ADVISORY BOARD

Erin Drummond is an interdisciplinary artist, director and educator from Minneapolis. She has long been interested in the merging of movement, spirituality and nature, and as a young dancer and choreographer, she dreamed of being a "dance monk." She studied religion and art at Columbia University before turning to dance, later completing an MFA in Dance at Hollins University. Her choreography has been presented at venues such as the Walker Art Center, the United Nations in Bangkok, and the New Masculinities Festival in New York, and her film work has been featured at festivals including the Idaho Screendance Festival. She has taught widely, serving as assistant professor and dance program director at Winona State University, where she also fostered an international guest artist residency and developed a faculty-led study abroad program in Medellín, Colombia. Her creative work has been supported by organizations such as the Minnesota State Arts Board, and she continues to create interdisciplinary work that reflects her global perspective and commitment to art as a transformative practice.

Jaime Ortega is a movement based artist, therapist and educator. He is on faculty at Movement Research NYC, a leading laboratory for the investigation of dance and movement-based forms.  Jaime has explored a variety of approaches to movement for the last 40 years. His main influences have been the study of Ideokinesis with Nancy Topf and Andre Bernard; and the practice of yoga in the Viniyoga tradition.

Serena May is a Certified Integral Coach® and hybrid artist with transcultural roots in North America, Hong Kong and China. She coaches professionals to cultivate presence, engage with complexity and lead from deeper coherence. She has over a decade of experience facilitating innovation for global brands and partnering with C-Suite executives on organizational change, and was most recently Vice President, Global Product & Strategic Foresight at McCann Worldgroup. Her creative practice explores expanding ways of sensing and developing response-ability in our world of flux, with recent participation in Edge on the Square's Super Flex festival in San Francisco and The Emergence Network's Liquid Cartographies festival in New York. She is an active community member in writing collectives, somatic movement workshops including contact improv and butoh, visual arts classes, philosophy study groups, and is a volunteer fundraising committee member for the Center for ArtEsteem in Oakland, California. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Chicago.

Ella Yeargin is a dedicated professional with extensive experience in conflict resolution, program development, and nonprofit management. Her educational background includes a J.D. from DePaul University College of Law and an M.S. in Bilingual Elementary Education from Fordham University. Her first job after graduating from Bryn Mawr College as an English-Spanish dual major was to teach self-contained bilingual elementary as a New York City Teaching Fellow in the Bronx, NY. Over the years, she has demonstrated a strong commitment to creating equitable environments and planning strategically with marginalized communities. At Thread, Inc., Ella led a team that developed after-school and summer job programs and guided college application processes for young people in Baltimore. Her leadership was pivotal in recruiting and training AmeriCorps members, significantly contributing to the organization’s mission of ending social isolation and building a more inclusive culture. As Supervisory Ombudsman at the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, Ella served as an independent resource for dispute resolution, both within the FDA and with external stakeholders. Her expertise in negotiating and resolving disagreements ensured effective management of complex regulatory issues. During her tenure, she held various leadership positions where she consistently demonstrated her ability to handle sensitive legal matters efficiently. Earlier in her career, Ella worked as a Presidential Management Fellow at the White House, collaborating with federal agencies to develop policies addressing addiction, alternatives to incarceration, and other criminal justice issues. Her legal experience includes representing juvenile defendants and victims of domestic violence, showcasing her dedication to advocating for vulnerable populations.