Creative Support for Individuals-Round 1

Michaelle Abraham: Michaelle Abraham, phonetic pronunciation is mee-kai-elle, Michaelle is an associate librarian with Hennepin County Library where she works with youth and adults from all walks of life. With a background in library information sciences and sociology, Michaelle has been able to assist folks in finding housing and employment resources. Her podcast Narratives from the Black Diaspora and Beyond is an extension of her artist background. The podcast exists as another space where Black people from all walks of life can come together and share their narratives. ; Emilio DeGrazia: Emilio DeGrazia, a long-time resident of Winona, Minnesota, is Professor Emeritus of English at Winona State University. He taught there for 33 years. He founded Great River Review in 1977, and has had several books of fiction, essays and poetry published by small publishers. A collection of fiction, Enemy Country (New Rivers Press), was selected by Anne Tyler for a Writer's Choice Award, and a novel, Billy Brazil (New Rivers Press), was chosen for a Minnesota Voices award. A second collection, Seventeen Grams of Soul, received a Minnesota Book Award in 1995. He served several terms as board and panel member of SEMAC and also has judged memoir and poetry contests for the Society of Midland Authors. He is one of four judges for the Great River Shakespeare Sonnet contest. He and his wife Monica have co-edited three anthologies of Minnesota writing, and he has served two terms as Winona's Poet Laureate. ; Holly Hackett-Rich: Holly Hackett-Rich
Duluth, MN, Holly is the Director of Grants and Outreach for the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council. Being a multi-media artist and musician for 40+ years, she is most proud of her space making and community building. She and her former partner brought the Norshor Theater back to life in the 90s featuring an art gallery, independent film, as well as multiple spaces for music and dance performances. Holly has been an active community member, sitting on many non-profit boards, an advisory board for Essentia, a Chamber Ambassador, a business owner and an involved parent; Elizabeth Henrich: Henrich is an AmeriCorps VISTA member serving at Urban Boatbuilders, where she manages graphic design projects and facilitates digital community space. Henrich previously interned at Bainbridge Island Museum of Art in curation and the Puget Sound Navy Museum in collections. She graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in communications design and University of Washington with a certificate in museum studies. Henrich was born in Minnesota and has lived in California, Washington, and New York.; Melinda Ludwiczak: Melinda Ludwiczak, Minneapolis, a retired librarian, coordinated Legacy Fund programming for 100 MELSA libraries from 2009-2015, creating partnerships with teaching artists, performers, authors and arts and cultural organizations. She served on the Minneapolis Arts Commission for 9 years, serving on several public art selection panels. She volunteered for many grant review panels for MRAC. An arts enthusiast, Ludwiczak frequents live performances, visual arts exhibitions, art festivals and film screenings. ; Zoe Malinchoc-DeVoe: Retail bookseller at Fair Trade Books in Red Wing, MN. I order, stock, and sell new and used books, sidelines, and Persian rugs, and manage the bookstore's events and marketing. I train employees, run payroll, keep the accounts, and handle new author inquiries. I presently serve on the vestry at Christ Episcopal Church, the board of Hispanic Outreach of Goodhue County, support the Lotus Health Foundation as a gardener, and am a regular volunteer for Red Wing Arts. I have an MBA from St Marys University of Rochester, MN and a BA in Literature, Music, and Dance from Wells College.; Brandon VanWaeyenberghe: VanWaeyenberghe is currently the executive director of the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra (DSSO), where he oversees all administrative, fundraising, and fiscal aspects of the organization. Prior to joining the DSSO, he served as the director of finance at the Charlotte Symphony and nearly ten years at the Houston Symphony in four different roles in fundraising and business intelligence. He is a graduate of the League of American Orchestras Orchestra Management Fellowship program, a nationally recognized program in arts leadership. VanWaeyenberghe holds a BS in music management from the University of Evansville (Evansville, IN) in addition to a MA in arts administration and an MBA from the University of Cincinnati. His research regarding the supply and demand of orchestra musicians has been published and quoted in several publications.; Bethany Whitehead: Bethany Whitehead is a lifelong arts administrator, having held positions at the Walker Art Center, The Playwrights' Center, Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts, among others. She is currently the General Manager of Open Book in Minneapolis and serves on the board of the Minnesota Prison Writing Workshop. She holds a MA in Arts Administration from St Mary's University.