Hi! We’re the Arizona Humanities Team.
Our Staff
Chris Elliott
Chris Elliott, Programs Coordinator, is excited to bring his project management, leadership, community engagement and public speaking skills to Arizona Humanities. Previously Chris served as a Public Ally member at the Arizona Commission on the Arts, where he aided in research, grants, and communications. Originally from New Jersey, he has performed at The Phoenix Theatre Company, Hale Centre Theater, and Southwest Shakespeare Company. Chris constantly seeks ways to use his gifts and knowledge to foster enjoyable arts, culture, and humanities experiences for others.
B.A., Sociology and Music with a Concentration in Health and Medicine, Goucher College; M.A., Musical Theatre, Arizona State University.
Amber McCrary
Amber McCrary is Diné poet and zinester. She is Red House Clan born for Mexican people. Originally from Shonto, Arizona and raised in Flagstaff, Arizona, McCrary is also the owner and founder of Abalone Mountain Press, a press dedicated to publishing Indigenous voices.
She is a board member of the Northern Arizona Book Festival and is the AZ Humanities 2022 Rising Star of the Year, as well as a Native Arts and Cultures Foundation LIFT awardee. Her debut poetry collection “Blue Corn Tongue: Poems in the Mouth of a Desert” will be released Spring 2025 from University of Arizona Press. She currently resides on Akimel O’odham lands.
B.A., Political Science, minor in American Indian Studies, Arizona State University; MFA, Creative Writing with an emphasis in Poetry, Mills College.
Katherine Sorensen
Katherine is a native Phoenician and a copywriter with extensive experience working with startups across various industry segments where she utilized her writing and creative skills to develop content strategies for social media, marketing, and communications. Katherine is also a published poet with work featured in literary journals such as Sonder Midwest and Write On, Downtown. Katherine believes in celebrating the human experience and fosters community with Marigold, a pop-up bookstore focusing on the queer experience that hosts a monthly book club in downtown Phoenix.
B.A., English Literature, Arizona State University.
Julianne Cheng
Julianne Cheng, Associate Director, supports the Executive Director with daily operations, including annual and long-term planning, finance administration, compliance and reporting, human resources, and advocacy and outreach. Julianne formerly served as the Programs Manager at AZ Humanities. Prior to AH, Julianne managed the ASU Downtown Writing Center. As a graduate student, she held museum research and archival positions, taught art history classes, and participated in archaeological excavations in Greece. Julianne is passionate about understanding the human experience through the lens of history and material culture.
B.A., History and Art History, University of California, Los Angeles; M.A. and PhD, Art History, Emory University.
Brenda Thomson
Brenda Thomson, Executive Director, is an experienced leader/business manager with expertise in governance, human resources, public speaking, community relations, and cultural competency. She manages the daily operations of the council, development, and advocacy. Prior to joining Arizona Humanities, Brenda served as the Director of The Center for Law Leadership and Management at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU, and Executive Director of the Maricopa County Bar Association. She currently serves on the boards of the Phoenix Historic Preservation Commission, Phoenix Burton Barr Library Advisory Board, George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center (President), and Arizona Women’s Hall of Fame.
B.A., English, Yale University; J.D., Yale Law School.
Our Board of Directors
The Arizona Humanities board of directors is made up of volunteer board members who share a commitment to enhancing the cultural life of Arizona. They are diverse professionals whose backgrounds, skills, and contacts provide the necessary tools for Arizona Humanities to remain a successful, dynamic, and entrepreneurial organization.
If you would like more information on becoming a board member, please contact Brenda Thomson, Executive Director. You may also download and fill out our board application form.
