About Us

Play and Art Education Consultants

George Szekely Co-Founder NAPA

For thirty-five years, George Székely has been a pioneer in developing creative changes and methodologies for art teaching. His work has been formulated in books, journals, unique performance-style keynote presentations, and teaching demonstrations through his nationally initiated Adopt-a-School projects. He was among the first art educators to emphasize the importance of children’s play in art making and to advocate the study of children’s home art as the foundation for school art practice.

Ilona Szekely Co-Founder NAPA

For more than two decade, Dr. Ilona Szekely has shared her love of art with others. A career in art education has enabled her to share this enthusiasm in varied settings. Having taught students in college, as well as in public schools, both urban and rural. She holds an BA from the University of Kentucky, an M.A from Teachers College Columbia in New York City and her Ph.D. in the department of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation at the University of Kentucky. Currently, she teaches Art Education at Eastern Kentucky University. ilonaszekely.net

Play and Art Consultants

JODY JAQUES
With over 25 years creating and teaching art, I still love what I do and constantly look for new ways to create, educate and make the world a better place. As an artist my goal is to create affordable, unique and fun works of art for everyone while roping as many people as possible into the mess. Along the way I hope you learn to observe life more deeply, examine art in new ways, and create like you were created.

PRISCILLA SHEN-RIBEIRO
I have been an art educator, arts coordinator/consultant, and early childhood educator for 22 years in the NYC public schools and Sao Paulo, Brazil. I have taught Children’s Literature and Art Education to pre-service teachers at Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, NY as an adjunct instructor. I am a mother. I love to play and try my best to continuously see the world as a five year old. Currently, I am the Visual Arts Teacher at The Studio School of Arts and Culture in Brooklyn, NY.

ALISON CAMPBELL
She is the owner and operator of The Art Crate, a project based learning program that uses reused and recycled materials to promote design dreamers, art adventurers, and curious makers; urging students to push their creative boundaries, trust their creative instincts, and to imagine beyond what already exists.
www.alisonraecampbell.com
www.theartcrate.com

Debi West
Debi West, Ed.S, NBCT, owner of WESTpectations Educational Consulting is a retired art educator who spent 24 years teaching children through the vehicle of the visual arts in Gwinnett County, Georgia. Debi taught at both the elementary and the secondary levels. She spent her career using project-based learning, art with purpose theories and integrated instruction with the commitment of ensuring that every student became a successful and authentic learner.
www.WESTpectations.com

Roni Rohr (she, her, hers) Roni teaches at El Dorado Community School K-8 in Santa Fe, NM, serves as the SFPS Visual Arts Mentor, and is a faculty member of the TAB Institute at MassArt. Advocating for student voice, Roni is also a designer and artist, passionate about collaboration, social justice, and advocacy within her own work and that of her students. As an educational consultant, she collaborates on professional development for the New Mexico Museums, Meow Wolf, and others. Roni presents locally and nationally on topics of TAB, choice-based and play education, Design Thinking, and creating community; she was the 2020 keynote speaker for Colorado TAB. Roni is Nationally Board Certified in early and middle school art, a 2016 NM Golden Apple Fellow, the 2015 NM Middle School Art Educator of the Year, and the 2011 NM Art Educator of the Year.

Bryan Reinholdt
Bryan Reinholdt has degrees in studio visual art and art education from Bellarmine University and the University of Kentucky. Bryan's theory and practice areas of art education include choice-based and play-based methodologies with emphasis on self-directedness in the elementary and middle school levels. He has taught visual art and performing art both domestically in Kentucky and internationally in Kazakhstan. Currently he is a design patent examiner for the US Patent and Trademark Office and lives in Apex, NC.

Cindy Foley
Cindy Meyers Foley is the Executive Deputy Director for Learning and Experience at the Columbus Museum of Art. She envisioned and led the charge to open the 18,000 sq. ft. Center for Creativity in 2011. In 2013, the museum received the National Medal for Museums in recognition of this work.
She has been a keynote speaker for a variety of Library, Museum and Art Education Conferences. In November 2014, she was a TEDX Columbus Speaker presenting Teaching Art or Teaching to Think like an Artist and in 2016, she was asked to again take the TEDX Stage to present The Benefits of Boredom.

Nancy Walkup
Nancy Walkup, a longtime art teacher, has been the editor of SchoolArts Magazine since 2005 and a contributing author for the first edition of Explorations in Art, Davis Publications’ elementary textbook series. She is also the editor of the SchoolArts Media Arts Collection, SA STEAM Collection, and SA Early Childhood Collection.
Nancy's thirty-plus year teaching experience covers all grade levels from kindergarten through university.
Nancy presents regularly at NAEA and similar venues and has served as an art education consultant for school districts and as a presenter for professional development. She has given keynote addresses and other art education presentations in Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Arizona, Arkansas, Alaska, Idaho, Wyoming, Michigan, Florida, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Rhode Island, Washington, and Vermont. In addition, Nancy leads annual summer seminars for art educators in Santa Fe and Taos, New Mexico. Email Nancy at [email protected]