Our People
Since its very first days, Art With Impact has been blessed by the contributions of incredibly talented, motivated, and fun people.
Since its very first days, Art With Impact has been blessed by the contributions of incredibly talented, motivated, and fun people.
Reem Abumeri (she/her) is a college student double majoring in history and social studies with the intent to become a middle and high school teacher. On Reem’s downtime she is an aspiring songwriter, producing...
. In 2022, Chelsea Alexander designed the posters for both Black + Mental Health + Matters and Our Bodies our mind, for the 2022-23 academic year. That year, those posters hung on...
Victoria Anderson-Gardner (they/them) is a queer Ojibwe filmmaker from Eagle Lake First Nation in Ontario. They are currently based out of Toronto, Ontario where they recently completed their thesis film for a Bachelor...
Daksha Arora (she/her) is a Licensed Mental Health Therapist and founder of Serene Therapy & Wellness Center located in Downtown Rockville, MD. Dr. Arora has over 25 years of experience in mental health...
Nikita is a recent graduate from Queen’s University with a major in sociology, who attended one of Art With Impact’s M4MH events last year while in school. Currently working as a legal assistant in...
RJ Baculo (he/him) is an award-winning filmmaker, comic book creator and mental health advocate based in Melbourne, Australia. He uses various visual storytelling forms such as short films, documentaries, and graphic novels to...
Maya Bastian (they/she) is an award winning filmmaker and writer with roots in conflict journalism. Her work has been shown in Los Angeles, New York, Berlin, UK, France, Asia and across Canada. Her...
Gabriela Bazán is a data analytics consultant from El Salvador but has been living in Chile for the past 6 years. She has a degree in Computer Sciences and a Masters in Public...
Haley Begun (she/they) is based in Thousand Oaks, CA. She is a college student majoring in English and minoring in Psychology with the intent to become a holistic/somatic psychologist and incorporate art and...
Ari Bird is a California-born visual artist who has a passion for combining mental health/healing with the arts. After receiving a BFA at UC Santa Cruz in 2010, Bird moved to San Francisco,...
Sara Boccaccini Meadows (she/her) designed the Movies for Mental Health posters for the 2022-23 academic year, used for workshops on campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Sara is a print designer and...
Maya is equal parts artist, therapist, and activist, and is so thrilled to get to satisfy all of them while working with Art With Impact. She grew up a third culture kid, being...
Maya Maria Brown (she/her) is the creator of Art With Impact’s “Our Bodies, Our Minds” workshop series. Maya is a queer performing artist, activist and therapist. She has a master’s degree in Counseling...
Meagan Brown (she/her) is a Montreal-based documentary filmmaker and assistant editor. Originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Meagan has worked on a wide variety of productions, from a documentary about women in the prison...
Olivia Buntaine (she/her) is an award-winning poet, theatremaker, and general rabble-rouser whose work focuses on themes of liberation after violence. Through plays, poetry, and creative non-fiction, Olivia works most often in the universes...
Amanda is a contractor for startups in San Francisco. Amanda received her Master’s Degree in Art History from Christie’s Education in London. She started volunteering with Art with Impact because she believes in...
Kari lee Cartwright (she/they) wrote the Jesse, Rona, Jill series of monologues for the 2021-2022 Our Bodies, Our Minds. Kari lee is a Korean American Actor, Writer, and Director based in Los Angeles....
May Chan (she/her) is a designer, teacher, and advocate from Brooklyn, New York. After teaching in France, she returned home to embrace her passion for the arts and now has eight years of...
Michael Charlton is pursuing a major in Liberal Arts which entails minors in Environmental Analysis & Policy, Business Administration and Africana Studies at The University of Cincinnati. Before attending UC, Michael pushed pause...
Rosie is a biracial Chinese Canadian actor and filmmaker living on the Unceded Territories of the Coast Salish Peoples, colonially known as Vancouver, Canada. Her work explores grief, feminine solidarity and the nuances...
Skye is a Community Facilitator and Digital Media Consultant harnessing media arts to facilitate collaborative community programs within diverse communities. Focusing on participatory culture, Skye engages various stakeholders on interpersonal, strategic and organizational...
