Staff & Board

Stacy Sims (she/her) is a mind-body educator and author. In addition to founding the programs of The Well, Sims is a novelist, playwright, and children's books author. She has produced multiple theatrical works as part of her social practice of gathering stories out of community engagement. She talks about why she started the programs of The Well here.

Bryce Kessler (he/him) came to The Well in 2021. Born into a family of educators, Bryce has personally experienced the lifelong impact of amazing music and arts education. He's been playing piano and cello for 15 years and has a deep love and appreciation for orchestral music. In this role, he combines his personal passions for music, education, and arts administration to deepen The Well's national impact with Mindful Music Moments and Mindful Poetry Moments. He is a proud graduate of Baldwin Wallace University's (Cleveland, OH) Arts Management & Entrepreneurship program and Princeton High School (Cincinnati, OH).

Patrick Raneses (he/him) is a Cincinnati-based musician and writer who joined The Well late 2022 to assist The Well's staff in the handling of the organization's communications channels and Mindful Music Moment's extensive music library, in addition to hands-on assistance across The Well's programs. His experience with a variety of nonprofit programmatic work alongside his personal passion for music, poetry, wellness, and education drives his day-to-day work with The Well's staff and their collaborators. Patrick is a graduate of Fordham University with a bachelor's degree in English Literature.

Charli Erin Littleton (she/her) is from North Lima, Ohio where she trained in classical ballet and modern dance. She found her passion for nonprofit work while volunteering for United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley where she taught ballet to children in inner city schools. Charli is a graduate of University of Cincinnati's English Creative Writing program. During her time at UC, she received her first online publication for her poem, "Washed Out." Charli is certified in Vishwa Yoga and has been passing along the joy of movement and breath work to people of all ages.

Brooke Thomas (she/her) is an educator, meditator, Qigong practitioner, and lover of nature and the human spirit. She is a True Body Project facilitator and meditation guide at The Well. A trained mindfulness meditation teacher through Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield's teacher certification program, she currently serves as a mindfulness consultant for nonprofits, schools, and businesses in Cincinnati and a private coach offering in-person and online sessions for individuals and small groups. In her guidance, Brooke explores themes of connection and radical compassion through meditation, mindful movement, and nature-inspired practices. After teaching high school mathematics for two decades, she is also a private Mindful Math tutor, offering individualized math instruction alongside confidence and resilience training for youth (grades 7-12) and providing support for educators. Brooke is an advocate for the integration of mindfulness in all areas of life, especially education, as a way to democratize mental health and create equitable, inclusive communities that support individual and collective wellbeing and liberation. An avid hiker and backpacker, Brooke weaves her passion for nature and adventure into her work and offers a variety of tools to support people of all ages and backgrounds in developing a sustainable mindfulness practice that is playful, practical, and rooted in care.

Ashley Miley is a facilitator and forever student of embodied living. Ashley is a My True SELF/True Body Project facilitator at The Well/A Mindful Moment, currently serving John P. Parker School and Dedicated Senior Medical Center. Ashley was drawn to MTS/TBP as it provided an opportunity to teach others what she had learned on her own trauma healing and embodiment journey-mindfulness, somatic work, energetic work, nervous system regulation, embodiment, and creative expression-while supporting others on their journeys. Ashley is also very passionate about trauma-informed, relational, and sacred sexuality work. She is working to create individual and group programs and retreats interweaving these various domains together to create holistic embodiment experiences. The teachers she has worked with include Kendra Cunov, John Wineland, Damien Bohler, Layla Martin, and David Treleaven.

Dr. Tiffany N. Hinton is a long-time educator. Dr. T., as her students affectionately refer to her, is also a daily meditator, a dedicated yoga practitioner, a breath work enthusiast and an avid gardener. She is excited to join the Well as a True Body facilitator. With a Ph.D. in English, specializing in Africana Literary and Cultural Studies, Dr. T. has more than 20 years’ experience designing, facilitating and administering educational programs, including 12+ years as an English professor. As owner/operator of The ENGLISH Professorional, she combines competencies in culturally responsive/ sustaining, evidence-based curriculum and program development as well as facilitation to deliver a range of services to organizations and individuals, alike.

Chelsea Cutrell is a creative professional and intuitive energy healing practitioner. She is inspired to offer multidimensional healing through the use of mixed modalities. Some of these practices include intentional design, art, mindfulness, deep listening, crystal energy, sound vibrations, yin yoga, and alchemy. She enjoys merging these practices with True Body Project/My True SELF programs at The Well.

Throughout a personal journey of bridging healing and creative arts, Chelsea has completed training in crystology, teaching yin yoga, alchemy crystal sound healing, and transpersonal/operative alchemical studies. She has both studied and been an adjunct instructor in the Fashion Design department of The Myron E. Ullman Jr. School of Design at DAAP (University of Cincinnati) and currently develops mindfulness-based crystal products for all ages.

