Board of Directors

A Chicago and Milwaukee native, Buie earned her BA from Western Illinois University and her MFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has attended artists-in-residency programs, such as the Joan Mitchell Center in New Orleans, LA, The Women’s Studio Workshop in Rosendale, NY, the Vermont Studio Center in Johnson, VT, and Project 1612 AIR in Morton, IL. Buie has received numerous awards such as; an emerging artist Mary L. Nohl Fellowship in 2012, the Love of Humanity Award from the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and the prestigious Joan Mitchell Painters & Sculptors Grant in 2015, the 2019 Kresge Artist Fellowship in the Visual Arts, the 2019/2020 Grant Wood Fellowship in Printmaking at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, IA, the 2020 Fellowship.art award, a top accelerator award/program funded through gener8tor, and the 2023 Ruth Arts/Mary L Nohl Alumni Award. 

Buie has mounted several solo exhibitions including two 2021 solo exhibitions: Embodiment(s) at the Freeport [IL] Art Museum and Re/Faced at the South Bend [IN] Museum of Art. She has contributed to many group exhibitions including A Contemporary Black Matriarchal Lineage in Printmaking Exhibition at Highpoint Center for Printmaking in Minneapolis, MN (2021) Printmaking in the Twenty-First Century at the Detroit Institute of Arts in Detroit, MI (2022) Get Together at Reyes Finn in Detroit, MI (2023), Stop Making Sense, PLUS 1 at the Janice Charach Gallery, West Bloomfield Township, MI. Buie has also maintained a connection to the community by hosting printmaking workshops and demonstrations throughout the country and have been board members of Southern Graphics Conference International, Kennesaw, GA, and Bronzeville Center for the Arts, Milwaukee, WI. Buie’s work has been acquired by major institutions and private collections nationally and her work has been reviewed on Hyperallergic.com and featured on Essay’d.com and New American Paintings No. 155. 

Currently, Buie is an Associate Professor in Printmaking at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, RI.

Lisa Berry Barbosa brings over 25 years of progressive management experience in the human resources discipline. Previously, she served as vice president of human resources at Commonwealth Care Alliance in Boston, MA, and vice president of human resources at Beth Israel Deaconess-Plymouth Hospital. Lisa was director of organizational development and diversity programs at Foxwoods Resort Casino, where she focused on talent management strategies, industrial education, and organizational behavior. Lisa also served in the United States Army Reserves, where she received an honorable discharge. She holds an MS degree from Johnson and Wales University and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies from Boston University.

Karen Deinzer is a certified Infant Toddler Credential Montessori Teacher with 37 plus years  experience in established Montessori schools both in Rhode Island, and New York City. Karen has 10 years experience as a Teacher Educator Program Instructor for adult learners attaining an Infant Toddler Montessori Credential both in NYC and China. Karen founded, owned and operated Cornerstone Montessori in North Kingstown, RI for 11 years which consisted of two toddler  environments and one early childhood environment. For the past 6 years, Karen has  traveled extensively overseas training adult learners in Montessori Schools to be credentialed, along with giving  workshops at conferences both in the US and overseas. Karen is the 2s  Coordinator of a well established Montessori school in New York City. Karen has one daughter  who resides in NYC and owns and operates her own Art Gallery.

Nancy Rose was the Executive Director of New England Early Childhood Associates (NEECA), an organization providing a variety of outreach services to individuals and organizations serving young children and their families in the New England area. In addition to a BA in distributed studies, Nancy Rose held a Masters degree in special education and teaching certificates from both the American Montessori Society and the Association Montessori Internationale. She served as a faculty member and guest lecturer at several colleges, universities and teacher training programs and was involved in all facets of early childhood education for more than 50 years. Nancy was a co-founder and academic director of the Montessori Teacher Training Program of the Rockies in Denver. She served as a consultant to teachers, school systems and local community agencies and served as a board member of the Rhode Island Association for the Education of Young Children, the American Montessori Society and the Rocky Mountain Montessori Teachers Association. In addition, Nancy was a steadfast social activist working to ensure civil liberties and social justice for all members of society and was a board member of the Rhode Island affiliate of the ACLU, the Alliance for Lesbian and Gay Civil Rights and Youth Pride Inc. Nancy lectured extensively on topics of social policy and advocacy, parenting, education and child development at local, regional, state and national venues.

Nancy was a nationally recognized LGBTQIA+ leader and advocate in the Montessori community. Her work includes the co-founding of the AMS Peace and Social Justice Committee. In 2022 Nancy was awarded the Dr. Nancy McCormick Rambusch Trailblazer Award. The award, from the American Montessori Society (AMS), recognizes individuals who have made significant advances in raising the profile of Montessori education.