Freda Chu (she/her) is an accountant based in Toronto, Ontario where she works at an accounting firm called 3A Tax Services Professional Corporation. She is a Hong Kong immigrant and loves living in...
Lisa has 25 years of experience in the behavioral health field, earning her bachelor’s degree in Sociology at the University of California Santa Cruz and her master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch...
In 2019-20, Jules Cowan (he/they) designed the Movies for Mental Health and Our Bodies, Our Minds posters for the 2019-20 academic year. Those posters hung on walls at over 80 college and university...
Sacharja (he/they) is a cultural worker from the Lenape Land known as Brooklyn, N.Y. and currently based on the land of the same people known as Philadelphia, P.A. For undergrad, he majored in...
Deb Cuny, M.Div., is a storyteller activist, trainer, restorative justice practitioner, and consultant at Deb Cuny Consulting. Deb also serves as a spokesperson and advisory member for the #BornPerfect Campaign to End Conversion Therapy. Deb has shared her...
Richard D’Angelo, A New York based filmmaker and educator, founded RDA Productions, a full service production services company, in 2001. A lifelong film devotee, he received his BFA in Film Production from LIU...
Natalie is the driving force behind Art With Impact Canada and is responsible for facilitation, programming, outreach, fundraising and partner relationships for our programs north of the border. She also engages students and...
Hamed Dar has worked in the health and social service industry for nearly a decade. He started by building youth and recreation programs for city-wide and provincial programs and then transitioned into the...
Olivia DePaul (she/her) is a mental health advocate currently pursuing her clinical doctorate in Occupational Therapy at Washington University in St. Louis. While earning her BA in Psychological Science, Olivia became involved with...
Kimberly Diggles (she/her) is a licensed therapist and mental health expert living in Long Beach and working throughout California. Dr. Diggles has over 15 years of experience and specializes in facilitating healing among...
Joanna works in accounting at Farallon Capital Management, LLC, a San Francisco based private equity firm. Joanna brings to AWI her experience combining creativity with economic savvy to fuel community development and awareness...
Liz Eldridge (she/her) wrote monologues for the Our Bodies, Our Minds workshop. Liz is a writer, actor, musician, and stand-up born in Los Angeles, and raised by her mother and a series of...
JANE V. FARLEY, MFT (46468) Jane is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT), Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), Child Mental Health Specialist (CMHS), Training Consultant and Expressive Artist with over fifteen years of experience...
A’raelle Flynn-Bolden (she/her) wrote monologues for the Our Bodies, Our Minds workshop held by Art With Impact. A’raelle is a Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary artist who endeavors to tell stories exploring the lives of...
Kip (they/them) is a college student working towards their degrees to join other professionals in the unique field of adventure therapy. As well as a writer, poet, and sock enthusiast, Kip is non-binary...
Kirsten (she/her) is a Juilliard-trained actor with a PhD in depth psychology working in private practice in Santa Monica, CA. Prior to becoming a psychotherapist, she balanced careers in stage, television, and film...
Rachel Fusco, MA has spent the last decade building and managing programs that promote tangible social change for teens and college students. Rachel is passionate about intergroup dialogues, team-building, diversity and inclusion, racial...
Drawn to the creative and eclectic, Katie powered her way through a B.S. in Computer Science by taking art history classes at UCSB. After a few bouts with engineering companies and living abroad,...
Nolan Golden is a queer, charismatic college student based in sunny California. They have a well-rounded background in leadership and community activism, and have been a mental health and LGBTQ advocate for over...
Morgaine uses she/they/he pronouns, and encourages you to mix it up! Mo is a performer, playwright and educator living in Brooklyn, Lenapehoking, with ancestral roots on the Red River by way of Chikashsha...
Cami is a San Francisco-based arts educator with experience in program management, nonprofit consulting and research and data analysis. Cami graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a Bachelors degree in History of Art...
