leadership
We are working artists and nonprofit administrators who come from the communities we serve, and we walk the same road as the artists we work with. We stand in solidarity with each other and the artists who join us.
Crystal Akins Meneses | Artistic Principal
Crystal is a singer, musician, conductor, visual artist, arts activist, Fields Artist Fellow, chaplain and death doula. Her main artistic practice is to bring people together through community choirs and community instrumental groups to heal traumas and to increase access to creative expression.
Joaquin Lopez | Artistic Principal
Joaquin is a performing artist, musician, and mental health counselor whose work is grounded in personal transformation, self-expression, and community engagement. He served as the Arts & Culture Manager and the Manager of Leadership Development during his time at Latino Network, and he was Creative Laureate for the City of Portland in 2021-2024.
Mic Crenshaw | Artistic Principal
Mic’s a Hip Hop artist, antifascist activist and Fields Fellow who’s mentored hundreds of youth. He’s the Lead U.S. Organizer for the Afrikan HipHop Caravan, and he uses cultural activism as a means to develop international solidarity related to human rights and justice through Hip Hop and education. Mic was the 2001 Portland Poetry Slam’s Grand Slam Champion and Willamette Week's “Portland's Best Hip Hop Artist of 2016.”
Ben Moorad | Director, Artistic Principal and Board Secretary
Ben’s a writer, performer, producer and MacDowell Fellow. He Co-Founded Write Around Portland, a community arts nonprofit in its 27th year, and Pass the Mic, a free music ed program for immigrant youth in its 8th year. He’s also the Co-Producer of “We Are the Ones Who Live Here,” a storytelling podcast based in Beirut, Lebanon.
Shona Carter | Board Chair
Shona has worked in philanthropy for 23 years and is now the Senior Advisor for Strategic Initiatives at Seeding Justice. Her previous roles include: Director of Partner Engagement & Investment at the Black Future Co-op Fund, VP of Community Engagement and Strategy at the Community Foundation for SW Washington, Senior Philanthropic Advisor at The San Francisco Foundation, and Associate Program Officer at the Clorox Company Foundation. She’s a co-founder of the Southwest Washington Equity Coalition. She’s also a writer and performer.
Robyn Steely | Operations Lead
Robyn works with nonprofits, unions, and social justice organizations, providing relationship-based and trauma-informed training, curriculum development, facilitation, and leadership support. She’s a criminal justice reform advocate and longtime weekly volunteer at a residential treatment center for men in the criminal justice system. Her creative practice includes pen, paper, needle, and thread.
Siobhana McEwen | Board Treasurer
Siobhana’s the Executive Director of the Southwest Washington Equity Coalition, and she used to be the Equity & Advocacy Director at the Council for the Homeless. She’s a clinically-trained social worker, she’s worked as a teacher, she’s been a photojournalist and musician, and she serves on numerous boards and commissions devoted to promoting equity and community.