Consultant Listing (Partial Listing)

  NEW HARLEM GALLERY

• WISTERIA ARTSPACE

• EMMA MAE GALLERY

"Rev. Dr. Sandra Butler-Truesdale, a native Washingtonian, is an ordained licensed minister, serving as Assistant Minister and Local Deacon at Metropolitan AME Church in Washington, DC. She is the Founder and Chair of the DC Legendary Musicians, Inc., a 501c3 service organization, and a former member of the Howard Theatre Board and currently serves as chairperson of the Howard Theatre Community Committee. She is the programmer, writer, and ; producer of “Don’t Forget the Blues” on Wednesdays on WPFW Radio, 89.3 FM.

Dr. Butler-Truesdale is a DC historian and Rhythm and Blues historian. She has worked for several musicians, among them the late Ray Charles and James Brown. She continues to work to document the history of this great music and the musicians of the DMV.

Dr. Butler-Truesdale is co-author of the book, Washington DC Jazz."

• PHILLIPS COLLECTION

"The Phillips Collection is an art museum founded by Duncan Phillips and Marjorie Acker Phillips in 1921 as the Phillips Memorial Gallery located in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Phillips was the grandson of James H. Laughlin, a banker and co-founder of the Jones and Laughlin Steel Company." - https://www.phillipscollection.org/

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• THE CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART

"The Corcoran Gallery of Art was an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, that is now the location of the Corcoran School of the Arts and Design, a part of the George Washington University. " - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corcoran_Gallery_of_Art

GLORIA QUIRARTE

Enrichment Program Coordinator, Mundo Verde Public Charter School

Gloria Quirarte supervises the implementation of quality enrichment for Before & After School Programs, as well as for school-wide special programming. Prior to Mundo Verde, she worked for five years as Director of Operations at Multicultural Community Services in DC. She was also Executive Assistant to the Director at CentroNía for three years, Project Director at the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, and Program Specialist for Hispanas Unidas in San Antonio Texas. Gloria obtained her master’s in social cultural anthropology from John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland and has a bachelor’s in political science from Swarthmore College.

Auriela Akpan, DC International School

District of Columbia International School is a public charter school in Washington, DC.

​ Doc Powell, Founder of the Malcolm X Drummers and Dancers

Doc Powell is originally from Atlantic City NJ and one of the main coordinators of the creative activities on those Sundays in Malcolm X Park, rounds out the troupe and acts as the Music Director, producer, and lead drummer for the Malcolm X Drummers and Dancers. He is an alumnus of Howard University.

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The Malcolm X Drummers and Dancers are an extremely talented and masterly group of cultural artists in the DC area whose proud tradition of demonstrating African culture through drumming, dancing, and singing has its original in Malcolm X Park.

Malcolm X Park, located in the Adams Morgan/Columbia Heights area of the District of Columbia (officially named Meridian Hill Park), is a magical place where, for over 50 years, drummers of all persuasions conjugate with dancers and other artists on Sundays (weather permitting) to create a fantastic display of African music in conjunction with traditional music from many other origins of the world.

They have performed at the Martin Luther King Library, Adams Morgan Day Street Festival, The Latino Festival, the Black Family Reunion Celebration on the National Mall, Emergence Community Arts Collective, Soul 57 Cultural Center, Sandy Point State Park, Howard University Blackburn Center, the Anacostia Art Gallery, Washington National Cathedral, Dance Africa DC Festival, American University, George Washington University, the Capitol Hill Eastern Market Art Gallery the Potter’s House in Adams Morgan, Union Temple Baptist Church in SE DC, the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church, the Peoples Congregational Church, the National United Methodist Church the H STREET Festival, Fiesta Asia Street Fair, the Southwest (DC) Festival, the Thurgood Marshall Center, People’s Congregational Church, Tree of Life Learning Center in northeast DC, Thomas Jefferson Middle School in Arlington VA, Howard University School of Medicine, Woodacres Elementary School in Bethesda VA, and many other venues in the Washington metropolitan area. 

Mr. Ralph Nader, Breaking Through Power"

​Mr. Ralph Nader, a legendary figure, has spent a lifetime fighting on behalf of ordinary people. Life magazine ranked him as one of the most influential Americans of the twentieth century. The Atlantic named him one of the hundred most influential figures in U.S. history. Founder of Public Citizen, he is a long-time advocate for consumer safety and workers’ rights. He rose to fame in the 1960s when he took on General Motors and its unsafe Corvair car. His 1965 book Unsafe At Any Speed not only created a sensation but also was instrumental in the enactment of the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. His efforts helped create the Environmental Protection Agency. He has exposed the misdeeds of the corporate sector as well as of the political system. In recent years he has led the struggles around NAFTA, the WTO, corporate welfare, and single-payer health care. He is the author of numerous books including Return to Sender, Unstoppable, To the Ramparts and Breaking Through Power. He is co-author of Fake President and Wrecking America."

breakingthroughpower.org

HIGHER ACHIEVEMENT SUMMER CAMP ACADEMY

Higher Achievement is "where talent and opportunity meet to launch lifelong success."