Deborah L. Sandoli Greenslit, Psychotherapist/LMHC, RN/Wellness Specialist Deborah is a seasoned, licensed psychotherapist and a registered nurse with advanced degrees in psychology, education and health &wellness and has over thirty five years of...
Kate is a collaborative educator, non-profit leader, and storyteller who has worked in higher education, served as Executive Director for a leading Native American rights organization, and played leadership roles in the fields...
Christine Guais (she/her) designed the Movies for Mental Health posters for the 2017-18 academic year. She is a Paris-based art director. Illustrator. Graphic designer. Musician. Proactive dreamer. (c) Sablerouge.com
My name is Jacqueline and I’m a UCI student with a Psychology and Social Behavior degree. I have a history working with various ages of children, as I have a strong passion for...
A recent transplant to San Francisco from New York City, Ali began her career working in progressive theater at the Lincoln Center Studios, @45Below, the Culture Project and with Fractured Atlas. She made...
Paula is passionate about mental health and is delighted to be furthering Art With Impact’s mission through strategic grant writing. With over 16 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, Paula brings a...
Erica Heinz (she/her) designed the Movies for Mental Health poster for the 2014-15 academic year. The color studies she did for the poster continue to inform Art With Impact’s brand guidelines to this...
Morgan is a practicing social worker and aspiring journalist who is passionate about activism and systemic oppression. She is a lover of live music, dancing and artistic expression. Morgan decided to partner with...
I’m a pharmacy graduate with a love for the arts: from playing the alto saxophone to improv to card-crafting. I may not be the best at any of them but I certainly enjoy...
Katty Huertas (she/her) illustrated and designed the key art for Art With Impact’s 2021 Voices With Impact program. She is a multidisciplinary artist born in Colombia and based in Washington DC. She holds...
Christopher is a senior at Claremont McKenna College, hoping to pursue a career in policy work following the completion of his undergraduate studies. As evidenced by his dual majors—Philosophy & Public Affairs, and...
Kim Huynh (she/her) is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and photographer from Honolulu based in Southern California. Her film Sal Tran was a featured winner of Art With Impact’s 2018 Short Film Competition. She...
Chris (he/him) is a queer, working class poet, writer and filmmaker from Hereford, working in the midlands and the south west. Writing primarily for film and audio, Chris has written radio plays for...
Jesse Jimenez is currently going into his sophomore year at NYU, where he majors in Applied Psychology and Global Public Health. He previously lived in Mission Viejo, California with his parents, three siblings,...
Mikilah Johnson, LMFT (she/her) is a lover of food, theatre, and working with children. In 2014, Mikilah graduated with a B.S in Psychology with a minor Drama/Theatre for the young from Eastern Michigan...
Esther worked at Art With Impact during our very first days… the winter of 2011 before we lost her to Los Angeles. Thank you, Esther for all your fabulous writing skills, your competence...
Aurora currently studies Latin American/Latino Studies, with a focus on Media Studies, at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is an active member of the UCSC Fashion Team and has enjoyed leading...
Randy Kelly (he/him) is an award-winning film and television director, editor and cameraman based in the Ottawa/Gatineau area in Canada. For over 22 years, Randy has worked on dramatic TV series, lifestyle series,...
Kerven (he/him) is the Chair of the Filmmaking Department at the New York Film Academy. His career began with the debut of his short film, “Candy Store,” which won an Academy Award for...
James Kim is a filmmaker and playwright based near Portland, Oregon, and graduated from Dartmouth College. His short film “After Her” won the monthly Art With Impact short film contest in 2014 and...
Andrew (he/him) is a jack-of-all trades digital strategist with a background in community management, graphic design, and content creation, and a laser focus on building lasting relationships with audiences. At Art With Impact,...
Jeff has a background in photography and multi-media production, graduating with honours from Seneca College’s Audio Visual & Multi-Media Techniques program many, many years ago. His career has taken him into all sorts...
Laurie was born and raised in Tampa, Florida receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Economics from University of South Florida and her MBA in Marketing from Florida Institute of Technology. She worked in Digital...
Andrea LaMarre is a writer, speaker, researcher, and filmmaker-in-training based in Guelph, Ontario. She has spent the past 4 years working on a PhD at the University of Guelph, studying eating disorder recovery...
