Board of Directors

Our board of directors is a working board. Not only do board members make policy decisions and guide the direction of the organization, they also contribute significant time, energy, and talent.

Tempest NeuCollins

Tempest NeuCollins

Founder & Executive Director, Leadership Team, Curriculum Designer

Founder Tempest NeuCollins received an MFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.  She went on to work as a teaching artist and K-5 art teacher in Brooklyn before leaving in 2015 to start Doodles Academy. She currently lives and works in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

“”When teaching art, we are not just teaching the next generation of artists. We are also teaching the next generation of doctors and scientists to be creative, adaptable, and innovative thinkers. Every child deserves access to these skills.”

Fiana Tulip

Fiana Tulip

Leadership Team, Marketing

Fiana lives in Brooklyn, NY. She began her career in PR, working at global PR agencies like Ketchum and Edelman, and working with a range of Fortune 500 companies and smaller brands including American Heart Association, Dove, IBM, Microsoft, Nokia, and Wendy’s. She also studied Fashion Marketing at Parson’s, and worked in leadership roles for several high profile luxury brands including Givenchy and Saint Laurent, leading sales teams and developing major partnerships with Barneys, Nordstrom, and Neiman Marcus. 

“Arts education has its own intrinsic values. It serves important purposes for students beyond the limited outcomes captured on standardized tests. This is something school leaders shouldn’t lose sight of and thanks to organizations like Doodles Academy, there’s a good chance they won’t.”

Kathleen Elie

Kathleen Elie

Leadership Team, Treasurer

Kathleen Elie lives in Queens, NY and has been working in nonprofit finance for 19 years. The majority of her career has been serving in charter schools and education based organizations. Kathleen is currently the CFO at Urban Arts Partnership. 

“I have watched students transform from shy and quiet to confident and engaging in an art class. With a strong art curriculum in schools, children are given the opportunity to find their true selves and use art as a beautiful form of expression.”

Ryan Smith

Ryan Smith

Leadership Team, Recruitment & Diversity

Ryan Smith lives in Colorado and is the founder of Public Good Talent, a recruitment firm that helps nonprofits find great staff. Ryan spent a decade working in public education in Brooklyn, and he is involved with Doodles because he believes in the power of art.

“A quality art curriculum should be accessible to all young people, regardless of where they live. Doodles makes that possible.”

January Green

January Green

Marketing

January lives in New York. She is currently the Manager of Digital Marketing Copy, SEO & Product Description Pages at macys.com.

“I joined Doodles Academy because I believe that every child deserves the opportunity to express themselves creatively.”

Carey Swanson

Carey Swanson

Facilitation, Curriculum Advisor, & Advocate

Carey Swanson is a Designer at Student Achievement Partners with a focus on literacy. Projects she supports center around the work of learning to read, as well as immersive literacy experiences with texts and topics that reflect and affirm students’ identities and expand their knowledge of the world around them. She is grateful for the chance to apply this lens to her work as a board member at Doodles Academy.

Prior to working at SAP, Carey was a school leader and teacher in NYC for 15 years, and believes in the promise of learning that a reimagined approach to school has the potential to fulfill.

Nina Balke

Nina Balke

Accounting

Nina lives in Long Island, NY. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and has 5+ years experience in public accounting where she was active within all three practice areas: audit, tax, and small business. During her time in public accounting, she found a connection back to her roots in art within the nonprofit industry and is now the staff accountant at Urban Arts in NYC, an organization that helps students explore their creativity and harness technology to defy the odds and define their future.

Averi Phan

Averi Phan

Marketing

Aaron Grossman

Aaron Grossman

Kadiatou Coulibaly

Kadiatou Coulibaly

Kadiatou Coulibaly is a Brooklyn-based painter and certified project manager born in Mali and raised in Gabon. In 2019, she founded Nerdy Bae LLC, an African nerd lifestyle brand highlighting the beauty of African nerdiness. Kadiatou is currently a project manager at Student Achievement Partners where she works on projects with a focus on literacy and equitable instruction. 

“By having access to art, young people get an opportunity to explore beyond their own selves. I believe that through a high-quality and diverse curriculum, Doodles Academy provides the tools and skills necessary for future generations to approach change and impact from an innovative and creative perspective.”

Associate Board: Educator Leadership Council

The Educator Leadership Council is a group of working art educators across the country. These volunteers oversee and advise on curricular content. 

Sarah Graham

Sarah Graham

Sarah is an innovative instructional designer and education consultant. She specializes in creating transformational and culturally responsive curriculum for adult and youth learners with a social justice emphasis. As an educator and for over 10 years, Sarah teaches learners to think critically about the world using art, speech, kinesthetics, online simulations, and e-learning tools. Sarah graduated in 2010 from the University of Northern Colorado with a bachelors in Special Education and minor in Literacy. She now resides in Denver, CO where she enjoys attending poetry readings, art galleries, live music, and going on road trips. Sarah is a lifelong learner who enjoys sharing her passion and knowledge with the community.

