Creative Individuals

Leila Awadallah: Awadallah is a dancer and choreographer based in Minneapolis, moving with a Palestinian body born on Turtle Island. She is the artistic director of Body Watani Dance with her sister Noelle. She received McKnight (2022), Jerome (2020), and Daring Dances (2019) fellowships and Arab America's 30 under 30 (2023). Her evening-length work, ?TERRANEA,? was performed in Lebanon, Chicago, Dearborn, and Minneapolis. She was a member of Ananya Dance Theater for six seasons under the impactful mentorship of Ananya Chatterjea and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a BFA in dance.; Thomas Brinker: Brinker is an eight-year fundraising and events professional and has thirteen years of experience in nonprofit work. He currently works as development manager for Rise, headquartered in Fridley, overseeing day to day fundraising and events. His work spans afterschool programs, a college prep program for incoming first generation college students, international development, homeless and domestic violence shelter work, and disability employment services. Brinker grew up in Minnesota and graduated from South Dakota State University (Brookings, SD) with a bachelor of arts in communication, specializing in speech communication. He has lived in the Twin Cities area for eleven years.; Maia Hamann: Hamann currently is a music teacher at Holdingford Elementary School, a bassoon instructor at the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University, and a freelance performer. She is the principal bassoonist of the Saint Cloud Symphony Orchestra and serves on the board of directors of the Amadeus Chamber Symphony. Previously, she wrote for Classical Minnesota Public Radio's music education blog. Hamann earned a degree in music performance from the College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University and a master of arts in education from Augsburg University.; Adam McNicol: McNicol is the founder and owner of Herben Influence, a leading cannabis lifestyle digital media influencer brand, and LegalTek, a legal technology software development agency. With extensive experience in digital media, McNicol has successfully grown social media followers to more than 300,000. He holds a degree in legal studies and has been recognized for his innovative contributions to the cannabis and legal tech industries. McNicol's volunteer work includes serving as the official webmaster for Disabled American Veterans Chapter 32 and leading community engagement initiatives in Fairmont. His expertise in entrepreneurship, legal technology, and community service uniquely qualifies him as an advisor.; Sara Witty: Witty is a tattoo artist, painter, art historian, and academic copy editor. Her undergraduate degree was in art from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point; her master's degree was in art history from the University of St. Thomas. She completed her art history doctorate, focusing on architecture history, at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She received an Andrew Mellon Foundation grant and a Social Science Research Council fellowship to conduct primary research on American mental hospital architecture. She has taught art history as an adjunct at Minneapolis College of Art and Design, the University of St. Thomas, and Gustavus Adolphus College, and has given guest lectures on Foucault at the University of St. Thomas. She is currently an editor for Walden University. She participates in several art shows and contributes her skills to the Otherworldly Arts Collective, a local Minneapolis arts group.