Stephanie Landes is a recent college graduate that is in her first year working. She has loved art as long as she can remember. She is interested in entering the field of art therapy because she believes...
Lori has intimate experience with mental illness and is passionate about stigma reduction. Her message is simple. Everyone has mental health and the focus needs to be more on preventative action to stay...
Meg is the Vice President and Managing Director at the Gochnauer Foundation, a family run foundation that primarily supports organizations and programs that promote spiritual, medical, cultural, and educational growth or provide essential...
Angelo is a freelance filmmaker, editor and photographer from Oakland. His artistic interests focus on time, minimalism, and metaphysics. Working with AWI is important to Angelo for several reasons; having been a teacher,...
Rudi Lion is a psychotherapist specializing in individual, couples and family therapy with a private practice in Santa Barbara, CA. She loves working with couples of all configurations. Learning to speak our truth...
Amanda Lipp, 26, is a filmmaker and consultant in the fields of mental health care, non-profit development, and social entrepreneurship. Since age 19, she has given over 150 speeches across the U.S., and...
Karli (she/her) is located in Toronto, Ontario and is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Population Medicine, Epidemiology at the University of Guelph. Her research project is focused on developing, implementing, and...
Thea Loo (she/her) is an emerging film producer and director who holds a BFA in Film Production from Simon Fraser University. She began her producing career through an administration internship at the Vancouver...
Tiana Marie (they/them) is a non-binary artist located in the Pacific Northwest. In 2020, they self-published their first book, Let The Crimson Flow, a menstrual memoir. They have written monologues for the Our...
Britt Martínez-Hewitt (they/them) is a queer artist, imaginatrix and community organizer born and raised in Miami & living on Tongva land in Los Angeles. Britt focuses on decolonizing facilitation, healing justice, popular education...
Elijah McCoy, M.Ed. (he/him) is an educator/higher education administrator and theatre artist. He received a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing, as well as a Bachelor of Art in Theatre Arts...
Laurie McFarlane is an organizer, relationship builder and fundraiser with a passion for arts programming and social services. She is responsible for helping AWI with communication, outreach and fundraising efforts to support inspiring...
Dawn McGuire (she/her) is a physician who is board-certified in Neurology and Psychiatry. She trained at UCSF. She is also a poet, whose most recent collection, The Aphasia Cafe, received the Indy Book...
Dr. Dave McIntyre is a licensed and board certified Clinical Psychologist. He retired after a combined 30 years of active duty service in the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, and U. S. Public...
Carl McQueen is a Saint Louis, Mo based data scientist for a major financial institution. He has an Information Systems degree from Calvin College in Michigan and a passion for problem solving inside...
Cary (she/her) is the founder and executive director of Art With Impact and a firm believer that art is the answer (and it doesn’t even matter what the question is). She considers mental...
Nicole Medina (she/her) created the illustrations for the 2022 Voices With Impact program focusing on grief and resilience and substance use disorder. Nicole is a Latina illustrator based in Philadelphia, PA who has...
Aidett has spent the last ten years of her career in the non-profit sector serving diverse groups throughout California and Hawaii. She is passionate about working with and advocating for underserved populations and...
Jen is a recent graduate of UC Santa Cruz with a double major in Psychology and Philosophy, and a heavy concentration in indoor and beach volleyball. She currently provides technical support at Demandforce,...
Paige (she/her) is a full-time STEM enthusiast that currently works to increase the representation and visibility of Black, Indigenous, and marginalized folks in technology. Her passion lies in making sure young people feel...
Laura brings over twenty-five years of experience in non-profit program management and fund development and her wry sense of humor to the Art With Impact team. Her experience ranges from serving as the...
Erin’s passion for helping others in the non-profit world drew her to Art With Impact. She found herself connecting with AWI’s mission and vision as a way to continue her journey in helping...
Helena is an educator and social advocate, who has been involved with grassroots work for over 10 years. Her long-term passion for human rights has drawn her to the heart of many conflicts...
