Our Team

Our Team

asiyah kurtz

ADMINISTRATION

Asiyah is an applied anthropologist and qualitative researcher with more than 20 years in executive management.  She has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Memphis and a Master of Arts in Cultural Sustainability from Goucher College. A self-taught quilter, Asiyah is accustomed to taking seemingly disparate items and weaving them together to identify solutions that address macro-issues.

She leads Camden FireWorks using a lens that centers the Camden artistic community as one with agency, talent, and the ability to create their cultural future on their own terms.

ALLY LEFTRIDGE

DEVELOPMENT
Ally Leftridge, MPA, is a recent graduate of Grand Canyon University. She has been a loan and grant specialist for Grow America (formerly NDC) since 2021. Ally is a Molloy University alumni, named Molloy University’s top 30 alumni under 30 in 2022. She was a full scholarship basketball player and an honors student while a student-athlete. Ally is passionate about economic development, animals (current foster dog mom), and stand up comedy. 

JAZLYNE SABREE

PROGRAMS
Jazlyne is a teaching artist in New Jersey. She has had a love for the arts and education since childhood. She received a Bachelor’s in Art from the prestigious HBCU, Clark Atlanta University and a Master’s in Art Education from Boston University. In addition to managing her own career as a professional artist, she has taught both English and Spanish speaking students Visual Art, with the majority of her teaching experience in Camden, NJ. She currently serves as the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Liaison for the National Art Educators Association and Art Educators of New Jersey, as well as the Youth Art Month chair for Camden and Burlington County.

LASHA STEWART

EXHIBITIONS

Lasha graduated from Drake University with a Bachelor’s in Arts where she majored in Studio Art, with a concentration in Drawing. She participated in the Summer Undergraduate Residency at the New York Academy of Art, where her art was featured in a final group  exhibition. Lasha received her Masters in Fine Arts from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA).

Her work centers around themes of identity, societal struggles, and emotions. Lasha enjoys the use of found objects and materials ranging from tires to slinkies to secondhand fabrics. The use of these materials is just as important as the narratives that she instills into her pieces.

YI HUAN YANG

PROGRAMS/EXHIBITIONS

Yi Huan Yang is a Drexel University student studying User Experience Interaction Design. Yi Huan is spending her spring/summer co-op experience with FireWorks by assisting with arts programs and exhibitions as well as helping to refine the organization’s digital presence.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Askia Ahmad

Michael Brunner, Secretary

Mark Frombach, President

Pat Saltman

Dr. Susan Stukes

Melissa Thompson, Vice President

Dr. Nathaniel Wright, Treasurer