Samuel H. Dodson IV

"A Father to a wonderfully creative and joyous 4-year-old son. A husband of 14 years to a loving and supportive wife. A lifetime learner an artist, and a teacher of the craft for nearly 20 years.

Art is a huge part of my life inside and outside of school, so I feel blessed to be able to share my passion and knowledge with the students here at DCI.

Mr. Dodson graduated from Denison University in 1998 with a Bachelor’s Degree, and served as a founding member of the teaching staff at Hyde Leadership Public Charter School. After 8 years in the classroom, he took on more leadership opportunities with Higher Achievement as the Ward 6, and Kramer Achievement Centers for 10 years. Now, Mr. Dodson is in his 3rd year at DCI teaching art, and feeling at home in this awesome community."​

YOUNG PLAYWRIGHTS' THEATRE (YPT)

Young Playwrights’ Theater (YPT) "inspires young people to realize the power of their own voices. The only professional theater in Washington, DC dedicated entirely to arts education, YPT engages local students in an innovative, standards-based playwriting program then produces the student plays with professional theater artists on stages around the District." - yptdc.org

"Laurie helps manage and support teams who work with DC educators, school leaders, community-based and systems-level actors to effectively and equitably engage families in student success. She helps to design, refine and maintain systems and structures to support our teacher, school, and district partnerships to meet the complex ongoing needs of students and families.Laurie believes that improving our society as a whole begins with providing every child with a high-quality education, and that in order to achieve this, a focus on equity is necessary.

Prior to joining Flamboyan, Laurie was a Research Assistant with the Neuro-Education Initiative at the Johns Hopkins School of Education. She earned a Master of Education with a concentration in Urban Education from Johns Hopkins University. Prior to graduate school, she spent the first six years of her career as a Program Manager at Young Playwrights’ Theater, a nationally recognized arts education non-profit in Washington, D.C. She has also worked in various capacities with the Kennedy Center, Imagination Stage, Arena Stage, and Roundhouse Theater. Laurie holds B.A.s in English, Theater Arts, and Education from Stonehill College.

Laurie lives in Takoma Park, MD with her husband and their cat."

"Nicole Jost has been affiliated with Young Playwrights’ Theater since 2002 when she was a sophomore at Wilson High School. In September of 2007 the YPT Wire profiled her work as a college intern, teaching the summer playwriting class at Bell Multicultural High School. This past fall YPT was thrilled to have Nicole join its team as Program Assistant. She works with associate director Patrick Torres to administer YPT’s programs serving over 500 students throughout DC.

Nicole’s presence at YPT is a gift," says Patrick Torres. "Not only is she an accomplished writer, director and teacher in her own right, but she also serves as an example to our students of what they could be."

Nicole taught during the fall at Plummer Elementary and Capital City Public Charter School. "I’ve been very fortunate to witness playwriting take hold in my students. I’ve seen them completely shift their perception of what writing is," she says. "My students at Plummer Elementary School became really excited every time they got out paper and pen. They took ownership of their work, and found a space for imagination in the medium. It was beautiful."

Nicole plans to start her own theater company, where artists will work as an ensemble to create new work. For now, she’s pleased to be back in her hometown of Washington, DC. She recently directed One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest at her alma mater, Wilson High School."

EDLAVITCH JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER OF WASHINGTON, D.C.

"The Edlavitch Jewish Community Center of Washington, D.C. (formerly the Washington DCJCC) is a Jewish Community Center located in the historic district of Dupont Circle. It serves the Washington, D.C. area through religious, cultural, educational, social, and sport center programs open to the public, although many programs are strongly linked to Jewish culture, both in the United States and in Israel. It is part of the JCC Association (JCCA), the umbrella organization for the Jewish Community Center movement, which includes more than 350 JCCs, YM-YWHAs, and camp sites in the U.S. and Canada, in addition to 180 local JCCs in the Former Soviet Union, 70 in Latin America, 50 in Europe, and close to 500 smaller centers in Israel.

Among the many notable programs sponsored by the EDCJCC are Theater J, a theater group that has hosted world premieres of plays by noted Jewish playwrights such as Wendy Wasserstein, Richard Greenberg, and Ariel Dorfman; the Washington Jewish Music Festival; the Jewish Literary Festival; and the Washington Jewish Film Festival, that includes screenings both at the Center itself, and at other Washington, DC, institutions, including a number of foreign embassies representing nations that produced the films.

