Tends to overthink things. But in a good way. Kind of. Maybe not. But probably. 

Michaela has lived in Leavenworth for nearly her entire life. She has always been a dreamer of grand ideas, from owning a chocolate factory to making it big in a girl band. By day she teaches English at Lansing High School; by night she develops plans for an awesome arts organization in her hometown that provides unique aesthetic experiences for the entire community. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Education degree from the University of Nebraska-Kearney while also devoting time to her husband and sons. Michaela's vision for LV Arts includes establishing a physical location within historic downtown that offers a modern art gallery, a space for artistic exploration in the form of classes and programs, and a whole lot of other arts and humanities-based opportunities and events.

Michaela especially appreciates modern art in its ability to challenge the societal norms of today's technologically advanced world. In addition to a serious love for donuts, Michaela is also passionate about cultivating a culture of art appreciation right here in our community and bringing downtown to life by offering creative outlets and opportunities. The future of LV Arts is bright!

Loves Disney World, Dolly Parton, and her markers in rainbow order. 

Brooke received her BFA in Visual Communication from KU in 2005. For the past 12 years she has been working for Colonial Patterns in the Kansas City River Market district as the art director and illustrator. An avid sewer, embroiderer, and all around crafter she can be found most weekends working on a project for one of her daughters, hiking or cooking a meal with her husband. An amature at far too many crafts she loves to learn new things and will always be a student of the arts. Some of her favorite artists include: Mary Blair, Sandy Skoglund, Charley Harper, Ed Emberley, Jon Klassen, Charles and Ray Eames, Cindy Sherman, Vivian Maier, and Sister Corita Kent. She will always have a Dolly Parton song in her heart, and be on the hunt for good St. Louis style pizza in KC. 

She is a member of the LV Arts board because she sees a need for more artistic opportunities in our community, especially for the youth. Growing up in Leavenworth she had the Carnegie Arts Center, St. Mary's theater department  and a wonderful high school art teacher to help encourage and foster her love of art. Without those things she would probably be a barista in a vintage camper or running a gift shop in Weston with her mom.

Though a current resident of Lawrence, KS, was born and raised in Leavenworth and maintains strong connections within the community. Chelsea was inspired to join LV Arts because of a deeply personal love of poetry, music, and art of all expressions. Chelsea is inspired by communities like Lawrence and Kansas City that have built up intentional spaces for the arts and would like to provide the same sorts of spaces and opportunities for residents of Leavenworth. 

Chelsea works as a full time therapist for Great Circle and creates commissioned paintings as a "side hustle." Chelsea firmly believes art should be accessible, affordable, and inclusive, and hopes the commission work she creates and sells is reflective of these values. Additionally, Chelsea collages images from old national geographic magazines and develops "cut-out" poetry as a way to decompress from an emotionally taxing profession, as well as a means to share vulnerabilities and connect with others. 

When not creating some sort of art, Chelsea is probably exploring hiking trails, playing tennis, or lost within the fictional realms of great literature. More likely, she is trapped beneath the weight of her 18 pound cat, Axl Rose.

Resident social justice warrior, definitive authority on documentary film, and out-of-practice yogi!

Tiffanie is a native of Leavenworth, Kansas but currently resides in Lawrence, Kansas. She has one ramen-addicted 11 year-old son, Holden. 

She is a librarian at Topeka High School and has been on the grind in education for a decade, serving disadvantaged students and working as a leader to improve upon the professional integrity of regional librarians. She is a certified yoga instructor, but is quite out-of-practice. Her passion in life is educational equity for young people and she will start doctoral work in the coming year at KU to pursue this goal.

Tiffanie loves to read, specifically novels dealing with witchcraft. Adjacently, she enjoys reiki meditation and has been known to listen to a few too many late-night tarot-card readings. She has seen most streaming documentaries and is a self-proclaimed master chef -- in the fall you can find her sauteing, stewing, and simmering soups of all sorts. She has experimented with writing and is currently “writing a memoir,” insomuch as a writer is always “writing their memoir.” 

She is a board member of LV ARTS because she knows that art empowers communities and fosters equality among disparate social classes. Art serves to heal and to expand cultural consciousness and for this reason, she commits her energy to the passion project that is LV ARTS.

Favorite character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Loki, God of Mischief.

When Chris was a kid he wanted to grow up to be an astronaut. And while he thinks his career is still on that trajectory, he currently spends his days as a partner at Keyhole Software. 

Chris played percussion at Lansing Middle School. In the 7th grade he cited his greatest musical influences as drummers: John Bonham, Dave Grohl, Phil Collins and Travis Barker. To this day he knows all the lyrics to Blink-182’s critically acclaimed, 1997 album Dude Ranch. 

A man of adventure, Chris has been up close to grizzly bears in Alaska, swam in the Rio Grande and once made a high-speed motorcycle run to the lowest point in North America alongside his three brothers.

While not trying to create the perfect Detroit-style pizza, he enjoys woodworking, backpacking, golfing and singing Disney songs with his wife and two boys.

Bio coming soon!

Loves dogs & dragonflies, her family, and quiet times of solitude.

She served 20 years in the U.S. Army entering from Cleveland, OH, where she attended CCC West on a scholarship for Performing Arts. In her travels with the Army, she lived many places in and out of the United States, before she and her husband decided to make Lansing, KS their forever home.

Jeanne also has degrees from Marshall University and Webster, in Business, HR, and Health Care Management. Although these fields served her well in out of the military, her true passion is in the Arts. She has participated in a couple of shows with the RCCP in Leavenworth. She has also taken classes in panting, jewelry making, paper crafts, glass works, and many others.

Jeanne believes that Art is part of the human condition, whether it is performing or physical art.  And, that participation in the arts should be open to everyone regardless of cultural background or economic class.  Although Jeanne is not a professional artist, participating in arts makes her life much richer.  

Sharon moved to Lansing in 2004 and has raised four boys in the Leavenworth-Lansing community. The arts have always been an integral part of her life – she is a pianist and painter. Although her dream job was being an elementary school art teacher, her current job as Director of Communications and Marketing for Lansing School District allows her to make a living by utilizing the arts through writing and photographing.

She is proud to have passed her love of the arts on to her four boys – through guitar, voice, theatre, and painting. Her two oldest sons benefited from art classes at the Carnegie Arts Center, and her family felt the void when it closed in 2011. When Michaela Fitzgerald approached her about being a possible board member of LV Arts in September 2021, it was an easy sell.

Favorite vacation spot: Steamboat Springs, Colorado (love the outdoors and quaint town)

Favorite food: Minsky’s Jalapeno Pizza with Extra Cheese and Beer

Favorite Band: The Lumineers, The Brummies, Mother Mother

Hobbies: Playing the piano, painting, gardening, being outdoors in general

Tagline: If it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing.

Bio coming soon!