Our Staff
Kris Rodolico - Executive Director
Kris (she/her) is the founder and Executive Director of Follow Your Art Community Studios. She is an artist, art therapist, and art facilitator with 25 years of experience bringing creative art experiences to children and adults. Kris has a Masters degree in Art Therapy and has been a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Massachusetts and Registered Art Therapist since 2001. From 2008-2019 Kris owned Follow Your Art, the small community art studio that later became FYACS. Before that, she worked in schools and treatment centers, with individuals, groups, and families. In her own creative work, Kris uses mainly clay, paint, and mixed media/found object collage.
Chiara Pieri - Program Coordinator
Chiara (she/her) is our Program Coordinator, facilitator of many of our core art classes, and an illustrator. She holds her BFA in Illustration from Mass. College of Art, and has enjoyed teaching creative arts programming to all ages and abilities for over a decade. She has extensive experience working with neurodivergent students in collaboration with local schools as well as FYACS's in-house programming, and values being able to address and adapt to the differing needs of all students in a classroom space to ensure creative experiences are accessible to all. She hopes to encourage artist's confidence in their own creativity through skill building, experimentation, and creating a safe place to make mistakes.
Eva Dillon-Recht - Administrative Coordinator
Eva (she/her) is an artist and arts administrator from Cambridge currently living in Somerville. She received a BFA in Visual Communication and Fiber and Material Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her current obsessions are handbuilding in ceramics class, coffee, the color green, and reading!
Lauren Liecau - Communications & Development Coordinator
Lauren Liecau (she/her) is our Communications and Development Coordinator. Lauren holds an MA from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and BA from Colorado College, and comes to FYACS with over a decade of nonprofit communications and relationship management experience. She loves to be creative in the kitchen and share adventures, big and small, with her family.
Nicole Morse - Create Your Opportunity Coordinator
Nicole Morse (she/her) is our Create Your Opportunity (CYO) Coordinator. Nicole holds a BA from Syracuse University and a Master's Degree from the New England School of Art & Design at Suffolk University. She loves sewing, painting, drawing, and sticking things together with her glue gun whenever possible. Nicole lives in Melrose with her husband, two kids and two adorable cats.
Sara Gravante - Gallery Coordinator
Sara (she/her) is one of our primary facilitators and our Gallery Coordinator. She is an Artist-in-Residence at FYACS who has been teaching artists ages 5 thorough adults for over 7 years, bringing her training as an artist with a BFA from Massachusetts College Art and MFA in painting from Washington University in addition to her experiences as a Senior Graphic Artist in the advertising industry. Her own work shows her passion for color, depicting reality to the abstract in response to the landscape. “My favorite thing about being a part of the FYACS community is sharing that passion with my students and guiding their own personal visual exploration. The courage children show to fearlessly explore in their art making is both a privilege to be a part of and an inspiration to my own work.”
Jessica Mitchell - Ceramics Studio Manager
Jessica Mitchell (she/her) is our Ceramics Studio Manager. She comes to FYACS with over 25 years of pottery experience. While she has been making pottery all of her adult life, she has been a part of the technical team at Mudflat Pottery School since 2011. Jessica fell in love with ceramic arts as a child and is excited to use her skills to encourage people of all ages to find the joy in creating. Her own creative work is primarily functional, as she has a strong belief that art should be part of everyday life and that living with handmade objects allows us to know nothing is perfect and nor do we need to be!
Jill Bemis - Arts for All Coordinator
Jill Bemis (she/her) holds a BFA in Creative Arts Therapy from Endicott College and an MFA from Lesley University. As Arts for All Coordinator, Jill assists individuals with tuition assistance and accessibility services, as well as coordinates community projects. She is an experienced arts educator with a background in higher education, where she has taught a range of fine art media at the college level. Jill is passionate about the ability of art to unite people, and is committed to nurturing the arts while supporting others in their creative journeys. Beyond her work at FYACS, Jill is often in the marsh or forest carrying large analog photography cameras and chasing creative impulses (and possibly following the birds, too).