Elan Schwartz (he/they) is an interdisciplinary artist born and based in Cincinnati, OH. They explore the active practice of individualized love in an everyday sustainable manner. Through interactive installations, embroidery, and photography, he exposes his innermost thoughts and emotions. They deliver their vulnerabilities in the hopes that the ones sharing in the work meet them with their own. He enjoys holding space for others to explore and expand their sense of self as well as community connections. Schwartz holds a Bachelor's in Fine Arts with a certificate in Pre-Art Therapy from the University of Cincinnati. They have exhibited locally and internationally at galleries, organizations, and institutions including The Contemporary Arts Center (Cincinnati), Matca (Vietnam), Hildebrandt Artist Collective (Cleveland), and Visionaries + Voices (Cincinnati).

Sarah Mackenzie (she/her) is a South African-born artist currently residing in Cincinnati, Ohio. She holds a BFA in Dance with a minor in Fine Arts from New York University and is deeply passionate about the intersection of movement and art. What drives her creativity is the chance to forge meaningful connections through her work, whether it’s a commissioned piece or a community project that unites people across generations. Sarah believes in the transformative power of art and movement to inspire, heal, and connect. She is thrilled to be a My True Self facilitator at The Well!

Camilla Wildman (she/her) is an illustrator with a passion for children's books residing in Cincinnati, Ohio. Through painting and drawing the world around her, she aims to find beauty in everything she sees. Camilla believes strongly that art and mindfulness go hand in hand, and that through art we can heal, and learn to appreciate ourselves, the people around us, and the surroundings we find ourselves in.

Grace Wagner (she/her) is a director, choreographer, and creative collaborator, born and raised in Cincinnati, OH. After receiving her BA in Theatrical Directing from Ball State University, she returned to her hometown where she has had the honor of collaborating with several organizations across the Greater Cincinnati area from The Carnegie, Cincinnati Fringe Festival, Art Equals, Solasta Theatre Lab, Cincinnati Arts Association, and more. Grace is a trauma-informed teaching artist that uses her extensive dance and movement background to help everyone inhabit their bodies in an accessible and fulfilling way. She continues to be a Laboratory of Movement instructor with Pones, Inc and a tap coach at Revere Dance Studio as she has over the last few years. gracewagnerdirector.com

Alice Warner is a creative professional born and raised in Cincinnati, OH. She holds a BA in Psychology with a minor in English from the University of Cincinnati. She is a poet and lover of the arts, passionate about the intersection of SEL and arts education. She greatly enjoys working with youth, and is currently working on youth enrichment programming in the community. She believes in the importance of personal growth through learning about ourselves and the world around us and strives to help others in their journeys to self discovery.

Tonya R. Hunter is a personal advocate, community advocate, and worldly advocate for all voices and capabilities to be heard. She is passionate about supporting people of all ages to thrive in their best form and version. She believes that through connection and exploration, a feeling of wholeness can be achieved. In 2022, Tonya Hunter became a first time author under the name, Tonya R.B. Hunter, of "Quarantine Qchronicles." She enjoys writing poetry and engaging with children as a substitute teacher and mentor-figure. She maintains that no one should be left behind while on their healing journey.

Adriana Prieto is the voice of Momentos de Meditación Musical en español (Mindful Music Moments in Spanish) and is The Well's resident Spanish translator since 2021. She has more than ten years of experience as a children’s literature teacher, and has worked as a researcher and writer in different educational projects for Fe y Alegría, a prominent movement for integral education in South America. In her home country of Venezuela, she was awarded a prestigious grant to develop a regional program for teaching and promoting children’s literature in different communities. She has authored a children’s book titled Where Are We From?, published with the support of the National Association of Latino Arts and Cultures and Wave Pool. Adriana is also a proud CANS parent, and she is excited to help CANS students develop their literacy in Spanish.

Phillip Cotter is an Emmy-nominated music producer who has created music for the PBS, Cincinnati Ballet, Playhouse in the Park, and the Contemporary Arts Center. He joined The Well in 2019, mixing and editing the thousands of audio files in our catalogue.

Morgan works at Procter & Gamble in Finance and Accounting, having held various roles across Corporate, Brand and Product Supply Finance. Morgan has nearly 10 years of experience where she has built a reputation for operational excellence, forecasting accuracy, and a deep commitment to organization morale and culture.

Morgan serves as the Co-Chair of Procter & Gamble’s annual ArtsWave Campaign, raising over $2 million to support Cincinnati arts organizations. Previously holding leadership roles in various organizations including Women’s Networks, New Hire/Intern Programs, as well as several workplace culture teams. In her spare time, Morgan enjoys baking, hosting dinner parties, and supporting Cincinnati sports.

