Imani joined the CultureSource team in April 2023 with a focus on executing our convening programs and administering our offering of grants for artists and organizations. Before joining the CultureSource team, Imani was an intern and supervisor at The Henry Ford Museum, where she served in the areas of program coordination, event planning, playwriting, and directing theatrical performances. Imani has an extensive background in theatre and performing arts, with over 12 years of professional experience. She attended Michigan State University, where she majored in Theatre, with a concentration in acting. By utilizing her creative background, innovative problem-solving skills, and networking, she prioritizes expansion and diversification to result in purposeful and engaging events and programs.
Michelle de la Fuente has worked for CultureSource since 2009. She maintains the organization’s comprehensive database and provides website support to the CultureSource staff and its member organizations. Her focus is on customer service and continuous process improvement. Prior to CultureSource, Michelle spent 10 years working for Chrysler in various Sales & Marketing/Finance positions. She has a B.S. in Business Administration from Michigan State University.
Karilú Alarcón Forshee was raised in Juárez, México. She began her performing arts education at a young age at La Academia Municipal de Arte and has been performing ever since. Forshee is an interdisciplinary performing artist with a degree in Theater Arts and English-Spanish translation from the University of Texas (2009). She has been a Detroit-based performer since 2011 and was recognized as a Kresge Arts Fellow in 2020. Her work with youth from the Metro Detroit area dates back to 2011. Forshee’s work directing youth theater includes collaborations with Living Arts Detroit, University Musical Society, Matrix Theatre Company, Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit and most recently The Detroit Opera House. In 2019 she received support from the Knight Foundation to found the Latiné bilingual youth program La Carpa Theatre, which she currently directs under the umbrella of A Host of People. She joined CultureSource in March 2024 as the manager of the Arts internship Program.
Kim Howard joined CultureSource in February 2017, and brings with her more than 20 years of project and event management, as well as fund development. Kim has extensive nonprofit experience, most recently at Habitat for Humanity of Oakland County, in addition to the University of Michigan Museum of Art, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society - Michigan Chapter, and the Michigan Colleges Foundation. She has built and strengthened relationships both internally and in the community, created successful programs and fundraising opportunities, coordinated and managed a variety of projects and events, and raised millions of dollars in support of the various communities in which she served. Kim holds a B.A. in Communication Arts from Oakland University.
Desirée joined the CultureSource team in 2024 as Program Coordinator for the arts internship program, bringing with them a passion for youth arts access and education. Prior to joining CultureSource, they served as an AmeriCorps college advisor and, most recently, completed the Challenge Detroit Fellowship where they worked at the Detroit Institute of Arts in Research and Evaluation. Desirée earned bachelor’s degrees from Michigan State University in both Anthropology and Environmental Studies & Sustainability with a minor in Museum Studies. In their free time, they can likely be found enjoying the outdoors or discovering new ways to be creative through crochet, embroidery, and other fiber arts. They also volunteer with various local organizations such as DesignCore, Keep Growing Detroit, and Affirmations LGBTQ+ Community Center and coach high school swimming.
With over 20 years of experience providing operational strategy to the national fundraising consulting firm she co-founded, Richner + Richner, Mori joined the CultureSource team in late 2022, aiming to consistently improve the inner workings of the organization. She has significant nonprofit experience, working for groups such as the Arts Alliance (now Creative Washtenaw), Blackbird Theater, and the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. She has also served in volunteer leadership roles with a wide variety of arts and educational nonprofits. She brings demonstrated success in organizational oversight, program and budget management, the creation and implementation of systems and processes, consensus building, and volunteer management.
Mori lives in Ann Arbor with her husband, Cedric, and has two grown daughters. An avid reader, actor, singer, and dabbler in drawing, painting, and crochet, Mori is a firm believer that the arts are arguably the most important part of our collective humanity.
Audrey will join the CultureSource team upon graduation from Michigan State University in spring 2024. She will support our efforts to train seasoned and rising leaders in the discipline of adaptive changemaking and adaptive capacity.
Omari Rush engages the arts as a passion and profession, and in each mode enjoys discovery and deepening impacts. As executive director of CultureSource in Detroit, he advances efforts to have creative expression thrive in communities. His complementary civic service ranges from recently completing an appointment to the State of Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (serving three governors, two as council chair) to currently being board chair of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and a board member of Arts Midwest in Minneapolis and the Lewis Prize for Music.
