Julia has been the Executive Director of Fine Arts for Children & Teens (FACT) since January of 2000. She brings over 19 years of non-profit management and program development experience to her work with FACT, as well as a deep and abiding passion for the arts and the creative process. She received her B.A. in Literature, with Honors, from Purchase College, Purchase, NY, in 1984. She is a board member of the New Mexico Arts Education Advisory Council and of the New Mexico Alliance for Arts Education. In 2008, she completed the Documentary Studies Program at the College of Santa Fe cultivating her long-standing passion for photography and storytelling. Julia will be taking a 10-month leave of absence from FACT beginning in August of 2009 to attend Harvard University's Graduate School of Education.

Recently relocated from the San Francisco Bay Area, Anna Marie is thrilled to be the Interim Executive Director of FACT while Julia is at Harvard. Anna Marie brings considerable experience in program and organizational development, nonprofit management, fundraising, and community development. Inspired by the transformative power of art, Anna Marie believes that arts organizations can be agents of positive, social change and civic unity. Therefore, she is dedicated to providing culturally and linguistically relevant, responsive, and sustainable arts education opportunities for under-served communities. She holds an M.A. in Museum Studies, with a concentration in education and public programming, from John F. Kennedy University, Berkeley, CA, and a B.A. in English Literature from Northwestern University, Evanston, IL. Anna Marie lives in Santa Fe with her husband, Manny, and her toddler son, Lito.

Indi McCasey is an experiential educator, circus performer, and outdoor enthusiast. In 2000, Indi received a B.A. from Fairhaven College for a self-designed major entitled Education for Environmental Responsibility and Social Justice. Since moving to Santa Fe three years ago from Seattle, Indi has studied and performed with Wise Fool New Mexico and supervised the Santa Fe Rape Crisis & Trauma Treatment Center's Project AWARE program. Indi has over 14 years of experience working with youth in a variety of experiential education settings including coaching swim lessons, leading backcountry trail crews of teenage volunteers, performing puppet shows about personal safety, and teaching circus skills.

Deanna came to FACT in January 2007. She has a BS in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis. She brings a wealth of experience working for other non-profits, state government and a large corporation. From junior high, Deanna has always had an interest in art, whether creating or enjoying. She also pursues efforts in community building and local politics. Her hobbies include bird watching, hiking and biking. Deanna is married to Santa Fe native Rick Martinez, and they have three dogs: Roxie, Gracie and Oscar.

Dallas lived in South Africa until she was 19 and then moved to London where she trained and worked as an X-ray technician. She moved to Santa Fe in 1980. While working for a flight instruction school she earned her private pilot license and participated in the annual Women's Air Race Classic. Prior to joining FACT she worked at the Santa Fe Community Foundation managing the office, distributing grants to local non-profits and maintaining their technology systems.

A native of Santa Fe, Cynthia received a B.A. from DePauw University in Art History and English Literature. She comes to FACT with experience in arts education, program development, administration, and volunteer coordination and recruitment. When she is not working, Cynthia enjoys hiking and karate.

A working watercolor artist with exhibits in Monterey Bay, California, Santa Fe and collections from coast to coast, Melinda has been at FACT since 2001. She received her B.F.A from the University of California at Santa Cruz, and has worked for 20 years as an art educator for children and adults in community and private art programs. Melinda was the founder and director of After School Artists, a visual-arts program for elementary-school children emphasizing using art-making and the creative process to build self-esteem. She is working toward her K-12 state teaching certification at the Santa Fe Community College. Melinda says she discovered the joys of color and design in her grandmother's drapery studio and was inspired to decorate and embellish her world ever since.

Shiela Cantrell was born and raised in Northern New Mexico. She feels very fortunate to have a large extended family close to her. Shiela received her B.A. in Elementary Education from the College of Santa. Fe. Shiela has had experience with children as a teacher, caretaker and as a mother of two wonderful girls. Shiela is very excited to join the FACT team. She believes that there is an artist in everyone and every child deserves the chance to explore their capabilities. Shiela has always had a passion for photography and loves working in the darkroom. You can find Shiela reading, swimming with her girls, boating with her husband or taking photographs.

