Program Manager for the Truckee Cultural District administered by Nevada County Arts Council in partnership with Truckee Arts Alliance, the Town of Truckee, Truckee Chamber, and Truckee Downtown Merchants Association; she is the first person to take on this new position. Cutler has lived in Truckee for 18 years and worked in the Reno/Tahoe region non-profit sector for 23 years. Non-profit administration is her passion with a focus in strategic planning, community collaboration and creative fundraising. Kellie has helped achieve benchmark goals for Nevada Arts Council, Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation, KidZone Museum, North Tahoe Arts and Contractors Association of Truckee Tahoe. She feels most professionally aligned when she is utilizing her Master of Arts in arts administration from Golden Gate University, San Francisco. She is committed to a high level of community leadership and engagement through her work serving on the board of the Truckee Chamber of Commerce and on committees for Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation and Tahoe Truckee Unified School District.

Heather Heckler is Program Manager for the Grass Valley Nevada City Cultural District administered by Nevada County Arts Council in partnership with the Cities of Grass Valley and Nevada City, and Grass Valley and Nevada City Chambers. She is the first person to assume this brand new role. Heckler developed a love of the visual and performing arts while growing up in Nevada County. She was involved in local theater through Foothill Theatre Company’s apprenticeship program and worked as a stage manager for Foothill Theatre Company and Community Asian Theatre of the Sierra. Heather holds a bachelor’s degree in Chinese history and a masters degree in public history. She received a California Humanities grant for her Documenting Disability History project, an oral history of the disability rights movement in Nevada County. Before coming to Nevada County Arts Council, she served as the communications manager for Connecting Point and recently worked on the communications team in the County Executive Office.

Aneka is a dynamic and passionate student at UC Davis, where she is majoring in Asian American Studies and minoring in Political Science. Her journey into the performing arts began in childhood, making her debut at 6 years old. Over the years, Aneka has graced the stage in five Community Asian Theater of the Sierra (CATS) productions, a cornerstone of her artistic and personal development. These experiences have been instrumental in honing her skills in performance, public speaking, and stage presence, laying a solid foundation for her burgeoning career. These formative years in theater not only sculpted her into a confident speaker, but also ignited a continuous pursuit of excellence in performance. Her commitment to her craft continues to thrive in her college years, where she actively participates in performance classes, further enriching her repertoire and contributing to her growth as a performer and presenter.

Diana Arbex’s experience as an arts administrator spans a diverse expertise in the disciplines of the visual arts, dance, curating, cultural practices and traditional folk art. Her passion for the Arts was born out of growing up in the richness of Brazilian culture, and  although she holds a Bachelor Degree in Graphic Design From Rochester Institiute of Technology, her career has transitioned from the design field to the administration side of the Arts. As highlights to her career, Diana was a gallery curator in a rural area of Brasil, where she represented a diverse array of regional and indigenous artists; she held the role of a programmer at a Traditional Brazilian Folk Cultural Center in the State of Rio de Janeiro; and served as executive assistant to the CEO of KSK world music record label. Diana moved back to Nevada City in 2022 and accepted the role of Executive Assistant and Program Coordinator for the Nevada County Arts Council, and in 2023 she was selected as an Individual Artists Fellow for California Arts Council through YouthSpeaks.

Michaelyn Logue is a musician, visual artist and published poet. She graduated from SFSU Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing focusing on poetry, gender studies and world religions. Michaelyn has an Early Childhood Education credential as Site Supervisor and Master Teacher, receiving certificates in Peace and Anti-bias curriculum, Diverse Families, and Administration. She has taught at the Cabrillo Children’s Center and Lab School, and volunteered at the Children’s Peace Library with a focus on developing emergent curriculum in scientific exploration and creative expression. Her experience and passion now manifest through her position as Nevada County Arts Council’s much sought-after Social Media & Community Engagement Coordinator.