Creative Individuals-Round 1

Mikala Bedor: Bedor loves working alongside people and building relationships. She uses her skills to enhance strategic alliances and improve process to support equitable programming in the Twin Cities. Bedor graduated from Western Governors' University with a MS in management and leadership and work as a talent acquisition project manager at Ampact, where she leads complex projects that support the recruitment, selection, and retention of 3,000 AmeriCorps members annually.; Amber Burns: Burns is a multimedia artist, performer, and teacher. She graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth with a BFA in arts education and has taught visual art, dance, and theater in the Duluth community. In 2018, she finished her MLS degree in arts development and program management from the University of Denver. Formerly the artistic director for the Duluth Playhouse Family Theatre, Burns now manages youth scholarships as the community impact specialist at The Duluth Superior Area Community Foundation. Burns is very passionate about advocating for the arts and has been a board member for the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council and a grant program advisor for the Minnesota State Arts Board. She loves to participate in youth programming and helping the local community.; Madeline Carlson: Carlson is a fourth-year college student looking to graduate in the fall semester of 2023. They are attending the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire (UWEC) pursuing a degree in illustration. Carlson is an employee of UWEC as a supervisor and caller at the university's fundraising center. They have received the FY22 and FY23 Student Arts Scholarships from the Central Minnesota Arts Board Regional Arts Council, as well as scholarships from their university. They have been involved in two juried student art shows at their university which featured their artwork in 2021 and 2022.; Khayman Goodsky: Goodsky is an Ojibwe (Bois Forte Band of Chippewa enrolled member), self-taught filmmaker who currently works at the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) as the coordinator of the Indigenous First art and gift shop, a shop that highlights, uplifts, supports, and honors Indigenous, BIPOC, local, and diverse artists through different mediums. Goodsky also helps with the art shows that AICHO holds, such as working with the artists when it comes to making their labels, prices, artist receptions, sales, and other things. Goodsky has also been a part of film programmer teams of different film festivals in Minnesota, such as the Duluth Superior Film Festival, the North by North International Film Festival, the Minnesota International Film Festival, and the Ely End of the Road Film Festival. Her main role was researching and recruiting Indigenous film makers to submit their films to the festivals and being a moderator for in person (or through Zoom) Q&A's.; Stephen Kingsbury: Kingsbury is a dynamic and exciting conductor and educator who is dedicated to inspiring students and audiences alike through impassioned performances and a deep commitment to choral excellence. Kingsbury serves as director of choral activities and professor of music at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall. Kingsbury holds both a BA in music preteaching and a master of arts in teaching degree from the University of New Hampshire (Durham, NH), as well as a master of music degree in conducting from Boston University (Boston, MA), and a doctor of musical arts degree in choral conducting and literature from the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign, IL).; Viva Yang: Yang is the institutional giving officer at Rethos, a Saint Paul based nonprofit organization that serves as a statewide advocate and resource for historic preservation. In this role, he is the primary grant writer managing philanthropic relationships and supporting other development and communications projects. Yang also is an independent communications consultant providing graphic design, writing, and translation services. Additional professional experiences include nonprofit program management, partnerships, fundraising, and staff supervision, as well as stints in communications, organized philanthropy, journalism, and international education. Yang is a graduate of St. Olaf College and has volunteered at local cultural celebrations.