REACH

Dr. Lisa Rathje is the Executive Director of Local Learning: The National Network for Folk Arts in Education. She has directed in and out-of-school programs and written curricula for diverse learning environments. She directs the Local Learning education and training initiative in Upstate New York: Culture, Community, and the Classroom. She co-edits the peer-reviewed, multi-media Journal of Folklore and Education. She also consults internationally, specializing in professional development for educators and teaching artists, including for the Center for Integrated Arts Education, the Institute of Thai Studies at Chulalongkorn University, the Community Works Institute, and others. Rathje currently teaches courses on research methods and non-profit and community partnerships in the Goucher College Masters in Cultural Sustainability program. She also serves on the Arts Education Partnership Advisory Board (2018-2020), and their Equity and Higher Education Working Groups. Publications include chapters in Through the Schoolhouse Door (2011) and Folklife and Museums (2016, with Paddy Bowman), as well as multiple film credits for a series produced by Dr. Juanamaria Cordones-Cook on Afro-Cuban writers and artists. She has a PhD in English from the University of Missouri. 

Dr. Gregory McPherson is a producer, composer, and researcher, who has worked with some of the biggest personalities in music, television, film, and education throughout the United States and globally. Some of the artists include: The Temptations, The Commodores, James Brown, Peabo Bryson, Patti Austin, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Sapp, Edwin & Tramaine Hawkins, Andrea Crouch, Dr, Bobby Jones, The Nashville Super Choir, Clark Terry, Sarah Vaughn, Cindy Lauper, Jennifer Holiday, Ann Nesby, The New York Philharmonic, The Florida Mass Choir, The Boston Ballet, The Boston Pops, The Florida Symphony, The Atlanta Symphony, The Alabama Symphony The Louisville Orchestra, The Charleston Symphony, The London Symphony Project, and many others. He is the director of Choral Music, Professor, & Resident Artist Composer at Wiley College, an HBCU in Marshall, Texas. He is also the Founder and Executive Director of Greg McPherson Global, an all-arts-led research initiative that focuses on the integration & convergence of emerging technologies in music, entertainment, education, community engagement, and philanthropic collaboratives globally. He has received numerous honorable mentions for his mixed-genre compositions for both large & small ensembles with major commissioned works from President Obama’s White House of Public Engagement & the A.M.E. Church celebrating the lives of the Charleston Nine, The Mandela International Tribute Initiative, The US Postal Service for the Rosa Parks 100th Anniversary Stamp, and the Centennial for the Republic of Finland, Helsinki. 

McArthur Freeman II, is a visual artist and designer whose work explores hybridity and the construction of identity. His works have ranged from surreal narrative paintings and drawings to digitally constructed sculptural objects and animated 3D scenes. His most recent works combine three interrelated emerging technologies: digital sculpting, 3D scanning, and 3D printing. Freeman is the recipient of the prestigious McKnight Junior Faculty Fellowship from the Florida Education Fund. His work has been exhibited in over sixty group and solo exhibitions in the United States. Most recently, he had a solo show, “Strange Figurations,” at the Carver Center Gallery (2017) and participated in “Digitalia” at the Barrett Art Center (2017). During 2017, he presented talks at SIGGRAPH Asia and more recently at The National Council on Education for Ceramic Arts (NCECA), titled “Digital Clay: Hybrid Practices for Digital and Traditional Sculpting,”. Freeman’s work has been published in the “Nka Journal of Contemporary African Art.” He earned a BFA in Drawing and Painting from the University of Florida, an MFA from Cornell University with a concentration in Painting, and a Master of Art and Design from North Carolina State University in Animation and New Media. 

Joshua J. Jackson is a proud graduate of North Central University, earning an MEd in Educational Leadership and Administration and Bowie State University, earning a Bachelor’s degree in history. Additionally, he is a doctoral student at Liberty University. Mr. Jackson's research interests include black educational epistemology, equity-based and social justice pedagogies, and multicultural education. Joshua’s leadership experience spans from serving as the Instructional Staff Developer, Equity in the Pinellas County Schools, Middle School Social Studies Instructor at the Plato Academy Charter Schools, and World History/African American History Instructor in Pinellas County Schools. He is a curriculum developer and motivational speaker whose impact as an equity architect elevates and engages transformative leadership. 