Eliane Medina - Ceramics Studio Technician
Eliane is a Swedish-Mexican ceramic artist from Auburn, Washington. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in studio art in 2016, she went on to work under Seattle potter, Deborah Schwartzkopf. Eliane has experience teaching ceramics to all ages since 2017, and in 2020 opened a community pottery studio in Ystad, Sweden. She has now been living and teaching in the Boston area since 2022.
Adam Drafts-Johnson - Ceramics Studio Technician
Adam Drafts-Johnson (he/him) is our ceramics studio technician. He teaches a variety of youth classes at FYA. Adam received his Bachelor's degree in Design Studies from Syracuse University in 2025 and enjoys writing comics, making animation, and repairing bikes when he's not at the studio.
Mara Stewart - Theatre
Mara is an experienced teaching artist, director, choreographer, and performer. She has spent the past six years working with children in performing arts education, including virtual theatre classes and camps. Mara is passionate about theatre arts, working with kids, and fostering a creative and safe learning environment for all students. Mara received a BFA in Musical Theatre from Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina, and has performed professionally throughout Chicago and the D.C. Metro area. She spent the last year teaching children’s theatre and directing in the greater Boston area. Her DC Metro area experience includes directing and teaching for Encore Stage & Studio and Mount Vernon Community Children's Theatre. Some of her favorite acting roles include Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, The White Witch in Narnia, and Winnifred in Once Upon a Mattress.
Our Board
Elizabeth Perreault, Board Chair
Elizabeth Perreault has lived in Melrose for over ten years and her daughters have enjoyed taking classes at Follow Your Art over the years. Elizabeth is looking forward to participating on the board and contributing to the success of FYACS. Elizabeth is a Human Resources leader with over 20 years experience building, scaling, and managing HR functions for small to midsize companies across a variety of industries.
Martha Grover, Board Treasurer
Martha has served on the boards of several local non-profit organizations including the Melrose Cultural Council and is an active community volunteer. During the day, Martha is the City of Melrose Energy Efficiency Manager, leading the City’s efforts to promote renewables and energy efficiency. She is thrilled be a founding member of the FYACS, Inc. board and contributing to the creation of a much-needed place for making arts of all kinds in Melrose.
Larry Bouchie
Larry Bouchie is a self-employed carpenter and painter. He previously had a 20- year career in public relations and marketing, with skills in writing, and organizational and management efficiency. Larry also provides pro bono PR and fundraising support for an advocacy group in New Hampshire. When not working, he enjoys the arts, writing, reading, cooking, and being outdoors. Larry’s writing has been published in The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine and numerous technology outlets. He has lived in Melrose for over 40 years.
Garin Boyd
Garin has spent most of his life in the Greater Boston Area. At a young age he was diagnosed with Stargardt Disease, a rare genetic retinal condition. Following his over 20 years of successful career as an IT professional, Garin has aligned his passions: social justice, disability advocacy, and the arts, with involvement in several local organizations including the Melrose Commission on Disability, Creative Alliance, Malden Sketchers Group, and the Melrose Unitarian Universalist Church. Garin enjoys exploring Melrose and its neighboring green space, and loves spending time with his partner Gloria and two amazing teenagers. Garin's goal is to fundamentally knock down barriers to access and increase inclusion in all avenues of life.
Casey Grote
Casey (they/them) is an artist and printmaker, living and running their small art business in Melrose since 2023. As an artist their whole life, Casey believes in the power of art and creative expression to build connection and community. They are active in the local art market scene, and volunteer with FYACS and JBBBS. Casey is excited about accessible art and materials, upcycling, shapes, colors and print.
