Creative Individuals

Brigid Fitzgerald: Fitzgerald is a retired attorney and former Five Wings Arts Council board member. She is a lifelong lover of the arts and seeks to support the Minnesota art community with her extensive grant review experience.; Kelly Kakaley: Kakaley is a passionate advocate for the arts, seeking to amplify underrepresented voices. As coowner of Call the Shots Productions, an LGBTQ woman owned videography company, she excels in visual storytelling, capturing the essence of community events. With degrees in dance and business, Kakaley brings a unique blend of creative vision and business acumen to the table.; Nahid Khan: Khan is the longest serving board member of Mizna. She has served since the inception of the board in 1999, and has helped grow the organization from working board members at all levels to a staffed organization; currently she is serving as board secretary. Khan has been a guide at the Minneapolis Institute of Art since 2004. She has a BA from Purdue University (Lafayette, IN) in mass communication-journalism (minor in library and information science), a MA from the University of Minnesota in mass communication (minor in religious studies), and was a PhD candidate (ABD) at the University of Minnesota in mass communication (minors in religious studies and museum studies). She is an independent researcher, scholar, writer, and community advocate.; Kennedy Niska: Niska oversees daily operations of the Legacy Chorale of Greater Minnesota, a Brainerd based nonprofit organization, and directs the Legacy Youth Chorale choral program. He also teaches piano, voice, and saxophone in his private music studio. Prior to these appointments, Niska taught elementary classroom music and directed church choirs in central and western Minnesota. Niska holds a bachelor of music degree from Concordia College and is an active member of the National Association for Music Education, Minnesota Music Educators Association, and American Choral Directors Association.