Janella Watson is an educational, museum and children’s media consultant, with expertise in creativity, play and experiential learning. Drawing on more than 20 years of work as a researcher and practitioner in children’s museums and science centers, she is renowned for creating curriculum, media content, programs, exhibits and experiences that center equity and spark joy, learning and whole family engagement. Her current clients and partners include Brown University’s Causality and Mind Lab, Nickelodeon, Nucleus Education, Sesame Workshop, MathTalk, and GBH Education. Janella explores and expresses her creativity in all forms of art and making, especially nature photography and dance, and was first drawn to AS220 by the vibrant energy of the dance studio. Janella lives, works and plays on the east side of Providence, RI with her husband and her curious and kind seven-year old.
Michael Dupuis discovered AS220 while going to live shows as an undergraduate student at Brown University. He joined the Board of Directors in 2018 and currently serves as the Vice Chair and as a member of the Finance & Risk Committee. In a world where creativity is increasingly mediated through corporate entities, he values the organization’s role in providing an independent platform for artistic expression.
Michael serves as COO at DockYard, Inc., a digital product consultancy specializing in web applications.
Caroline Mailloux is a people-first business strategist, organization and culture designer, and diversity, equity, and belonging practitioner. Her specialty is transformation-level change initiatives, inclusive of technology, systems, and culture and she serves both nonprofits and corporate entities. She is passionate about convening people to work through hard conversations, whether it be shifting perspectives on death and dying or disability inclusion at work. She is a graduate of Brown University and has completed fellowships at Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland and Harvard’s Kennedy School. For fun, she enjoys the exploration of places and possibilities; she is currently learning how to sail with the long term dream of working from a sailboat. Caroline is drawn to AS220 because of the bold and employee-driven anti-racism work. Her creative expression is rooted in paper arts: origami, collage, and good ol’ fashioned letter writing.
Aarin Bernard Clemons (he/him) is often described as a mentor, connector, and bridge builder. He leads with the belief that everyone is deserving of dignity, and empathy. With this, he has managed several operations and had the privilege to affect the lives of many in The Hospitality, Non-Profit Arts, and Corporate sectors. Aarin is a graduate of the School of Business Administration at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI, with a degree in Entrepreneurship & Small Business Management. Engaging in a concentration in Non-Profit Foundations, Aarin began to immerse himself in Board and Committee Work in Housing Development, Education, and Arts Foundations through the aughts. In 2017 he received an Emerging Leader Award from The Rhode Island Hospitality Association, and was welcomed as a guest judge in the Rhode Island Prostart Regional Competition. A 2019 Champion of Adult Learning award from The United Way cemented his path into Workforce Development. A resident of Providence, RI, Aarin enjoys quality time with his loved ones and music collection in nearly equal measure.
Savannah DaCruz is an interdisciplinary artist from Providence, RI, and resident of AS220. Her creative practice includes writing poetry, painting, dancing, cooking and more. Her work has been selected by the Poetry Society of America, featured on Rhode Island public transportation buses, and within Rhode Island schools. She possesses a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Creative Writing. Savannah has studied internationally, she loves traveling, herbalism, and watching indie films. Her creative work revolves around processing grief and fostering healing. Savannah is an advocate for racial equity and currently works for Dorcas International. She has goals of becoming a psychotherapist and enhancing accessibility of mental health care in Black, refugee, and immigrant communities.
Felicia Megginson is an interdisciplinary artist who uses lens-based edia, printmaking and drawing to explore issues related to identity and belonging. She earned an M.A. in studio art from New University, and has a B.A. in English from the University of Virginia. When not focusing on her art, Felicia develops content for web-based experiences. Previous employers and current clients range from Fortune 100 corporations (Nickelodeon, Disney, and Hasbro) to entrepreneurs and small businesses. Felicia’s been an adjunct instructor at Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts since 2019 where she teaches foundation courses on visual culture and image-making to freshmen and transfer students in the Art+Design department.
Felicia lives and works on the East Side with her dog Amber. Most weekends you’ll find them exploring the Blackstone Nature Conservancy by the Seekonk River, or hiking the trails around Turner Reservoir in Rumford. Felicia will be pointing her camera up, while Amber will be exploring everything at nose-level.
Ashley Paniagua was born and raised in Providence, RI. She graduated from Wheelock College with a B.A. in Studio Art with a certificate in Community Based Human Services. Ashley is currently the Studio Director at NUA where she pursues her passions in youth development, building community and fostering a lifelong creative practice. Her own creative pursuits include painting, photography and hiking up and down mountains. Ashley strives to live honestly, to create capacity for making mistakes, to forgive others and to forgive herself.
Joshua Wynn is a Brooklyn native and resident Rhode Islander for the past 7 years. He is a Solutions Architect at Thought Industries, a Boston based startup that has designed a native E-Learning platform. Since landing in Rhode Island, Joshua has enjoyed continuously growing his ever expanding community through collaboration and finds joy in connecting others. Additionally he serves on the Board at the Gordon School in East Providence and was a former board member for College Visions. Joshua earned his BS at Adelphi University and his Masters Degree at NYU. He is also a husband to an amazing wife and a father to three action packed kids. His happy place is at the beach with family and friends – there’s nothing like summer in Rhode Island!