Sheri Leo
Sheri Leo is a talent strategist with over 20 years of experience in urban education and nonprofit leadership. She currently serves as Vice President of Talent, Learning, & Culture for a national nonprofit that supports leaders to engage civically and increase access and opportunity in their communities. Sheri and her family moved to Melrose over ten years ago, drawn to the community by its thriving downtown, beautiful neighborhoods, and walkability. As a Board member for The Bridge: A School-Community Partnership, Sheri has championed volunteerism, community engagement, and youth development.
Steve Locke
Steve is the General Counsel at Brandeis University. Prior to that, he served as the General Counsel of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. He has served on the Melrose Human Rights Commission and the Melrose Conservation Commission. Steve and his family have made Melrose their home for more than 30 years
April Swiniuch
April Swiniuch is a SHRM certified Payroll/HR professional, with over 25 years of work experience in non-profits and higher education, including Montserrat College of Art and the Huntington Theatre Company. She is currently the Payroll Director at Mass Bay Community College. Although not an artist herself, from an early age she recognized the impact that art, music and especially theater, can have on creating empathy, understanding, appreciation and joy in one’s life, that cannot be found anywhere else. Her devotion to the arts and community is reflected in her continued volunteerism at Follow Your Art, Greater Boston Stage Company and the Melrose Pride Committee. Born and raised in Salem, April has called Melrose home for the last decade.
Past Board Members
Alaine Breen, CPA
Alaine has served on several nonprofit boards including AbilityPLUS Adaptive Sports and Friends of the Melrose Public Library; in her work as a CPA, she has a wealth of experience working with nonprofit organizations, bringing this experience to her board position with FYACS. After growing up in Melrose, she moved back to our city when her son (now 18!) was a toddler. She’s been an active volunteer in our schools over the years, including work with the Melrose SEPAC and serving on the MVMMS and MHS site councils.
Jen Blesso
Jennifer Blesso (she/her) has been involved with Follow Your Art since the beginning. She started as a student. Then her twins began taking classes at FYA when they were 18 months old. She worked at FYA before it became a nonprofit as a facilitator and administrator. After FYA became FYACS she continued to teach and held the position of Arts for All Coordinator for three years. Today, she is a mixed media artist and Artist-in-Residence at the Big Yellow House and one of the twins works there as a summer intern.
Mandy Carroll
Mandy leads the Boston Advisory practice at BDO. She is an experienced risk executive with a proven track record advising clients on governance, risk control issues with a deep technical expertise in internal audit services, risk assessment and mitigation, and control monitoring and redesign. Mandy is effective at managing and training multidisciplinary teams to arrive at data-driven, fact-based results within time and budgetary constraints. In addition to her continuous focus on exceptional client service, Mandy is committed to diversity and inclusiveness with a focus on developing, empowering and connecting young women professionals and working moms. Additionally, Mandy serves as Melrose PTO Inc President and Treasurer for Melrose Youth Lacrosse League.
Elizabeth Christopher
Elizabeth Christopher (www.elizabethchristopherwriter.com) is a writer and communications professional. A board member from 2019 to 2023, she focused on building creative opportunities for writers inside the Big Yellow House. This included growing FYACS's writers-in-residence community, organizing monthly quarterly writing sessions, establishing the FYACS blog, Palette, and creating FYACS's writing and teaching fellowship in partnership with the Foundation Trust. With support from other volunteers and staff, she organized author talks featuring local writers Neema Avashia, Marjan Kamali, Jane Healey, Calvin Hennick, Alix Klingenberg, Mimi Lemay, Jen Malone, Jane Roper, Whitney Scharer, Nancy Werlin, and Kip Wilson.
Bernard DeCunha
Originally from India, Bernard has lived and worked in several countries in wealth management, healthcare, and consulting, before settling in Melrose nine years ago. He is keenly interested in racial justice, electric vehicles, environmental issues, and, of course, the arts.
Sue Dragoo Lembo
Sue came to the board as a professional painter, illustrator, and graphic designer living in Melrose. Sue has served on our board, as a teacher, and as a mentor to the 2021 Foundation Trust Fellow.
