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Board of Directors

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President: Jessica Pappas

Pappas Consulting Group, LLC.​

Jessica Pappas currently serves as Board Chair for Matrix Theatre Company. She has a real passion for helping to provide a safe space and programming for youth and young adults in the community.  Jessica was drawn to Matrix after learning about all the programs and services that were available to the community.  Ms. Pappas has served on the Matrix Board for 8 years. In that time she has seen firsthand how the programs have impacted people of all ages in the Southwest neighborhood and surrounding communities.

 

Jessica Pappas is president of Pappas Consulting Group, a Michigan-based consulting firm that specializes in assisting non-profit and mission based organizations with developing safe spaces for their programs and services.  Ms. Pappas works with organization to assess readiness and help with the growth of housing developments, office spaces, along with developments that hold programs and services offered by organizations.  In addition, Jessica provides marketing and public relations consulting to both non-profit and for-profit organizations. Ms. Pappas received a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University in 2014, along with attending Central Michigan University for her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 2008.

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Vice President: Molly McMahon

The Guidance Center

Molly McMahon serves as Vice Chair for the Matrix Theatre Company Board of Directors and has been a board member since 2020. Serving Matrix in this capacity was a natural next step for Molly, as she has previously served the theatre as a staff member from 2011 to 2017 in capacities related to marketing, communications, and development. She has also previously worked with Matrix in special project management capacities and as a theatrical director, directing Collected Stories, Motherhood Out Loud, and Intentions. She appreciates the positive impacts on individuals and communities that Matrix and its accessible programs and high-quality productions have had for over three decades. 

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After leaving her employment with Matrix Theatre Company in 2017, Molly McMahon went on to attend The University of Michigan to obtain her Master of Social Work degree. Since graduating, she has worked with The Guidance Center in Wayne County as an Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Therapist. She also works as an Infant Mental Health Specialist and Psychotherapist with ABC Behavioral Mental Health, located in Sylvan Lake. In her work, she collaborates with parents and children to help them form stronger, more secure relationships with one another while addressing clinical concerns. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre from Wayne State University and two decades of professional experience in the performing arts as a creative artist, administrator, and producer. This experience, combined with her social work experience and training, provide her a distinct lens and skill set. She is happy to share her unique perspective and skills with Matrix Theatre Company to further positive individual and social change and share outstanding theatre with diverse audiences.

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Treasurer: Derek Edwards

Invest Detroit

Derek Edwards is a Senior Vice President with Invest Detroit, a nonprofit organization and certified Community Development Financial Institution that uses strategic lending and investment to catalyze economic growth in the city of Detroit.  With nearly 30 years of commercial lending and underwriting experience, Mr. Edwards focuses on providing financial and technical support to neighborhood businesses and entrepreneurs and works with partners in the public and philanthropic sectors to implement strategies to create density, jobs and a better quality of life for those living, working, or visiting Detroit.

 

Detroit’s revitalization opportunities have expanded rapidly with the implementation of collaborative strategies such as the launch of M-1 Rail transit and Neighborhood Small Business Strategies.  Mr. Edwards’ depth of experience in banking, underwriting, and business development has greatly assisted Invest Detroit’s efforts to provide lending support for place-based development.  Mr. Edwards plays a key role in identifying financing opportunities for optimal investment, including convening other collaborative CDFI and traditional bank funding partners and small business technical assistance providers to support borrowers.  Through the Small Business programs Mr. Edwards oversees, Invest Detroit has been able to significantly impact the growth of business enterprises owned by entrepreneurs of color, women entrepreneurs, and Detroit resident entrepreneurs.

 

Prior to joining Invest Detroit, he served as Senior Business Banker for a number of regional financial institutions managing various lending portfolios typically in excess of $25 million.  His responsibilities included business development and full portfolio management.  In addition to assisting with traditional financing and relationship management, Mr. Edwards developed extensive experience in financing structures utilizing alternative financing tools such as U.S. Small Business Administration lending programs.   Mr. Edwards is also engaged with several economic initiatives originated by the public, private, and philanthropic organizations throughout the City of Detroit that are focused on the growth of Detroit based small businesses.

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Secretary: Nicole Calhoun-Huddleston

Detroit Justice Center

Nicole Huddleston currently holds the position of Managing Director at the Detroit Justice Center's Legal Services and Advocacy practice. In this role, she oversees a team of dynamic legal professionals dedicated to addressing the impacts of mass incarceration. Attorney Huddleston and her team work towards this objective by providing direct representation to formerly incarcerated and court-involved individuals in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties, as well as through targeted initiatives aimed at reforming the criminal legal system. Their efforts span from legal actions and legislative advocacy to the creation of white papers and informational resources to empower the community. 

 

Nicole earned her J.D. from The University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2014 and her B.A. from Oakland University. During law school, she served on the Moot Court Board of Advocates, held the position of Vice-President of the Business Law Association, and interned for judges including the Honorable Victoria Roberts, the Honorable Marianne Battani in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, and the Honorable Helene White in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.  A dedicated member of the State Bar of Michigan, Nicole has consistently worked towards creating a more just society for Southeastern Michigan residents. Before joining the Detroit Justice Center, she served as an Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor in its domestic violence division and as a staff attorney at the Legal Aid and Defenders Association and Lakeshore Legal Aid. 

