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
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
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
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
Leadership Team, Recruitment & Diversity
“A quality art curriculum should be accessible to all young people, regardless of where they live. Doodles makes that possible.”
January Green
Marketing
“I joined Doodles Academy because I believe that every child deserves the opportunity to express themselves creatively.”
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
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
Marketing
Aaron Grossman
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 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 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
LCAT, ATR-BC
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
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
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 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 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
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