Yasaman Nassab (she/her) is a passionate community college student who is double majoring in Psychology and Sociology. She is working towards completing her bachelor’s degree to become a Licensed Social Worker, Clinical Psychologist,...
My name is Neha and I am a BAS student at the University of Guelph. My minors, Psychology and Neuroscience, involve using both arts and science to better understand issues in society. I...
Oluchi Nwoke (she/her) is a community support worker that assists and counsels members of her community who face development disabilities and mental health difficulties. She is double majoring in psychology and anthropology, to...
Cleo recently graduated from Stanford University with a B.A. with Honors in English. She is from New Haven, CT but will be staying in the Bay Area to complete her Master’s in English...
Born in Nigeria, Victor Frank Okoye (a.k.a Victor O’Frank) is one of Nigeria’s most promising upcoming film directors. Coming from a science background and a trained medical doctor, Victor has defied all odds...
Emilio Ortega Aldrich (he/him) is a writer who contributed to the Our Bodies, Our Minds monologue series. Originally from Riverside, CA, Emilio has written for such television shows as Arrow and Supergirl while...
Andrea is former Executive Director of the Center on Media and Child Health (CMCH), a research partnership of Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard University. CMCH’s flagship research study, VIA, designed by Michael Rich,...
Mariana Osuna Perez, (1981, Mexico) has always been inclined to tell stories. She started working as a radio host at a very young age, eventually moving to T.V and film while in university....
Brent (he/him) is a mental health therapist. For eight years, Brent was Clinical Director of Utah Health and Human Rights: a nonprofit agency that provides holistic mental health services to refugees, immigrants and...
Lisa Pan recently graduated from University of San Diego School of Law with a concentration in International Law. Her experience with nonprofit organizations focuses on international justice and human rights issues. She is...
Vandana specializes in creating and implementing scalable models for social impact and organizational growth. In her current engagement with Sutter Health-Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s Innovation Center, Vandana leads strategy, program deployment, operations and...
Kiran Patel is passionate about preventing and healing violence through empathy, spirituality and self-expression. Weaving together Eastern and Western psychological and spiritual traditions, Kiran has served crisis hotline callers, survivors of communal violence...
Gayle Pazerski is Pittsburgh, PA-based writer, actor, and teaching artist who holds and a BFA in acting from the University of Kentucky and studied in the MFA acting program at Rutgers University. Her...
Kitkat Pecson (she/her) is a Filipino American artist creating colorful art in NYC. She created the 2021-2022 Art With Impact “Movies for Mental Health” and “Wellness In Words” workshop designs. She started her...
Josh has been involved in the arts and social causes for 20 years. He taught acting for the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and worked as an Artist in Residence for LEAP in...
Shawn (he/him) is an Associate Clinical Social Worker and Expressive Arts Therapist in training. He graduated with his Bachelor of Social Work at George Mason University and Advanced Standing Master of Social Work...
Amanda is committed to helping children and youth with a mental health diagnosis recognize their potential and the tremendous impact that the arts can have on their lives. With her background in Psychology,...
Rebecca (she/her) is an educator and photographer based in Colorado. She is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Pace University in New York City, and Columbia University Teachers College. She was...
Olivia left sunny San Diego to join the fog in San Francisco to pursue a degree in Communication Studies at SF State. She spends her time avoiding homework in bookstores, convincing her friends...
Everyone has a story to tell. Through her many years of experience Pattie has learned the importance of people sharing their story in creative ways. Her PhD dissertation utilized a photo-voice method to...
My name is Ilana and I am a non-traditional college student who is perusing a B.S in Psychology. I was born in Berkeley, CA and raised in Oakland, CA. I love nature, reggae...
Faryl Reisman is a Toronto based digital marketing and design coordinator at the award winning real-estate firm Great Gulf. With a BA in film studies from Queens University and a diploma in sound...
David is a nonprofit professional with a passion for education equity and boiled peanuts. Graduating from the University of Florida with a degree in English-Film/Media Studies, he spends most of his off hours...