 

Nicole's commitment to justice is further evidenced by her appointment to the Justice for All Commission and the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commission by the Michigan Supreme Court. These roles involve ensuring universal access to the civil justice system and crafting policies to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion within the judiciary. 

 

Outside her legal roles, she actively contributes to the Center for Employment Opportunities as a member of its Advisory Board, supporting re-entry employment opportunities and comprehensive support for returning citizens. As part of her commitment to positive social change, Nicole serves on the Matrix Theatre Company's board to help foster positive transformations at the individual and societal levels, all while delivering exceptional theatrical experiences.

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Kate Brennan

The Brennan Group

Prior to establishing her own company, the Brennan Group, LLC in 2004, Kate Brennan worked for P.S.

Abrams, a Troy-based marketing communications firm for 10 years as executive vice-president and later

as president, heading up the creative team and handling all communications programs for the firm.

 

Her work has been cited for excellence by the International Association of Business Communicators and

the National Association of Women in Communications. She has an Emmy and was the recipient of the

Headliner Award from the Association of Women in Communications for outstanding leadership in the

field of communications and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Life Directions, Inc. for her

leadership in working with youth and peer mentoring.

 

Brennan assumed the role of Executive Director at Matrix Theatre Company in 2017 and held that

position until October of 2023 when she turned the role over to the current Director, Amy Johnson and

assumed a position on the organization’s board of directors. She currently co-chairs the Theatre’s

development committee.

 

Her client list has included Global Detroit, Clark Park Coalition, Matrix Theatre Company, the Kresge

Foundation, Preferred Dental Group, Cinetic Automation Corporation, Western Waterproofing

Company, Ford Racing, and the Baldwin Public Library.

 

Ms. Brennan holds a BS, Education and an MA, Business Management.

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Patrick Seick

AmeriCorps

As the AmeriCorps program manager, Patrick is responsible for all program development and management, ensuring CEDAM’s AmeriCorps members have what they need to be the next generation of community development leaders. He is responsible for program operations, outreach, and planning. Specifically, Patrick oversees AmeriCorps member recruitment, hiring, and training; host site selection and training; and professional development training curricula for members. He also provides hiring and managerial support to partnering agencies.

Prior to his work at CEDAM, Patrick was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Tampa where he taught courses in Communication Studies, including Public Speaking, Argumentation, and Business Communication. Patrick has also served as the Program Director of Forensics (Collegiate Speech and Debate) at Eastern Michigan University where he recruited talented high school public speakers, coordinated a national competitive travel schedule, and managed a portfolio of operational and scholarship budgets. Patrick has a master’s in communication studies from Eastern Michigan University and is a doctoral candidate at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. 

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Natalie Stringer

All Seasons, Beztak

Natalie Stringer (she/her) is a theatre maker, actor, and arts administrator, who first worked with Matrix Theatre Company in 2020 as a co-producer of “theR.A.C.E.: Reestablishing Art as Civic Experience." She is the Founding Artistic Director of C&G Collective, an interdisciplinary arts practice that partners with educational and cultural institutions, local businesses, and civic centers to produce and evaluate social impact programs. Stringer also serves as the Director for Artistic and Intellectual Planning at All Seasons, providing high-quality arts and educational programming for senior living communities across Michigan, Florida, and Arizona, including arts interventions in dementia care.

 

Previously, she acted as the Program and Development Manager for Global Arts Corps, an international community of artists based in NYC, and produced the U.S. premiere of “See You Yesterday” with the Cambodian Youth Circus. She’s facilitated leadership workshops at Hostos Community College in the Bronx; devising workshops with the Center for Performance and Civic Practice; presentations at the national Pedagogy and Theatre of the Oppressed Conference; and training with the Teaching Artist Training Institute, using arts education to connect with students on the autism spectrum in Staten Island. She is also the playwright, director, and producer of the original play "Gunpowder," which sold out the FailSafe Festival in NYC. Internationally, she led teachers-in-training at the College of Education in Kigali, Rwanda in using drama to stimulate active learning, collaboration, and dialogue around domestic workers' rights. Stringer produced convenings with Theatre Communications Group, trained and produced theatre with Third Rail Repertory Company, Artists Repertory Theatre, the NHS Institute at Northwestern University, received the Fine Arts Award from Interlochen Arts, and is an Equity Membership Candidate. She has also sung professionally with the TriTones in the Pacific Northwest and the Danny California Blues All-Stars in Bangkok.

 

Natalie is currently enrolled in the Executive Program in Social Impact Strategy at the University of Pennsylvania. She received her M.A. in Applied Theatre at City University of New York, School of Professional Studies. She received a B.A. in International Studies and a B.A. in Drama with Honors from Seattle University. A native Oregonian, she finds peace in the wilderness of forests, mountains, and rivers.

Staff

Executive Director

Amy Johnson

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Deputy Director

Marisa Dluge

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Operations Coordinator

Daria Nimbee

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