The EDCJCC also houses the Hyman S. and Freda Bernstein Library, which includes a Jewish Heritage Video Collection, a children's reading collection, and a collection of genealogy books and materials. It is a constituent organization of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, serving Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia."

Mr. Justin Love served as the program manager for the Summer Camp in 2018.

​JOY OF MOTION DANCE CENTER (H STREET -- ATLAS AND FRIENDSHIP HEIGHTS LOCATION)

Joy of Motion Dance Center "is non-profit charitable organization founded in 1976, Joy of Motion Dance Center has since developed into the "the area's most comprehensive dance institution" (Washington Post), engaging 60 faculty members and teaching artists, providing more than 400 weekly classes, and drawing nearly 9,000 unique students and artists annually to three studio locations (in two Wards of DC and in Bethesda, MD). With more than 40 years of history in the District, Joy of Motion has become the hub of a vast artistic community, committed to excellence both in high-level training and community-based arts experiences.

At Joy of Motion, Dance is for Everyone! Whether you love to dance, are a lover of the art form presented on stage, or support an emerging dancer, there is a place for you in Joy of Motion's dance family. Joy of Motion is committed to building strong, healthy communities of people who share a universal love of dance by challenging those served to reach their fullest potential, fostering authentic interpersonal connections, creating spaces for all to participate, and pursuing the highest standards of quality at all levels of dance education and performance."

joyofmotion.org

Tanya Nuchols

Tanya Nuchols "is a dance fitness instructor certified in Barre Body, Zumba, Piyo and Pound. She currently teaches at several studios including Studio Body Logic and Joy of Motion Dance Center. Growing up, she trained in ballet, jazz and modern at Arlington Center for Dance and currently enjoys training in a wide variety of international styles from ballroom to bellydancing. Dance-based fitness keeps her motivated to stay active and loves to lead others in keeping exercise engaging and creative."

Sylvana Juliet Christopher

Sylvana Christopher "is a D.C. native, performer, choreographer and teaching artist. She is committed to bringing dance into people's lives as a means for expressing the inner self through physical motion. Her choreographic work has graced several spaces including The National Museum of African Arts, Museum of the Americas, The Phillips Collection, Jack Guidone Theater, The Atlas Performing Arts Center, Gallaudet University, Howard Community College and The Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage. With several choreographers and musicians, she presented 5 by 5 in 2016 at St. Columba's Church.

Christopher believes in building community through dancemaking and used that belief to co-found Glade Dance Collective in 2009 with dance advocate Betsy Loikow as well as Dancing Rogues with Sara Herrera and Hayley Cutler. A graduate of The Washington School of Ballet, Christopher earned a BFA in Dance Performance & Choreography from The Ohio State University in 2002 and her diaspora research extends to the Caribbean, France and Senegal. She has performed with Open Circle Theater, In Series and danced works by Michelle Ava, Meisha Bosma, Holly Bass, Lucy Bowen McCauley, Rita Jean Kelly Burns, Nancy Havlik, Kate Jordan, Kelly King, Assane Konte, Sarah Ewing, Gesel Mason, Natty McCube, Erica Rebollar, Juan Carlos Rincones, Melissa Saint Amour, Samantha Sobash, Erin Tunbridge and Cynthia Word.

​SylviDances recently premiered 3 dances at Baltimore Theater Project in 2018: ash, a response to her fear of nuclear winter, Charades with DancEthos about volleys between dominant world leaders, and Who by Joan Nicholas-Walker reflecting on the many roles a woman plays in her lifetime. Then She Fell, created by Maggie Lockhart and Christopher for 5 by 5, was reset on Howard Community College Dance Company and selected for Dance Place's New Releases Choreographic Showcase.

You can catch Sylvana teaching for Joy of Motion Dance Center Atlas, The Washington Ballet @THEARC, Word Dance Theater at Dance Loft on 14, and Rainbow Dance with Inner City, Inner Child. She has also taught for Wolf Trap, City Dance, Washington Performing Arts, Dance Place and Sitar Arts Center."

BELE BELE RHYTHM COLLECTIVE

The Bele Bele Rhythm Collective "is an intergenerational group of women from DC & surrounding areas who have come together to form a sisterhood of the drum.