Dr. Tanae Morrison is an educational change agent. An Arizona native hailing from Tucson, she is the CEO of Morrison Education Group, Inc. dba Sun Valley Charter School founded in 2009. Dr. Morrison saw that students at Sun Valley Charter School in the Laveen/South Mountain community were being underserved. She believed that students in a high-need area could learn when given the right tools, love, and support. Dr. Morrison employs a diverse group of passionate educators. The Morrison Education Group is now extending its reach through a new campus project to improve academic outcomes for more than 750 young scholars, and employ over 50 faculty and staff, to positively impact the local community. Dr. Morrison is a respected member of the Phoenix business community, and active member of Delta Sigma Theta Incorporated, an international service organization, involved in community outreach through Pilgrim Rest Foundation.
B.A., Sociology and M.A., Educational Psychology, Arizona State University; M.A., Educational Leadership, Northern Arizona University; PhD, Educational Leadership, University of Phoenix.
Alexander Soto (Tohono O’odham) is director of the Labriola National American Indian Data Center at Arizona State University Library. Under his leadership, the Labriola Center has developed and implemented culturally informed library services. Alex is the recipient of the Society of American Archivists 2022 Archival Innovator Award and was awarded a $1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for “Firekeepers: Building Archival Data Sovereignty through Indigenous Memory Keeping.” Alex’s journey to librarianship comes after years of success as a touring hip-hop musician and activist.
B.S., American Indian Studies, Arizona State University; M.A., Library and Information Science, University of Arizona.
Heather has over 20 years of experience in diversity and inclusion, program, and product management. She has been PMP certified for over 15 years and has won numerous awards for her roles in software product launches and program management for startups and Fortune 500 firms. Most recently Mattisson was a Senior Program Manager at Gusto, a startup, where she launched change management and strategic programs. Previously at Intel Corporation, Mattisson managed strategy and university partnerships in global diversity pursuant to Intel’s long-term diversity and inclusion goals, which included higher education partners such as Georgia Tech and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Mattisson believes that how we work is just as important as what we accomplish. She is a Certified Integral Coach® and VitalSmarts® Crucial Conversations Client Trainer. She volunteers her time with communities she is passionate about. She serves on the boards of the Inclusive Engineering Foundation and Take the Lead Women. She is an advisor for SheLEADS, a leadership development and skills training workshop series for women, and has been an enthusiastic member of her favorite book club for over 10 years.
B.S., Marketing, Bentley University; M.A., Marketing, Kellogg School of Management.
Christine Coe is currently an Operational Change/Effectiveness Manager at Wipfli, a company that delivers integrated tax, assurance, risk, digital, outsourcing and people solutions that help businesses thrive in the modern marketplace. Previously, Christine held various positions during her 22 year career with Intel including Marketing/Event Management, Communications, Project/Program Management, Operations, and Leadership. She is a passionate problem-solver and champion for accessibility and equality. Originally from Kansas, Christine relocated to Arizona from Oregon. She resides in Phoenix with her husband and two dogs. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, reading, baseball, travel, and exploring her new home state of Arizona. She is currently working on her International Coaching Certification.
B.A., Communications, University of Kansas; Project Management Professional Certificate, Program Management Institute (PMI).
Dr. Almira Poudrier is principal lecturer in the School of International Letters and Cultures at Arizona State University. Her research includes Greek history and religion, particularly the material culture of religious space and cult described in Herodotus. A specialist in teaching first-year Latin, Dr. Poudrier teaches several lower division Latin courses, courses in ancient Greek and Roman language, myth, culture, the classical tradition, and comparative literature. Dr. Poudrier is faculty sponsor of the Classics Club, directs the annual Fall Forum in Classics, and international poster contest at the SILC Language Fair. She is Vice-President of the Central Arizona Society of the Archaeological Institute of America, which brings national and international scholars to the Valley for lectures on archaeology and material culture. She organizes the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (ACMRS) Medieval Latin Research Group and leads weekly reading sessions in translating medieval and Renaissance Latin authors. In her free time, she enjoys reading and watching futuristic science fiction and space opera, and hiking in the desert with her dog.
B.A., Classical Civilizations, Beloit College; M.A., Ancient Greek, University of Minnesota-Minneapolis; PhD, Classics, State University of New York-Buffalo.