One-Page Breakdown

Be a supporter of Creative Leadership

The Collective Schedule

• CREATIVE LEADERSHIP: A fresh look at leadership as a creative act, to apply daily at work and in life.

• PERSONAL GROWTH: A thoughtfully and effectively crafted skill set build on mindfulness and intentional professional development.

• PEER NETWORK: A robust group of collaborators and leaders across sectors plus access to an extensive network of artists, civic practitioners, local businesses and community members.

• COMMUNITY PRACTICE: Enhanced tools to design, implement and sustain effective community engagement.

Ideal candidates have:

A unique perspective to share with the cohort

Desire/time to commit to a leadership training program

This Program is best suited for:

Individuals who:

• Seek to expand their skill sets to include creative and mindful leadership

• Self-identify as creative and are looking to step into leadership opportunities

• Self-identify as a community leader and are looking to elevate their creativity

• Leaders who are eager for new experiences, relationships, cross-sector collaborations and potential partnerships with others working in your community

• Are part of an organization that values innovation

Organizations who:

• Have core values of innovation and creative problem solving

• Value collaboration

• Want to empower employees to develop relationships and resources through a cross-sector network

• Want to empower employees to expand their skill sets to include creative and mindful leadership

• Value how a hyper-localized community can impact business

• Recognize the value of creativity in building a workforce steeped in innovative capabilities

APPLICATION IS FREE!

Go to the application link, create a username and password to ensure your information is saved along the way, complete all questions and then wait for us to contact you to set up your interview. All applicants will be interviewed. Applications will be reviewed by a select panel of Mesa Arts Center staff and community leaders.

Participants will be selected through a competitive application process, and each round will include 15-24 people. The Collective selection committee seeks a diverse group with different perspectives, experiences and concentrations for the program.

Over a five-month period you can expect the following commitments:

• Approximately 30 hours in session

• 6 half-day sessions, occurring once every two weeks for twelve weeks

• Approximately 50 hours working outside of sessions on activities such as research & workbook exercises, bonus arts experiences, volunteer time, and final project development

• 2+ arts experiences

• Opportunity for group volunteer work, 1 overnight retreat-style experience in Ajo, Arizona

Application is free!

Once accepted, tuition is $850 for the 12-week long program, including six half-day sessions, three art experiences, and one overnight retreat-style experience for each participant.

Tuition is due in full by the 1st Session, Feb 4th. Your employer may be willing to assist with all or part of the tuition. Partial scholarships based on need may be available.

*Participants will be responsible for their commute expenses (car, bus, carpool) to attend the retreat and all other events/activities.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Competitive scholarships are available. If you are seeking scholarship support, be sure to complete the scholarship need portion of the application.

Other grants and professional development funds may be available. Check with your employer and within your industry.

Local arts and professional development grants may be available. Visit www.azarts.gov for more information and eligibility details.

Tomas J. Stanton is a poet, teaching artist, and community engagement specialist. Tomás is dedicated to advancing the art of creativity as a platform for youth development, civic engagement, & social transformation. Co-Founder of Phoenix’s premiere literary arts and youth development organization, Phonetic Spit, Tomás uses critical pedagogy to inspire young and emerging adults to boldly express themselves – from the margins to the core. His work and teaching style are rooted in his experiences of learning to unlearn the pitfalls of poverty, violence, privilege, and hyper-masculinity through a lens of intersectionality.

Dorian Lenz is the Director of NCT Phoenix. He previously enjoyed a successful career as Director of National Comedy Theatre San Diego; San Diego’s longest running comedy show. Dorian began performing improv comedy as a young teenager and now has more than 20 years of performance experience under his belt. Dorian has been teaching professional improvisers, workshop classes and high school improv leagues for more than 15 years. Dorian has performed across the country and all over the world, including performing overseas in Germany, Holland and Belgium for US Troops with Armed Forces Entertainment, as well as countless corporate and special events all over the United States. 

