Staff
Holding all the pieces together.
 Manager of Faculty Development & Founding Member
Lauren Atkinson is a visual and mixed media fiber artist who shows her work throughout the Northwest and nationally. She has 15 years of experience working as a teaching artist and has taught with Arts Corps from its beginning, joining its staff in 2005. Lauren has also taught for the Seattle Center Academy, the Arts Consortium in Port Townsend and Centrum's "Tales, Text and Theater" middle school residencies as well as for the "Teachers Creativity Weekend" workshop at Fort Worden, the Seattle Children's Museum, Art Reach and the Power of Hope. Teaching is an exciting and integral part of Lauren's own creative process; she finds inspiration in the collaborative relationship of creating art with her students.
 Deputy Director
Leslie Collins oversees programming, financial management, human resource management and operations for Arts Corps. Leslie's background includes public sector experience in the areas of budget, finance, program development and technology. In late 2000, Leslie left her management career in the public sector to write poetry, explore her spiritual path and be with her family. She joined Arts Corps in the fall of 2005 to help Arts Corps build capacity to bring the arts into the lives of more young people. Leslie is a passionate supporter of the power of arts education to help students discover their unique strengths and inner creativity.
 Community Partnerships Director
Lara Davis serves as the primary liaison to Arts Corps program partners. Her work includes building and managing these relationships and fostering community development and support. As a musician, amateur sound designer, teaching artist and activist, she knows firsthand the power of creativity in the lives of young people and the need for adult allies to help foster a compassionate space for expression. Her experiences with the YWCA youth programs, Seattle Young People's Project, AFSC Cross-cultural and LGBTQ programs, and Communities Against Rape and Abuse bring a breadth of knowledge and participation by new communities to our organization. Lara's passion for the belief that art can inspire social change and build confidence and self-esteem reinforces Arts Corps' mission and goals.
 Faculty Assistant
Estrella P. de Leon assists with fostering the connections with teaching artists, classroom assistants and others who serve the youth through our programs. After graduating in 2005 with a B.A. in Mexican American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, Estrella made the long road trip to the beautiful state of Washington. Estrella has served as an independent living skills coordinator for youth at Emerson High School in Mount Vernon and as a "Youth Voices" coordinator and facilitator with the Power of Hope. Estrella grew up in the musical and culturally-rich town of Austin, Texas, where she was surrounded by a community that understood the importance of using creativity as a means for changing the worlds around us.
 Education Director & Founding Member
Tina LaPadula has performed for theatre, film and television in Seattle, New York, London, and Pennsylvania. At Arts Corps, Tina oversees teaching artists, curriculum development, evaluation implementation and special projects. She collaborates with the community partnerships director and deputy director to manage all areas of programming at Arts Corps. Tina has taught theatre and storytelling at Centrum Arts, Power of Hope, ACT, Hilltop Children's Center and Seattle Children's Theatre. She has facilitated workshops on assessment, classroom management and creative learning tools through the University of Washington, The Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, "Gear Up", Seattle Arts Education Consortium and various national arts conferences. Tina credits her early work at the YWCA for teaching her the fundamentals of youth care and illuminating the huge need for quality arts experiences for all young people. Her commitment to emergent curriculum, art for social change and student-centered assessment, helped shape the Arts Corps philosophy.
 Community Partnerships Assistant
Aisha Mitchell provides data management, administrative and outreach support for Arts Corps. Originally from the Bay Area, Aisha graduated from UC Davis with bachelor's degrees in Psychology and English. She has worked in both Tacoma and Seattle for the past three years and continually seeks to work with organizations whose missions align with her personal values - to promote social justice and equality in all facets of society. Aisha has worked with young adults from various backgrounds in the areas of employment, research and education. Working for Arts Corps has not only inspired Aisha to pursue her own filmmaking aspirations but has also renewed her passion to strive for educational equality.
 Finance & Events Manager
At Arts Corps, Bernadette Scheller integrates her event coordination savvy, administrative, finance and budget expertise with her passion for the arts and her belief in community service. She has created a balance in her work that includes managing small businesses, organizing special events for nonprofit organizations and creating her own artwork in the form of sculptural glass. As finance & events manager at Arts Corps, Bernadette brings her multi-disciplinary skills to contribute to an organization she has long admired. Since joining the team, she feels the satisfaction of watching her vision develop into a meaningful and rich reality.
 Communications Assistant
Christina Twu joined Arts Corps in the inaugural role of communications assistant, where she does a whole lot of writing, "wordsmith"-ing and go-between. This is usually when her prior experience as a freelance journalist and editor comes in handy. She also supports fundraising efforts to fuel Arts Corps' revolutionary work in ensuring all youth in the region have this basic human need: the freedom to imagine and the courage to be. A youth ally, mentor, artist and firm believer in education as the practice of freedom, Christina is honored to work at a organization that brings inspired learning and humanity back to the classroom through one of the most powerful forces in the world: the arts.
 Executive Director
Elizabeth Whitford believes deeply that Arts Corps belongs to our whole community, and as such, should be broadly supported by all of us with our time, money, love and input. Elizabeth came to Arts Corps with a strong nonprofit management and development background. She served as the founding operations director for Potlatch Fund and as executive director of Odyssey Youth Center in Spokane, Washington. In each of these roles, she has witnessed the power of the arts to help young people know and be true to themselves. She is deeply committed to this life-changing work and proud to partner with our community to keep it thriving.
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