Breai Mason-Campbell a Baltimore native, community activist, teacher, dancer, and cultural counselor. A Harvard graduate, Breai’s Master’s Thesis explored the role of Hip-Hop as a religious and moral touchstone for African American youth. In 2001, she was selected as a contributor to the Boston Healing Landscapes project with Boston University School of Medicine where she conducted research into the connection between mental health in young women and exposure to the norms espoused by popular culture. She presented the findings of this work, in conjunction with the outcomes of her master’s inquiry, at Spellman College, and developed a curriculum based on her conclusions for the Leadership Center at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia. Using her burgeoning methodology for the restoration of cultural health, Breai developed an educational program called Youth Truth for Boston’s American Friends Service Committee which was a precursor to her work here in Baltimore in its focus on youth as the locus of social change. 

Alexandra Oliva is the Director of Student Outreach and Engagement at the School of Arts and Enterprise located in Pomona, CA. She is an Experiential Learning Manager, Internship Program Manager, Adjunct Professor of Education, who is a teacher and school administrator, who’s work focuses on ELL, cultural diversity, and equity. She received her B.A. and M.A at Whittier College in Whittier, CA. She creates spaces that respond to the needs of the school community, She is an advocate for promoting and uplifting the voices of all students. 

Dallas C. Jackson is an Occupational Specialist at Pinellas County Schools based in Largo, Florida. Previously, Dallas was a Principal, Administrator. He is a researcher, professional artist, who exhibits at the Woodson African American Museum in St Petersburg, FL. His book, The School of Hard Knocks is a collection of drawings, watercolors, sculpture and acrylic paintings focus on the intersection of poverty, access and disproportional opportunity in modern times while appropriating from 15th and 16th century artistic forms. He is the author of Bete Noir, which is a compilation of studies and sketches that formed the narrative painting Bete Noir- The convergence of two pandemics, health and social. His first art collection are also included in his works, the African American Life in the 20th Century and Monumental Women 2017. He conducted a qualitative inquiry project that focused on observing students who are enrolled in Mandarin Chinese and STEM classes to garner common instructional practices that promoted interest in STEM and Chinese with middle school learners. The study also included interviews of participant’s perceptions of project-based learning. He has also conducted a study of the program designed to improve struggling students’ state assessment scores and remediation for failing core academic courses after the regular school year. 

Dr. Guedye St. Jean is the Senior Professional Development Coordination for Equity at Pinellas County Schools in Largo, FL. Previously, she was a high school English teacher and an instructional staff developer for English Language Arts. She is an alumna of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where she received a bachelor’s in music performance. She went on to graduate studies at the Chicago College of the Performing Arts (CCPA) at Roosevelt University in Chicago, IL, and received her master’s degree in voice performance/opera. Additionally, she received her Ph.D. at Barry University in educational administration and leadership. Dr. St. Jean is a REACH CIAI consultant and is on the Voice Faculty at the Patel Conservatory at The David A. Straz Performing Arts Center in Tampa, FL. Dr. St. Jean’s research interests include culturally relevant teaching, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and equity and social justice pedagogy. 

Thomas Schulteis creates learning environments which bring people together, encouraging connection and reflection, while celebrating individual uniqueness. He has served as a teaching artist for numerous academies, competitions, festivals, intensives, invitationals, and showcases. He has created the “Creativity & Inspiration Workshop”, “Let Me Try That Again”, “Musical Theatre Exploration Clinic”, “Signs & Synchronicity”, and “TikTok Musicals: Exploration & Activation.” He received his Master of Arts in Strategic Communications from National University and his Bachelor of Science in Psychology from James Madison University. Thomas has created The Educators Collective where leading educators gather together to connect, share, and support. Also, he has produced The Educators Collective Virtual Summit, a personal & professional development event which brings exceptional leaders in education together. Thomas is on the Creative Team with the Musical Theatre Competitions of America. MTCA is an Educational Musical Theater Festival filled with Performance Opportunities, Master Classes, and Competition. Additionally, he is a teaching artist with Susan Blackwell + Co., creators of The Spark File creativity podcast. Susan Blackwell + Co is a collective of teaching artists applying creative and performance techniques to real world challenges. He also is the Team Captain for Coaching. Thomas worked for The Walt Disney Company for 15 years, primarily as the Disney Youth Programs Sales Manager for Disney Performing Arts at the Disneyland® Resort. Under his award winning leadership, his team created “Disney Performing Arts presents: An Educators Summit: Inspiring Brilliance”, a 2 day Summit which hosted educators from around the world. He also developed the first individual workshop opportunity for students at The Walt Disney Company called “Disney Performing Arts Open Enrollment”, as well as the first “Disney Performing Arts Conservatory.” Before starting his career at Disney, Thomas performed on Broadway in the revival of Grease! as well as tours of Grease!, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Chicago, and South Pacific.