Caroline Rhoads has two favorite quotes: “Until further notice, celebrate everything” and “comedy equals truth plus spontaneity.” She has resided in the city of brotherly love (Philly) for over 8 years and has...
Eric is a yoga teacher and the Founder & Chairman of ForWorld Thinking, a nonprofit organization aimed at promoting cultural exchange through international volunteerism and supporting local initiatives in developing countries. He has...
Katherine’s passion is empowering mental health non-profits to thrive with greater abundance and efficiency: “helping great people do great things.” She brings 15 years of financial and organizational expertise from a variety of...
Jason Romero (he/him) is the Operations Manager for NAMI Glendale, a Los Angeles-based chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, where he works to bring the organization’s no-cost programming to all those whose...
Megan Rose (she/her) designed Art With Impact’s website, the Movies for Mental Health Posters in academic year 2015-16, the Voices With Impact and Our Bodies, Our Minds posters in for 2018-19, and the...
Adam Rosenberg is a student currently Majoring in Media Studies at Pomona College in Claremont California. He loves film and theater, especially when they create a platform for discourse about contemporary issues. Adam...
Homegrown out of the hills of Eastern Kentucky, Brian left the bluegrass state in 2004 to pursue a career in film and television. He attended New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts...
Asha Rudrabhatla (she/her) studies Psychology at Colorado College with a minor in Spanish. She’s passionate about social justice, mental health advocacy, and sharing art with her community. She has a particular interest in...
Lauren Salazar (she/her) is a proud Filipina-American mental health counselor and public speaker in New York City. California, Bay Area, born and raised, she believes just as we work out our physical bodies,...
Paul Sanbar has spent a lifetime in pursuit of nudging others towards their goals and dreams, whether it be through therapeutic means, powerful coaching questions, or merely by performing inspirational poetry. Through the written word,...
Kelly is a program specialist at a Crisis Center in the east bay, which focuses on providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention assistance and awareness within the Contra Costa region. She is a...
Mariah Scott is a Life Cultivator, Storyteller and native of Milwaukee, WI. She uses the art as a tool to promote social/emotional wellness. She received her BA from DePaul University in Communications and...
Shaadman Shaan (he/him) is a university student pursuing a degree in Geology. He has been an active member of his community raising awareness on poverty and homelessness, giving back to the underprivileged. Having...
Pooja Shah is a junior in Mission San Jose High School in Fremont, CA. An avid musician, Pooja has been playing the violin and piano for over 10 years. When she is not...
As a Public Health Major and Gender and Women Studies Minor third year student at the University of California, Berkeley, Summer is interested in how our multi-faceted society influences health and vice versa....
Iqvinder is a seasoned veteran in market planning and creative solutions. He has served some of the biggest retailers in the country providing solutions in marketing, creative strategy, project management, and process improvement....
Alanna completed her BA Honours in English, Sociology, and Psychology at the University of Guelph. During this time she volunteered at The Homewood Health Centre for mental health and addiction; assisting in the...
Known in schools as Ms. B., Beli Sullivan is a freelance teaching artist and digital media instructor currently working with Oakland’s Attitudinal Healing Connection’s ArtEsteem program as an Artist In Residence within the...
Sirin Thada (she/her) created the illustrations for the 2021-22 academic year Our Bodies, Our Minds workshops as well as the artwork for the January 2022 Our Stories, Our Voices festival. Sirin is an...
Adenike (she/her) is an actor-filmmaker hailing from Queens, NY, and a graduate of NYU Tisch School of the Arts. As a storyteller, her objective is to add her unique thumbprint to the burgeoning...
Sherry is a digital media technology executive, a film arts enthusiast and arts education advocate. While completing her master’s degree in Arts Education from San Francisco State’s Creative Arts School, she joined the...
Josh Thompson-Persaud is a fourth year student at Western University taking an Honours Specialization in Creative Writing and English Language and Literature alongside the School for Advanced Studies in the Arts and Humanities...
Eryn Tonaj’s mental health story starts when she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 22. Through her journey, she learned the power self-resilience, emotional awareness and family support. These were...
