WHO WE ARE

FOUNDING STAFF

  • Liza Stewart is the former Department Chair of Creative Writing and Literature at the New Mexico School for the Arts. She has taught writing in Chicago, Paris, Denver, Quito, and New York, and is the recipient of two fellowships for her work in outreach and advocacy. Stewart holds graduate degrees in Curriculum & Instruction and Creative Writing.

  • Nathaniel Berry was the Managing Editor of No Contact Magazine for the duration of its 4-year run. Before receiving his MFA from Columbia University, he worked as a crisis counselor and social worker in Pittsburgh, Montana, and Ohio. His writing has appeared in No Contact, and the Santa Fe Institute’s Parallax.

BOARD of DIRECTORS

  • Ben has over a decade of experience serving in administration and production at theaters around the country, including the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland and the Goodman Theater in Chicago. He holds a Masters of Fine Arts from Yale University; has lead union negotiations, helped develop and implement COVID and environmental disaster response plans, and has managed and allocated of millions of dollars in nonprofit arts funding. He serves as the director of production for Chicago’s Harris Theater for Music and Dance.

  • Audra is an innovative entrepreneur, Clinical Director, and Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist with more than a decade of experience in the mental health and wellness field. Throughout her career, she's worn many hats, gaining invaluable insights that have sharpened her clinical skills and driven positive outcomes for both her clients and the teams she's supervised. Lee has honed her ability to recruit, hire, and inspire a team to perform at their best, while also developing key expertise in marketing, creative strategy, quality assurance, and diversity equity & inclusion.

  • Jordan Sund has 15 years as a fundraiser, having worked for one of the largest healthcare systems in the country, as well as a top 10 university. She has overseen private revenue strategies for eight verticals at a $1B medical research enterprise within Northwestern University, as well as worked on multi-million dollar comprehensive campaigns on behalf of Advocate Health Care. She is an executive coach, fundraising consultant, enthusiastic lifelong learner having most recently earned an MBA from Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago, and a proud dog mom and Chicagoan.