Jane is the Chief Financial Officer of Cavalier Distributing companies, distributors of American craft and specialty import beer.

She started in public accounting and then moved into the non profit sector as Finance Director of the Contemporary Arts Center before joining Cavalier. She is a CPA and MBA.

She also serves on the Finance Committee of the Cincinnati Observatory and is a docent for the CAC.

Jill Smith has been the CLCI Resource Coordinator at the Academy of World Language since 2010 after a decade of nonprofit leadership. She was the Executive Director of the Center for Peace Education and then worked for four years for KnowledgeWorks Foundation and its subsidiaries.

Heather is the founder and director of DANCEFIX and HBDC. She is a choreographer, dance educator and an advocate for community connections through dance.

Britt's choreographic reach spans nationwide, from work for professional ballet companies to commercial dance choreography.

The New York Times has recommended Heather’s popular DANCEFIX dance workout classes for out-of-town visitors and Cincinnati's CityBeat named DANCEFIX "the best dance classes " in the city in 2023 and 2024. Britt has been recognized for her work in the community by the City of Cincinnati, as well as a 2022 Cincinnati Enquirer Woman of the Year. She has also been named Equality of Ohio’s Southwest Ally of 2022 and a YWCA Rising Star.

Olivia is a creative producer and arts administrator.

Rana Dotson has worked for over 20 years on labor and human rights, public policy, and international development. She is a senior international affairs officer at the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), working to fight labor exploitation around the world. Rana is a co-founder and lead organizer for the international human rights collective Border of Lights. She is a fellow with the International Career Advancement Program (ICAP), and National Security Education Program (NSEP) David L. Boren Graduate Fellowship. She lives in the DC metro with her family.

Jesy Herron is a marketing leader and storyteller who helps organizations grow through creative content, strategic connections, and community engagement.

Nkemjika's social impact journey began in a call center fundraising role in 2012, leading to an unexpected passion. A transformative service-learning trip to Haiti revealed a dedication to ethical stewardship and community empowerment. Subsequent experiences, including a trip to Ghana in 2013, solidified her commitment to influencing positive change in the world. Over a decade in the nonprofit sector, Nkemjika remains passionate about helping others live out their full potential.

Her hobbies include: art/crafts, creating, expressing, writing, cooking, health and wellness.

Brian Raphael Nabors (b.1991, Birmingham, AL) is a composer of emotionally enriching music that tells exciting narratives with its vibrant themes and colorful harmonic language. Nabors' music has been performed by the Boston, Atlanta, Nashville, Cincinnati, Detroit, Fort Worth, and Munich Symphonies, among others. His music has been performed at many events across the US and internationally, including the National Orchestral Institute (NOI) and the Tanglewood Music Festival. Nabors’ music draws from combinations of Jazz Funk, R&B, and Gospel with the modern flair of contemporary classical music.

He was named a 2021 composition fellow of the Tanglewood music festival; a 2019 composer fellow in the American Composers Orchestra’s Earshot program with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra; a 2019 composer fellow with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra’s Composer Lab; and 2019 cycle five grand prize winner of the Rapido! National Composition Contest. Nabors was also a 2020 Fulbright scholarship recipient to Sydney, Australia, studying with composer Carl Vine at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Nabors earned a Doctor of Musical Arts and Master of Music degree in Composition at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) and a Bachelor of Music Theory & Composition degree from the School of the Arts at Samford University.

Mike Nauman is currently the Director of Commercial Analytics for Cincinnati Insurance Company. Mike is a benevolent leader focused on creatively removing boundaries and empowering those around him. He has over a decade of broad leadership experience, between co-founding a local design firm to being a director of a national analytics program. Mike is passionate about helping organizations find sustainable strategic success through their most valuable resource, its people. He is a longtime performing musician currently in collaboration with his biggest inspiration, his daughter.

Brianna Vollman is an associate attorney at Thompson Hine LLP where her practice focuses on commercial litigation, including disputes involving breach of contract and product liability issues. Brianna earned her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Kentucky and her J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. She was born and raised in Northern Kentucky and has had a passion for theatre and performance from a young age. She cherishes the time she spent in her high school theatre program. Brianna is a graduate of the ArtsWave Boardway Bound Program. Brianna currently lives in Northern Kentucky with her dog, Louise.

As director of community outreach and philanthropy for integrative medicine at UC Health and UC’s College of Medicine, John Tew lectures frequently about the links among longevity, cognition and the pillars of healthy living.

Susan Tew is a strong supporter of education. She is an Emeritus Board Member of the Catholic Inner-City School Education board of trustees.