Liya Escalera
Liya Escalera has lived in Melrose for 10 years. She has participated in numerous local and national boards focused on education, community engagement and art. Liya serves as Vice Provost for Student Equity Access and Success at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. With nearly 20 years of experience in public, urban higher education, she is passionate about creating vibrant, inclusive, and equitable learning environments where all students can succeed and contribute meaningfully to their local and global communities.
Jane Foley
Jane Foley came to the board with a background as an experienced administrator, for First Parish UU in Lexington. She has lived in Melrose for over 30 years. Jane holds a Bachelors of Art Degree with a concentration in Professional Writing from Salem State University. She also writes creatively. Jane left our board to become the Administrative Coordinator at FYACS.
Manjula Karamcheti
Manjula Karamcheti is a Senior Associate Researcher at the Center for Certification and Competency-Based Education (C3BE) Prior to joining on at the University of Kansas, she was the Director of Equity and Student Support at the High Meadows Graduate School of Teaching and Learning, where she led all student support initiatives including advising, counseling services and post-graduate mentoring program. Outside of her professional life, Manjula Karamcheti is a Councilor for Ward 1 in the City of Melrose in MA. Dedicated to anti-racism, she co-founded the Melrose Racial Justice Community Coalition and sits on the Mayor of Melrose’s DEI Task Force.
Alix Klingenberg
Alix Klingenberg is a Unitarian Universalist spiritual director, artist, and published poet. Alix has served on multiple nonprofit boards and looks forward to serving Follow Your Art as a way to deepen her connection to Melrose and the justice-centered creative community we are building here. Alix lives in Melrose with her husband, son, 2 black cats, and a ridiculous dog named Cricket. Her latest poetry collection, “Bread Sex Trees” was released in October of 2023.
Adam C. LaFrance, Esq.
Adam is an attorney in the field of legal ethics working with the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers (BBO). He is a member of the Melrose Human Rights Commission and Co-Chair of the Massachusetts Human Rights Coalition. Before joining the BBO, Adam worked for several years in private practice, prior to which he was a public school educator.
Allyson Livingstone, Ph.D.
Allyson Livingstone is a diversity, equity, and inclusion thought leader, practitioner, educator, and scholar who has worked with complex organizations for nearly 20 years in collaborative support of their diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and efforts. As an expert in systems assessment and change, Allyson is currently the Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at athenahealth, a cloud-based healthcare technology company.
Allyson holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Haverford College, a master of social work degree from New York University, and a Ph.D. in social work from Simmons University.
Sara Reish Desmond
Sara served on the board from the inception of FYACS through 2022. She spent many years as a high school English teacher in Los Angeles and Boston and later earned her MFA in Fiction. Her work has been published in The Kenyon Review, The Los Angeles Review, and WaterStone Review, among other publications. Sara's favorite genre is the short story but she's at work on a novel set in rural Pennsylvania where she was raised.
Kris Rodolico
Kris is the founder and Executive Director of Follow Your Art Community Studios. She is an artist, art therapist, and art facilitator with 25 years of experience bringing creative art experiences to children and adults. Kris has a Masters degree in Art Therapy and has been a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Massachusetts and Registered Art Therapist since 2001. From 2008-2019 Kris owned Follow Your Art, the small community art studio that later became FYACS. Before that, she worked in schools and treatment centers, with individuals, groups, and families. In her own creative work, Kris uses mainly clay, paint, and mixed media/found object collage.
Brian Souza
Brian Souza and his husband, Darren, lived in Melrose for nearly 15 years. In addition to being a lifelong lover of the arts, Brian has worked with healthcare non-profits for more than two decades. and currently serves as the CEO of Primary Care Progress (PCP), a national non-profit organization working to support and strengthen the national primary care workforce. Brian has left our board to pursue a new chapter in his life with his husband in Beverly MA.