Krissy Lenz is the Creative Director of National Comedy Theatre Phoenix. Krissy has more than 20 years of performance experience and training as well as more than 10 years of teaching and directing. Krissy also teaches improv comedy workshops for adults, teens and kids. She coaches and administers the very awesome and successful AZ High School Improv League, and presents Team Building Experiences and private workshops as well as performing in many Corporate Remote Shows. Krissy can be seen on 3TVs Your Life Arizona (azfamily.com) as the Guru of Geekery, presenting geeky takes on everyday life. And check out her podcast network Most Excellent Pod (mostexcellentpod.com) where she can be heard as the host of the Most Excellent 80s Movies Podcast and Gank that Drank: A Supernatural Drinking Game Podcast and WHOA: A Most Excellent Keanu Reeves Podcast. Besides doing all of that? Krissy is the proud mama of two adorable youngsters. 

Pamela Slim is an award-winning author, speaker and small business coach. She spent the first 10 years of her solo practice as a consultant to large corporations such as Hewlett-Packard, Charles Schwab and Cisco Systems, where she worked with thousands of employees, managers and executives. In 2005, she started the Escape from Cubicle Nation blog,which led to coaching thousands of budding entrepreneurs, in businesses ranging from martial art studios to software start ups. Her first book, Escape from Cubicle Nation, won Best Small Business/Entrepreneur Book of 2009. Her latest book, Body of Work, was released with Penguin Portfolio in January 2014. Pam opened the Main Street Learning Lab in Mesa, Arizona in 2016, where she works with diverse entrepreneurs to solve core business challenges and generates stories, research and insight for companies and organizations who serve them.

April Tinhorn’s (Hualapai/Navajo/Chinese) childhood curiosity about a video game led her to earn her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in computer science, inspiring her to help others at the National Security Agency, IBM, and Indian Health Service. In 2010, April created TINHORN CONSULTING, LLC, where she helps clients disrupt perceptions about Indigenous People via media. Through cultural marketing and training services, she has helped the Tohono O’odham Nation, San Carlos Apache Tribe, and Gila River Indian Community connect with others by creating websites and marketing strategies. The American Indian Chamber of Commerce of Arizona (AICCAz) recognized Tinhorn Consulting as the “2017 American Indian Business of the Year”. April has earned numerous professional recognitions and achievements including being honored as the “2018 Arizona State University Native American Alumni of the Year,” a Native American “40 Under 40” honoree,an adjunct faculty at Mira Costa College, Americans for Indian Opportunity Ambassador Leadership Program alumna, Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority Beta Kappa Chapter alumna, and a former title holder of the Miss Indian Arizona Teen, Miss Hualapai and Miss Indian Arizona State University Pageants. April is most joyful when experiencing life with her husband, Sam Bender, Jr., and her daughter, Zoey Bear.

Sogol Homayoun is a trilingual, strategic and self-motivated leader. She started her career in investment management undergoing a rotational leadership development program while pursuing her Global MBA at Thunderbird School of Global Management. Sogol was then inspired to learn more about leadership. She started her second career as global university recruiter for her alma mater, Thunderbird (now a unit of Arizona State University), while pursuing her doctorate in Leadership and Innovation at ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teacher’s College. For her action research study, her innovation has been to develop a creative leadership professional development program. Sogol’s goal is to help students understand what creativity means, how to recognize it, and share ways to creatively express their value to others and organizations. Originally, Sogol was raised in the Middle East and has traveled to over 14 countries. She has worked and studied in developed and developing markets and thrives in cross-cultural environments yet remains committed to improving the community in which she lives and works.

Tiara Cash comes to Center for Mindfulness, Compassion, and Resilience as an alumni of Arizona State University. She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University in Exercise and Wellness and a Master’s degree from Western Illinois University in Kinesiology. With a background in wellness management and exercise and sport psychology, her vision with Center is to engage ASU and the surrounding community in life-long learning and personal development with an emphasis on mindful practices and a true focus on connection through compassion. Research interests include educational leadership, phenomena of transitions, and resiliency training. Career focuses include leadership & self- sustainability in university settings, delving into the intersections of mindfulness and equity with a concentration on social justice, student-athlete retirement resilience training, and mindful performance art. With her background, her ultimate goal is to create a culture of connection through innovative programming with workshops, trainings, and events.

