Placemaking, entrepreneurship, arts, and community development
My work has taken many forms: a festival drawing more than 10,000 people, a restaurant built around regional food, new arts and nonprofit organizations, public programs, and community development initiatives.
Across more than 10 years, the through line has been the same: bringing people together, finding the potential in a place or idea, and building something real.
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FOUNDING LEADERSHIP
Founder, South Dakota Chislic Festival
Founding President, South Dakota Shakespeare Festival
Founding Treasurer, South Dakota Nonprofit Network
CROSS-SECTOR EXPERIENCE
Entrepreneurship, economic development, higher education, local government, arts, and nonprofit leadership
Collaborated with a group of South Dakota professionals working to create a performing arts organization celebrating the work of Shakespeare and the vibrant opportunity that theater can provide to our society.
I served as the Founding President of the organization for 2 years, working to support the work of the fantastic Chaya Gordon-Bland.
The mission of the South Dakota Shakespeare Festival is to engage, connect, and inspire communities by exploring our shared human experiences through inclusive, professional Shakespeare productions and theatre arts education.
Co-Founder of the Home Starts Here Podcast
Listen today at:
https://extension.sdstate.edu/home-starts-here
SDSU Extension’s Home Starts Here podcast seeks out the individuals, businesses, and ideas that are sparking vibrant communities in South Dakota. Each month, our community vitality field specialists visit with rural changemakers about their ‘why’ and the challenges they face as they transform ideas into action.