The Bele Bele Rhythm Collective is an intergenerational group of women from DC and surrounding areas who have come together to form a sisterhood of the drum. Founded in 2008 and led by "Drumlady" Kristen Arant, the BBRC performs tightly sewn compositions of polyrhythms on West African dun-un and djembe drums, complete with exciting breaks, contagious songs, and dancing. The BBRC performs to celebrate unity and diversity, and to spread the joy and healing power of West African drumming to the community at-large."

https://www.facebook.com/pg/BeleBeleRhythmCollective

"KRISTEN ARANT is a percussionist, vocalist, teaching artist and activist living and working in the Washington, DC region. Originally a classically-trained oboe player with a degree in music, she began her drumming career upon moving to Washington DC in 2000, when she helped initiate the activist drumming ensemble Rhythm Workers Union, known for its hand-built drum cart the "MotherDrumShip," and its legions of drummers who created a spectacle at hundreds of protests, rallies and events through 2007. Enthralled by the healing and unifying power of the Djembe drum, Kristen began to study West African drumming in 2002. She spent time with masters such as Baile McKnight, Mamady Keita and Tammi Hessen. In 2004 she began teaching drumming at DC public schools, and through these experiences discovered how the drum could transform the self esteem of young people and help them to become self-actualized. In 2005 she started a DC non-profit organization, the Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project, which enrolled young women ages 12 and up from across DC, taught them how to play West African drums, and guided them through poetry, song-writing, theatre and dance workshops that culminated in final performances. These performance showcases "wowed" communities across DC as they witnessed young women coming of age via drumming - an innovative Rite of Passage."

YOUNG WOMEN'S DRUMMING EMPOWERMENT

Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project "gives rise to young women's self-esteem, positive development, and creative self expression through drumming and more."

In 2015, Young Women's Drumming Empowerment Project presented a Summer Camp at All Souls Church.

GREENBELT RHYTHM AND DRUM FESTIVAL

The Greenbelt Rhythm & Drum Festival is a one-day music event to celebrate drumming from around the world. The festival will feature performances from some of the area's finest multicultural drum ensembles as well as drum workshops, community drum circles, hula-hoopers, drum vendors, arts & clothing vendors, tasty food and more. Located in the Roosevelt Center in historic downtown Greenbelt, MD held from 2013 - 2015.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/GreenbeltRhythmAndDrumFestival/

AKOMA DRUMMERS

The Akoma Drummers "are a West African drum troupe based in Washington DC."

https://www.facebook.com/pg/akomadrummers

DANCE INSTITUTE OF WASHINGTON (DIW)

"Developing talent and broadening horizons one child at a time. Through intentional inclusion and equity, the Dance Institute of Washington increases diversity at every level of pre-professional Ballet training. We provide additional training in key genres to create a well-rounded dancer that can successfully enter the dance industry at large. Through this exemplary effort, DIW positively impacts racial and economic inequities in dance globally."

https://www.facebook.com/pg/danceinstitute/about/

MENTORS OF MINORITIES IN EDUCATION (M.O.M.I.E)'S TOTAL LEARNING CIS-TEM (T.L.C)

Mentors of Minorities in Education (M.O.M.I.E)'s Total Learning Cis-tem (T.L.C) provides dynamic and innovative educational programming for at-risk children, ages 4 to 15, living in Washington, DC. The mission of M.O.M.I.E's T.L.C is to nurture children's genius and develop a transformative system to improve educational outcomes. M.O.M.I.E's achieves this through high quality and culturally relevant out-of-school-time programs, parent and community involvement, and the creation of educational tools and resources. M.O.M.I.E's TLC operates programs at sites based in Ward 4 and 1.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/momiestlc

Mr. Lester M.Cuffie, Executive Director of DC Coalition for Housing and Justice.

"Mr. Lester Matthew Cuffie, a Washington, D.C. native, is a distinguished advocate and community leader. A graduate of Phelps Vocational Class (Hydraulic Engineering, 1968) and the University of District of Columbia (B.A. Political Science, 1983), he earned a J.D. from Antioch School of Law in 1987. Cuffie served as Legislative Clerk for Counselor Member Hilda Mason and an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner. Notably, he authored editorials on the D.C. Housing Crisis, testified before the city council on affordable housing, and spearheaded initiatives leading to the passage of the Rent Control reform measure in 2006. Cuffie also played a pivotal role in reforming the Tenant Opportunity Purchase Act (TOPA) and establishing the Tenant Advocate Office. Engaging in community education forums on financial literacy and estate planning, he is a member of various organizations, contributing significantly to housing justice and development initiatives. Recent accomplishments include coordinating fundraising events and advocating for affordable housing developments."

The DC Housing Coalition for Justice, INC. is a nonprofit housing advocacy organization which supports and encourage; tenant’s rights, homeownership, and we also support comprehensive housing policies that would result in equity for all residents and citizens.

Mr. Kerry S. Pearson is the chair of "Kerry S. Pearson LLC, a holding company located in Dupont Circle that includes divisions focused on government, health care, and construction management and consulting. Its subsidiaries include KSP Healthcare Group, an operation that specializes in health-care-management consulting and acquisitions and mergers; and A-1 Construction and Consulting LLC, which specializes in real-estate-development services and construction management (Brett Greene is the chief operating officer of the company; Lauren Vaughan Pearson is the chief executive officer)."