Hawa is a public health professional with experience working with projects in academic and nonprofit settings. She was born in Tanzania and raised in the Middle East. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from...
Hailing from Kingston, Jamaica and raised in Toronto, Tanya Turton is a Black Femme artist, entrepreneur and educator. With a focus on wellness, Tanya has committed her practice to using art as a medium for...
Lila Tyler, a recent graduate of UC Davis, is excited to have the opportunity to work with such an inspiring company that combines both her major (Psychology) and minor (Film Studies). Growing up with...
Sharon Uy works as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and Art Therapist, and creates as a writer and artist. In her private therapy practice based out of Los Angeles, she blends somatic work,...
Janette Valenzo (she/her/ella) is a bilingual queer Chicana actor, poet, teaching artist, Tarot reader, and mental health advocate based in Southern California. She’s been published in several literary journals and writes a monthly...
Vitória Vasconcellos (she/her/hers) is an actor-director from Recife, Brazil who goes around the world telling stories about female endurance and the peculiar, most intimate bits of the human experience. Her short thriller Pathei...
Aron Vellekoop León (Fuerteventura, Spain 1987) designed the imagery for our Sanctuary Space program for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 academic years. Aron is a Dutch/Spanish illustrator and visual artist, currently living and working...
Catherine is passionate about art and education – and the intersection between the two. She completed a theatre degree at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (NYC) and then pursued acting in New...
Calvin J Walker (he/him) is an award-winning filmmaker based in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Calvin has been active in the independent film world since 2012. During that time, he’s written for producers from...
Arthur G. Ward (he/him) is a Los Angeles-based college student majoring in history with interests in science, medicine, public health, and public policy. His passions run deep and include education, advocacy, diversity, inclusion,...
Courtney Ward-Zbeetnoff (she/her) is currently pursuing her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at the University of Victoria. She has a special interest in writing creative nonfiction on themes of mental health....
Sarah Wasko (she/they) designed the illustrations for the 2020-21 Movies for Mental Health and Poetry for Mental Health programs. She is a Georgia-born illustrator and designer who works with clients who believe in...
Samantha (Sam) Wechsler is a non-profit consultant specializing in group facilitation, executive coaching, leadership and personal development, fundraising, and board development. She also develops and leads workshops on building healthy organizational cultures. Sam...
Arianna is a Mental Health Professional and Theatre Artist from Los Angeles. She is dedicated to changing how we have conversations around mental illness, using creativity and the arts to build stronger communities....
Jamari is a Buckeye-born and raised social worker, healer, and creative with a passion for working with diverse youth and young adults. He graduated from The University of Chicago with an A.B. in...
Katherine Wilkinson (she/they) is a Brooklyn-based theatre artist creating physically adventurous work through a queer lens. They have developed work with The New Ohio (Ice Factory), La Jolla Playhouse (WOW Fest), New Georges,...
Elijah Wolfram (they/them) is a non-binary, queer, and neurodivergent mental health advocate. As the Program Lead for Chapters at Jack.org, Elijah designs and oversees the implementation of programming for groups of youth who...
Vermonte Wong is a registered clinical counsellor for young adults and youth, as well as LGBTQ+ population, who is passionate about helping to break the stigma of mental health.
Kareem worked with Art With Impact in winter and spring, 2011. Thank you, Kareem for all the incredible camerawork, outreach, editing, good humor and fun! Kareem experienced his early artistic endeavors as a...
Megan Young is a senior at the University of Cal State, San Marcos working towards a baccalaureate in Psychology with an emphasis on mental and physical health. She is a part of multiple...
Miinkay hails from Houston, Texas and brings southern hospitality everywhere she goes. She is a bike enthusiast, yoga instructor and lover of the outdoors. Her journey to better mental health began by getting...
Hao Zhou (he/they) is a filmmaker and photographer from Nanchuan, China. Across mediums, Hao develops work with experimental tendencies, often centering LGBTQ+ characters and themes. His notable creative experiences include making two feature...
We send our community occasional emails about upcoming film festivals, mental health workshops, wellness spaces, AWI job opportunities and about new films we add to our collection.
Sign up here!