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.
A HUGE thank you to Christian Simamora and Cathy Price, board members who transferred off of the board at the end of 2021. Their contributions will continue to have a lasting impact on the work we do moving forward!

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.

Vida Torres
Tech Lead
Vida Torres lives in Virginia near Washington D.C. and is a UX Designer for Jenzabar, an educational technology company that creates high-quality school information systems for institutions of higher learning. As a former college advisor and classroom teacher, Vida has taught students from all ages and backgrounds and has witnessed the significant positive impact that arts education can have in the lives of young people.
““Art is impactful and can be life-changing for young people, allowing them a vast amount of opportunities for self-expression, problem-solving, and making meaningful connections with the world. I joined Doodles Academy because I believe the life-changing powers of a quality arts education should be available to all children, no matter their background.”

Nina Balke
Fundraising
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.
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.

Ifetayo Abdus-Salam
Ife Abdus-Salam is an educator and administrator with 15 years of experience in New York City schools, non-profit organizations and cultural institutions. Ife has served as an educator and administrator for a number of organizations including the Studio Museum in Harlem, International Center of Photography, and the New York City Department of Education.
“I am excited at this opportunity to work with Doodles Academy as it keeps me connected to these core facets of my identity as a Visual Art Teacher and Visual artist, and allows me to continue to engage and impact students in their artistic education beyond place in the classroom.”

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.”

Tina Nadeau
“As an artist, educator and life-long learner, it only made sense to continue my growth mindset and serve alongside Doodle Academy. Together, with Doodle Academy’s philosophy and mission my hope is to keep contributing and supporting the arts–making sure art education and resources are available to everyone!”

Emily Hardy
LCAT, ATR-BC
“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.”

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.

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.
Key Contributors
The following people were incredibly important to the work we did during 2021:
Atsushi Toda • Volunteer • Adwords
Catherine Gauthier • Volunteer • Diverse Artist List
Lenlen Pinaoan • Volunteer • Diverse Artist List
Olivia Young • Volunteer • Diverse Artist List
Christina Fiol • Volunteer • Diverse Artist List
Kristin Silver • Volunteer • Diverse Artist List
Gabie Bambala • Volunteer • Diverse Artist List
Alexandria Inman • Volunteer • Diverse Artist List
Kevin Green • Volunteer • Social Media
Sam Ciaramitaro • Email Marketing
Rocio Monroy • Spanish Translations, Outside the Lines
Desire Freeman • ELA alignment, Outside the Lines