Omari earned degrees in music from the University of Michigan and Florida State University, and extended his love for learning by completing fellowships with the Salzburg Global Forum and Association of Performing Arts Professionals, by managing the K-12 education program of the University Musical Society (UMS), and by serving on research advisory committees for the National Endowment for the Arts and Indiana University O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
A lapsed clarinetist, Omari now uses his voice to co-host a monthly arts-focused radio show on NPR affiliate WEMU-FM, and he plays on a Rivendell Clem-L bicycle, which he rides daily on streets and trails.
Njeri helps facilitate connections between the CultureSource community and ideas, events, and resources about arts and culture. Njeri completed her MFA in dance at the University of Michigan in April 2023. Njeri earned her B.A in Dance and Communication Arts from Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC. She is a performer, choreographer, and dance administrator. Njeri has worked for the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation, Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, Brooklyn Arts Exchange, The Yard and Movement Research. She has also choreographed for several festivals and conferences including Charlotte Dance Festival, American College Dance Association, and A.R.T on the Vine.
Kaleigh Wilder is a baritone saxophonist and improviser based in Detroit, MI. Originally from Northwest Indiana, she completed a B.M. in Saxophone at Ball State University and an M.M. in Improvisation at the University of Michigan. Kaleigh has performed in the US with notable musicians Allison Miller, Ellen Rowe, Ingrid Jensen, Marion Hayden, Regina Carter, Tanya Darby, and Tia Fuller. She’s also performed in Poland, Czech Republic, Switzerland, and France in large jazz ensembles, and as a soloist in Costa Rica and Ghana. Most recently, Kaleigh was awarded a 2022 Kresge Artist Fellowship for Music Performance.
Kaleigh previously worked at Community Music School-Detroit as the Spartan Youth Jazz Program Coordinator, Young People Travel Global Edge as the Assistant Director of Programs, and currently co-directs an annual musical festival in Ann Arbor called Third Place [MusicFest]. She joined CultureSource in July 2022 as the Project Specialist where she offers executive and fundraising support as well as administrative support to CultureSource staff using its comprehensive database.
Goode Wyche III is a visionary arts and culture professional dedicated to serving the community by facilitating the presentation of unsurpassed artistic experiences that engage, delight, entertain, inform, and educate audiences. An artist advocate and collaborator, Goode is dedicated to uplifting artists of all career stages and ensuring their visions are presented with the highest artistic integrity. At CultureSource, Goode manages all programming related to the organization’s recent acquisition of EmcArts, deepening and expanding CultureSource’s work of helping people through the arts ecosystem build adaptive capacities, make change, and innovate iteratively.
A Baritone saxophone specialist, Goode is a stalwart member of the 11-time Detroit Music Award-winning Planet D Nonet and can be seen performing locally at venues like The Dirty Dogg Café, Cliff Bells, and the Blue Llama. Goode earned his Bachelor of Arts in Music and Master of Business Administration degrees from Wayne State University, and he resides in the New Center Neighborhood in Detroit with his wife, Shelby.
Perry Stella O’Toole is an artist and designer based in Southeast Michigan. She joined CultureSource in 2024 as the Digital Media Coordinator, where she works as part of the Communications team to manage newsletters, mailings, social media, and other communications strategies.
Prior to joining CultureSource, she lived and worked in New York City as a Program Success Advocate at Queensborough Community College. There, she helped students gain access to valuable academic and financial resources by conducting research and enhancing the visibility of various college programs.
Perry Stella earned a BFA in Art and Design from the University of Michigan, where she took classes in graphic design, illustration, painting, photography, and fiber arts, as well as classes in Evolutionary Anthropology. In her free time, she enjoys writing short stories, drawing, cooking, and playing her piano. Perry Stella believes that pursuing several different creative mediums and academic interests leads one to more creative discovery.
Ask us about our equity practice. Our staff exists as a resource to co-think with you about advancing equity and developing cultural competency at your arts organization. Get in touch.
Contract Consultants
Meet the people who collaborate with us as operational consultants
Yen Azzaro
Illustrator-in-Residence
ThePaperPusher.co
Liz Kohlenberg
Contract CFO
Quatrro
Justin Dunn
Communications Partner
Increase Branding and Design
Terri McKinnon
Tech Support
npServ
Jon Riley
Technologist-in-Residence
Telescope Vision LLC.