Alyssa Marchand

Alyssa Marchand

Alyssa lives in Rochester, NY and teaches at Discovery Charter School. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Art Education from Nazareth College. Alyssa has 10 years of experience teaching art education in the K-12 and higher education setting. She is also an active member of the New York State Art Teachers association serving as the Region 2 Co-Chair, Board Representative, Newsletter Design Editor, and District Membership Co-Chair.

“The Doodles art curriculum provides my students an authentic and engaging learning experience.”

Emily Hardy

Emily Hardy

LCAT, ATR-BC

Emily is a licensed and board certified clinical Art Therapist working in New York City. She has extensive experience facilitating Art Therapy and arts-based programming for children of all developmental levels, as well as adults of diverse backgrounds.
Dana Squires

Dana Squires

Dana has over 20 years of experience as an arts integration specialists and teaching artist in Washington State, USA. She has taught in schools at all levels, teaching art, doing collaborative arts integration work, and teacher training. She has worked with refugee organizations, with learners of English as a Second Language, and lived and worked at the village level in both West Africa and Melanesia. Dana studied Making Thinking Visible concepts through The Graduate School of Education at Harvard University.

“Creative self-expression is a vital component of development in children. Not only does art speak in ways that words can’t, it also provides rich social-emotional learning opportunities. By offering arts-based services, Doodles Academy provides an essential role in the development and education of young people. I am excited to join the team that makes this possible.”

Sarah Nussdorfer

Sarah Nussdorfer

Lead Teachers – Ann Arbor, Michigan 

We run classes and workshops in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where we workshop and test our curricular contents before distributing it virtually. These teachers lead the classes and workshops that we offer (you can find out more on our Ann Arbor page)

Cassie Stewart

Cassie Stewart

Lead Teacher

 Cassie is an Ann Arbor based teacher who has earned 4 years of experience in Art Education. Cassie has worked in many educational support roles over the years. Most notably, she worked as a Teaching Assistant in visual and performing arts classrooms for Washtenaw Community College before joining the team at Doodles Academy. Cassie is a graduate of Washtenaw Community College who is currently pursuing a higher degree in Graphic Design and Teaching.

Andrea Peña

Andrea Peña

Andrea Peña is a graduate of California State University, Northridge where she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Education. She has been part of schools, youth programs, as well as nannying for the past 6+ years. Currently, she is a Montessori Teacher located in Ann Arbor. Her favorite thing about working with children is being able to support their goals, and seeing their enthusiasm while they are creating and exploring.

Kristen Holsworth

Kristen Holsworth

Kristen is currently enrolled at Eastern Michigan University studying Visual Arts Education. She has a passion for helping all students believe they can be artists.  Outside of teaching Kristen is a 3D artist with a focus in 3D printing. 

 Vern Hapman

Vern Hapman

Vern received a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature as well as Psychology at Michigan State in 2015, and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Women & Gender Studies from Eastern Michigan. She has a passion for youth work and art as therapy, and spent years in Chicago working as a nanny and with a children’s literacy nonprofit. Outside of school, they teach reformer pilates, DIY craft, and most enjoy spending time in nature or on the water. 
Alysen Glowney

Alysen Glowney

Lead Teacher Sub

My name’s Alysen, and I’m a curious soul who loves to read and explore the diverse cultures that make our world so fascinating. Whether it’s immersing myself in a good book or traveling to new corners of the globe, I’m always seeking out new ways to expand my horizons and broaden my perspective. As a teacher, I relish the opportunity to share my passions with my students and help open their minds to new ways of thinking. Over the past decade, I had the opportunity to have this experience in multiple learning environments. The newest creative opportunity I get to explore with is Doodles Academy. 

Kaila Piepkow

Kaila Piepkow

Kaila Lives in Ann Arbor, With Her Husband Jordan, Their Daughter Winter, and Three Dachshunds: Finley, Ferb & Felix
After graduating from Ferris State with her Bachelors of Fine Arts, Kaila debuted as a full-time entrepreneur, and earned respect from hundreds of business-owners and branding and design professionals worldwide. Under Dox Design (which she founded and sold!), Kaila led her team to create and launch over 200 brands and rebrands for small businesses around the globe. Outside of excelling in the design and branding space, Kaila has now taken her passion and talents and applied it to other ventures as a way to share her love for design and the creative community.
When she’s not working, she is being a mom extraordinaire, reading a fantasy novel, taking a hike, or traveling the world!
Tina Meltzer

Tina Meltzer

Before retiring in 2021, Tina taught high school in Detroit, as well as elementary school in Ann Arbor, including a position as TA for Special Education students. She is currently a sub for Doodles, so works in all the classes. 

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