… but most people call me Ari!

I’m an artist, educator, and community engagement specialist with over 15 years of experience designing and facilitating creative, community-centered programs across nonprofit, educational, and cultural spaces. I’m based in Philadelphia, but my work has taken me across the United States and abroad — from Kolkata, India to Rubona, Rwanda — collaborating with communities to design experiences that matter to them.

My work lives at the intersection of my biggest commitments: creativity as a tool for connection, justice as a practice, and community as the starting point. As co-founder and Community Programs Director of the Inheritance Theater Project, I spent a decade developing original, large-scale playmaking initiatives rooted in deep listening and collective storytelling. Eventually, inspired by the idea of “think global, act local,” I returned home to Philadelphia to invest in the vibrant, complicated, beautiful community that raised me.

Across my career, I’ve paired creativity with strong organizational leadership — designing and managing programs from concept through implementation in both in-person and virtual spaces. I’ve facilitated professional development, storytelling workshops, and community engagement initiatives; led cross-functional teams; built partnerships; managed budgets and operations; and developed systems that allow bold creative work to thrive sustainably. Whether I’m devising original theater, leading a workshop, or building the infrastructure behind the scenes, I care deeply about creating thoughtful, people-centered experiences that are as well-run as they are meaningful.

At the core of all of it: I believe stories change people, and people change communities. My work is about building the conditions where both can happen.