Julie joins Creative Flagstaff with extensive leadership experience in the arts and higher education. With a passion for interdisciplinary collaboration, she is enthusiastic about galvanizing the arts, science and cultural sectors of Flagstaff through dynamic exhibitions and projects at Coconino Center for the Arts. Julie’s prior involvement with CCA includes her role as curator for the Arts & Science collaboration Parched: The Art of Water in the Southwest, and the solo exhibition of her own Arrangement for a Silent Orchestra. Both projects were awarded Creative Flagstaff’s Viola Award for Excellence in the Visual Arts. A practicing artist, Julie’s exhibition record includes national solo shows and international group exhibitions. Julie received an MFA in Painting from Montana State University and a BA from The Evergreen State College.

Julie joins the Creative Flagstaff team after spending the majority of her career in the world of hospitality. Her work in events management, sales and marketing leadership, position her to guide the development and execution of the inaugural ARTx Festival, Viola Awards and more. She holds a BS in Hotel Management from the University of Houston, in her home state of Texas. Julie enjoys her free time with her family and two dogs, exploring Northern Arizona. She joined the team in 2022.

Kris has been a part of the Creative Flagstaff team since 2014. She is a business professional that has vast experience in business management, financials, grants management, presentations and workshops, entrepreneurship, and more. Kris’s love for the Arts includes theater production, ceramics, bellydancing, bluegrass spoon playing, and more. Kris enjoys spending time with her husband and their son either camping, hiking, Scouts, boating, gardening, and just enjoying life.

Jay Gallegos joined Creative Flagstaff in 2022. Jay is a native to Flagstaff and passionate about the community’s rich cultural heritage. He returned to his hometown after having studied Media Arts and Sociology as an undergraduate at The University of Arizona and receiving an MFA in Art & Technology from the Ohio State University. His professional background is in media coordination, facilitation, and instruction; having worked as a Teaching Artist in documentary filmmaking at City High School in Tucson, Arizona, a Media Coordinator & Youth Media Workshop Facilitator for The Pascua Yaqui Tribe in Southern Arizona on behalf of The University of Arizona College of Public Health, as an Instructor of Record in the Department of Art at The Ohio State University, and as a Youth Media Workshop Facilitator for the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio. Prior to his current role, he was a Digital Media Specialist for Flagstaff Arts Council. A practicing multimedia artist, his work focuses primarily on digital video & motion graphics within an experimental framework. When not behind a camera or at the editing bay Jay also enjoys live music and supporting the local creative sector in all its diverse iterations. 

Erin Gardner joined Creative Flagstaff in 2022 and brings five years of experience working in art museums, studios, and galleries, with a background in art handling and collections management. Originally from Kentucky, she discovered her passion for the arts while working at a local gallery and later studied museum studies, art history, and literature at university. Her past roles include working at the Speed Art Museum and serving as an Archive Technician for an Indigenous community in Alaska. Now based in Arizona, Erin is excited to be part of the region’s vibrant arts community and enjoys exploring the outdoors in her free time.

Dani has been a part of the Flagstaff arts community for 15 years doing theatre with Theatrikos, Flagstaff Music Theatre, and as a co-founder of Stargazer Collaborative Theatre. She officially joined the Creative Flagstaff team in 2023 as the Viola Awards Coordinator after having been on the Viola Awards Committee the previous 3 years. When Dani is not working or doing theatre, she is spending time with her two kids, Ezra and Emerson and her husband Charlie. She is excited to be a part of the Creative Flagstaff team and to spend her days at a place that feels like home.