Feb. 17, 2021
Dell’Arte International Announces Newest Board Members
BLUE LAKE, CA – Dell’Arte International’s Board of Directors today announced five new members who will help advance the nonprofit’s work of exploring theatre making, theatre training and the relationship between artist and community.
“We’re excited to expand our board with these leaders who have diverse experience and will bring an array of talents and insight to help strengthen the art of nonprofit governance at Dell’Arte,” said Managing Director Alyssa Hughlett. “We have worked purposefully to ensure our board and leadership include professionals from higher education and the arts communities, as well as long standing Humboldt County residents and award-winning alumni.”
Dell’Arte International in Summer 2020 committed to an internal racial and cultural assessment process and has moved forward with corresponding recommendations to revise term limits and recruit new board members to bring greater equity and representation to the board.
The Dell’Arte Board of Directors will continue its effort to fully develop its membership into Spring 2021. Faculty Chair Elizabeth Colón Nelson said, “We are committed to meeting and expanding our stated equity goals, and supporting a cultural transformation at Dell’Arte in order to serve and embolden a diverse and inclusive next generation of theatre makers, practitioners and community engagement artists.”
“I am personally thrilled to welcome such a strong group of leaders to the Board of Directors as Dell’Arte navigates some of the most challenging months in its nearly 50 year history,” said Bonnie Neely, former board chair who recently stepped down after 13 years of service.
The new board members began their terms, not to exceed seven years, on January 25. The new board members are:
Stephen Buescher – A graduate of Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre, CalArts, and now a TCG New Generations fellow, Stephen Buescher is a director, choreographer, actor and professor. He has worked as an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) advisor to the San Diego Repertory Theater and is chair of EDI in the Department of Theater and Dance at UC San Diego. Stephen has choreographed numerous performances at the American Conservatory Theater and recently taught master classes focusing on Black and Artists of Color for Theater Communications Group and the Craft Institute.
Issac M. Carter, Ph.D. – Isaac M. Carter is the founder and coach for the Coaching Imperative. He is a Critical Educator, DEI Strategist, Equity Coach, Leadership and Organizational Consultant, Certified EQ Practitioner & Assessor and Black Male Feminist. For over two decades, he has steered change management in for-profit and non-profit sectors. His training incorporates Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, and Leadership Success, and Organizational Development. Dr. Carter is the co-editor of the forthcoming volume “Unhooking from Whiteness,” Sense, 2021. Issac helps individuals and institutions understand, embrace, and leverage diversity through implementing DEI strategies, team building, emotional intelligence and one-to-one cultural agility coaching.
Jeremy Michael Clark, Ph.D. – Dr. Jeremy Michael Clark holds a Ph.D. in Human Resource Development from the University of Minnesota, an M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University and a B.S. in Business Administration and General Management from Humboldt State University. He has experience in banking management and finance, consulting and served as Managing Editor for Advances in Developing Human Resources, a leading academic journal in the Human Resource Development field. Dr. Clark’s research focus is on diversity in organizations and he currently works in the Department of Human Resources for the County of Humboldt. He resides in Eureka with his wife, Haley, their two children and their beagle.
Heather Equinoss – Heather Equinoss is a collaboration doula, consultant and visual facilitator whose work is in service to a simple core belief: that the health and wellbeing of people are inextricably connected to one another and the planet that sustains us. She brings 20 years of meeting design, graphic facilitation, and community engagement experience in public, nonprofit, and community settings and specializes in supporting multi-stakeholder, multi sector collaborations. She is a partner in CoCreative Consulting and Equinoss Consulting. She and her family live on Wiyot land on the redwood coast of California.
Libby Maynard – Libby Maynard is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Ink People for the Arts, a nonprofit that connects the community to resources for cultural development. A visual artist with nearly 40 years’ experience working with community and arts organizations on the North Coast, Libby is also a nonprofit consultant. She earned a master’s degree in art from Humboldt State University and has attended Wellesley College and the International School of Bangkok in Thailand.
The Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre offers the only accredited MFA in Ensemble-Based Physical Theatre in the world. Its training programs attract students from across the globe, with more than 1,000 graduates from 41 countries since the formation of the school in 1975. It is one of three institutions of higher education in Humboldt County, along with Humboldt State University and College of the Redwoods.