Jennifer Gastelum is a local resident and Mesa native. She studied Psychology and Community Counseling before stumbling into her role as the Community Engagement Specialist at Mesa Arts Center. Jennifer has worked for over five years researching and exploring the effective use of art as a community and economic development tool. She uses collaboration and kindness to bring together her passion for community and the arts to make positive change.

Ita Udo-Ema has been creating digital media for the past 15 years. With a degree in computer animation from the Art Institute of Phoenix, Ita has co-produced three independent feature-length films, two network affiliate television programs and published over 200 online videos. In 2005, Ita founded the media studio, View from Above Entertainment and works as an above-the-line video producer.

Dennis Gable "You wouldn’t believe my story if I told you myself. I’m grateful to be where I am in life. I have 2 beautiful children: Nevaeh
& Nehemiah. I’m an Arizonian. The first time I remember consulting on a brand was in 1998. My 20’s were spent as a creative entrepreneur and public speaker. I studied Commercial Graphic Design @ Nossi College of Art. Now I’m a progressive voice in both the creative and mental health spaces."

What is The Collective Schedule?

Are scholarships and financial aid options available?

Tell me more about the retreat? Why Ajo?

What is the Final Project?

What is The Collective Schedule?

Program Schedule for the 2023 Cohort

Session atmosphere and activities are interactive and participatory, topics will be framed through creative practice and skills will be applied through project development. Six half-day sessions focus on: understanding your preconceived ideas about leadership and creativity, learning from failure, gaining an understanding of the value of collaboration and creative problem solving, mindful activation, and how to implement projects thoughtfully. Local leaders who are uniquely qualified and involved with community enterprises will share insights and practical examples of how the arts can show up in your everyday practice.

Are Scholarships and financial aid options available?

Yes, competitive scholarships are available. If you are seeking scholarship support, be sure to complete the scholarship need portion of the application.

Other grants and professional development funds may be available. Check with your employer and within your industry.

Local arts and professional development grants may be available. Visit www.azarts.gov for more information and eligibility details.

Tell me more about the retreat. Why Ajo?

The closure of Ajo’s copper mine in the 1980s left this one-industry town without a key economic driver or unifying principle. Over the past 25 years, the International Sonoran Desert Alliance (ISDA) and other organizations have been working to revitalize and refocus Ajo, in part by using the arts and creative placemaking as triggers for economic development.

Ajo is small enough and remote enough to serve as a perfect laboratory for how creative planning and creative arts can bring energy and money to a struggling community.

Retreat Learning Objectives:

The retreat in Ajo is an opportunity for participants to experience a new environment, to engage and interact in a space that might inspire you and trigger new ideas and opportunities, to bond with one another, and to learn more about the Ajo story. Hands-on creative experiences, learning opportunities, and time out in the desert will give you a chance to reflect on the work you’ve done together so far.

By learning about Ajo directly from some of the leaders who have been deeply engaged in its renaissance, we will have a chance to contemplate what works and what doesn’t work when trying to introduce creative ideas, practice and leadership to a community.

• Leadership Stories - evolution of leadership through economic development

• Hands-on Ajo Experiences

• Story of Ajo and asset-based community development

• Task-negative experiences

• New perspectives

What is the Final Project?

Participants will produce a final project which will be a culmination of the program and an opportunity to apply the concepts discussed in sessions into a tangible plan of action relevant to you and your professional mission. The parameters for selecting your project are intentionally ambiguous. We will guide you through steps that will help blend your passion and personal values with community practice. That community may be in your neighborhood, in your place of employment, in an organization that you are involved with, or any other community that means something to you.

Projects will range in scope, impact, and timeframe, so don’t feel pressured to take on something that does not align with what you want your project to be. Final projects will be pitched in a 3-5 minute video before the final graduation celebration with opportunities for seed funding awarded by a select panel based off of a scoring rubric. We will provide you with the tools, support, and steps to get there, but it is ultimately up to you to do the work.

Check out videos of past cohorts here!

Are you an alumnus? Get Connected on Facebook

Add your information to The Collective alumni directory.

Still have questions?

Email Danica Marlin at danica.marlin@mesaartscenter.com.