Raulaniesa Aranda is Executive Director of the Sault Area Arts Council, where she supports exhibitions, arts programming, education, and opportunities for regional artists. An artist herself, Aranda works primarily in mixed media and encaustic techniques using beeswax and fire. Her work combines arts administration, community engagement, and creative practice.

Kyrsten has worked as a Producer with Mackinac Island Community Theatre since its founding in 2018. She has served as a member of its steering committee, sat in nearly all departments of the program’s nearly twenty productions, and was instrumental in creating the Children’s Theatre in 2023. Kyrsten has a passion for the performing arts, especially teaching and working with the youth of Mackinac Island. They work to bring performing arts education and opportunity to members of the rural island community, regardless of participants’ skill level or experience, encouraging residents to express themselves and tell stories through their own creativity.

Born in Tanzania, raised in the Caribbean, and educated in Michigan, Rehema Clarken received her Bachelor’s in International Studies and Master’s in English from Northern Michigan University and earned a Ph.D. in Rhetoric from Michigan Technological University in 2017. While working abroad, she taught high school students in AP, A Level, and IB schools and served as academic principal for Beijing Foreign Studies University’s International Curriculum Center from 2018 to 2021. In 2021, she returned to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and opened the Keweenaw Learning Center, now Story Spring, in Hancock. In 2024, she published her first young adult fantasy novel, Pyrrha’s Journey. In 2026, A Hundred Thousand Hopes, a collaborative project with 27 authors, will be published.

Janelle Dodds is a passionate emerging photographer dedicated to developing her creative voice and building a career in photography. A 2023 graduate of West Bloomfield High School, she studied at Wayne State University for three years while gaining valuable experience as a YMCA camp counselor for two years. In January 2026, she joined the Professional Photographers of America (PPA), beginning an exciting new chapter in her photography journey. She is now pursuing photography studies and expanding her skills through education, creativity, and hands-on experience.

Deanna spent her career in education as a teacher in Mackinac County and as a evaluator of state and federal grants at WMU. In retirement, she is now focusing her energy on non-profits in St. Ignace. As President of the St. Ignace Arts Council, her goals are to make the arts accessible to all and engage as many people as possible. She carries this love of the arts to other organizations she is involved in, such as the Michilimackinac Historical Society and the St. Ignace Public Library where she serves on the Board of Trustees.

As the Education Coordinator at the Upper Peninsula Children’s Museum, leads and collaborates with a dedicated team of volunteers to deliver engaging, exemplary programs for families and children. His work with volunteer partners helps bring interactive learning experiences to life and strengthens the Museum’s community impact.

Ashley Frazier is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, and owner of Fall But Once, an independent art studio on Drummond Island in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She studied fashion design at the Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago and fine art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, focusing on painting and knitwear. Through watercolor classes, workshops, and her artistic practice, Ashley explores how art can bring people together and encourage self-expression. Inspired by nature, everyday life, and the places she calls home, she brings the perspective of a rural artist and small-business owner committed to making creativity accessible and welcoming.

Sheryl Gray is a dedicated public servant and community advocate with extensive experience in urban planning, nonprofit management, civic engagement, and fundraising. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Michigan State University and a Master’s in Public Administration. In January 2026, she earned the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential. Sheryl spent 17 years with the City of Detroit’s Planning & Development Department as a Senior Development Specialist, supporting community-focused initiatives and development strategies. She later transitioned to the nonprofit sector as a Fund Development Manager, focusing on fundraising, volunteer engagement, and community development. She remains committed to lifelong service throughout Southeast Michigan.

Lindsey Heiden is an artist, educator, and curator based in Michigan’s Copper Country. She serves as Curator of the Finnish American Heritage Center and teaches at Michigan Technological University. With extensive experience in ceramics and painting, Heiden has exhibited nationally and internationally, participated in artist residencies, and taught community-based art classes and workshops.

Sarah Hinch is a middle school art educator and artist, located in Marquette MI. Her love for learning led to Bachelor’s degrees in Fine Arts, Art Therapy, and Art Education. Her focus is on accessibility with language and materials, and cultivating creative independence. 

Casey Hoffman is the Mayor of Menominee, Michigan, and an attorney with deep roots in the Upper Peninsula. A Menominee native, Hoffman graduated from Menominee High School before earning a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Ethics from Albion College and a Juris Doctor from Marquette University Law School. His professional experience includes legal practice, education, and community service. Hoffman was elected mayor in 2023 and currently serves as Menominee’s 38th mayor. In addition to his municipal leadership, he has been involved with local civic and community organizations and has emphasized economic development, public engagement, and local government issues during his public service.

Born in Kashmir, India and raised in four countries, Upasna’s writing talks about the jinns of our past and belonging. In her 20-year career, she has led strategy for organizations such as the University of Michigan and McKinsey. As the CEO of nonprofit Peerbagh, she encourages reading and storytelling. She has published nonfiction books including Loal (Gulshan, 2024) and has an upcoming young adult fiction book, Notes of Freedom (LitKanmani, 2027).  She edits Bento - the only South-Asian children’s magazine in print and co-hosts a global kidlit podcast, Zubaani. Upasna has won writing awards from Centrum, SCBWI, Kweli, and others. 

Justin Knepper is a Sault Ste. Marie-based community and economic development professional and District 1 Commissioner on the Chippewa County Board of Commissioners. Formerly Sault Ste. Marie’s Downtown Development Director, he now leads Knepper Development Strategies and serves as Executive Director of the Michigan Association of Timbermen. His work includes economic development, grant writing, historic preservation, fundraising, and project management throughout Michigan.

A former writing and literature instructor at Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College and Central Michigan University, Jesse now serves as Senior Success Advisor at Northern Michigan University. His poetry and writing have appeared in regional anthologies, magazines, and newspapers, including Brief Perversions and the Superior Voyage Anthology. Koenig emphasizes poetry as an oral art and has performed throughout the Upper Peninsula and on radio. Active in writing communities for more than 30 years, his role as Upper Peninsula Poet Laureate focuses on fostering connections among Upper Peninsula writers, poets, and literary communities.

Lucia Laford (Waawaaskone Kwe) is an award winning Anishinaabe and Irish artist and educator born in Baawaating, ON. She is a proud two-spirit Ojibwe Kwe and a member of M’Chigeeng First Nation. Lucia paints in a Woodland style that has been passed down to her by her father.  Lucia has ongoing workshops and classes year-round that teach Woodland and floral painting, mural creation, drawing, and leatherwork. Lucia is a part-time Instructor at Algoma University, where she teaches Indigenous Art courses. 

Marsha MacDowell is a professor, curator, and nationally recognized scholar at Michigan State University whose work focuses on folk arts, material culture, and community-engaged research. She directs the Michigan Traditional Arts Program, The Quilt Index, and Michigan Stained Glass Census and has played a leading role in the Michigan Quilt Project. Her work documents, preserves, and expands access to traditional arts and cultural heritage.