Claire Comfort received a B.A. in visual art from Oberlin College in the spring of 2007. Since graduating she has been living in Santa Fe. Claire has worked with several arts education organizations including P.S.1 (NY, NY), 92nd St Y (NY, NY), The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum (Santa Fe, NM), Girls Inc. (Santa Fe, NM) and is now thrilled to be working with FACT.

Aline started at FACT in September 2005. She received a B.A. in Foreign Literatures from Pomona College in California and her teaching credential from UCLA. Aline has experience working with children and youth as a teacher, careworker, and Americorps volunteer. She spent the past four years in Los Angeles, CA working as a kindergarten teacher. Aline returned to Santa Fe, where she grew up, in order to escape the insane L.A. lifestyle and to be near her extended family. Unfortunately the insane L.A. lifestyle seems to follow her wherever she goes, and she's still a workaholic fighting for time to go to yoga and ice skate.

Megan started at FACT in September 2005. She received her B.F.A. in Studio Art (emphasis in Painting) and minor in French at Truman State University in Missouri and also studied abroad at the Marchutz School of Art in Southern France. Before joining FACT, she taught English in Prague, Czech Republic and Costa Rica for two and a half years, and also taught Drawing in Costa Rica. Megan uses oil and mixed media to create work that suggests what connects and separates us in an ever-shifting world. She lives in Chimayó and is having way too much fun gardening flowers, tending to their needs and watching them grow.

Robin joined FACT in 2007 as an instructor, but has served as a volunteer in our studios for three years. He has lived and worked in Santa Fe as a visual artist for 20 years and is a certified expressive arts therapist ( C.E.A.T.). Robin is currently completing an Associates degree in Human Services with a concentration in the arts at Santa Fe Community College.

Santini has been educating both children and adults about fine art and the techniques of design and printmaking for the last fourteen years. Her experience with all ages has enabled her to grow as an instructor and artist. Santini has been an art and printmaking instructor at art centers and studios throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey and has instructed on-site at elementary and middle schools in New Jersey through the Printmaking Council of New Jersey. Santini was also an Adjunct Professor at Northampton Community College where she taught Visual Communications.

Lynn Petrelli, President
Manager, Accenture

Page Allen, Vice President
Artist and Author

Duncan McBranch, Treasurer
LANL, Deputy Principal Associate Director

Deborah Fritz, Secretary
Gallery Owner, Giacobbe Fritz Fine Art

George Stone, Emeriti
Retired Business Executive & Consultant

Georgia Carson, Emeriti
Salazar Elementary Partnership Volunteer; Co-chair Folk Art Committee

Sally Mittler
Owner, Mittler Photography

Patricia Cloud
Senior Consultant, Re:Learning New Mexico

John Barton
Architect, Former President of the Santa Fe Chapter of the American Institute of Architects

Frieda Simons Burns
Attorney, Simons & Slattery

Susan Hall
LANL

Cliff Cisneros
Principal, Holy Cross School

Adelma Hnasko
Arts Education Specialist/Consultant

Dottie Indyke
Executive Director, Creativity for Peace; Arts and Culture Writer

Lou Levin, Ph.D.
Family and Child Psychologist

Nathaniel Owings
Owner, Owings-Dewey Fine Art

Karan Ruhlen
Owner, Karan Ruhlen Gallery

Cyndy Tanner
Marketing Director, The Santa Fe Catalogue

Arlyn Vik
Retired Business Executive & Realtor

Karla Winterowd
Owner, Winterowd Fine Arts

Laura Widmar
Gallery Director, Owings-Dewey Fine Art

Chris Nail
Darkroom Technician, College of Santa Fe