PEOPLE
SENIOR STAFF
CO-FOUNDER & PRODUCING DIRECTOR
Dan Swern is the co-founder and producing director for coLAB Arts in New Brunswick, NJ, engaging artists, social advocates, and communities to create transformative new work. Swern commissions new multidisciplinary creative work and artist residencies, and facilitates and commissions public art projects from mural and sculptural installation work to creative placekeeping efforts with local government and advocacy organizations. Swern’s verbatim theater projects have included two collaborations with journalist Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg: Life, Death, Life Again: Children sentenced to die in prison and Banished: Children on the sex offender registry. Swern is the creator, director, and designer of the Drama Desk-nominated culinary-theater project Shake & Bake: Love’s Labour’s Lost which ran off-Broadway in 2018. Swern teaches Creative Engagement for the Masters in Communications and Media graduate program at Rutgers University’s School of Communications and Information.
Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | @danswern
CO-PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
John Keller has over 20 years of experience in theater performance and production, as well as arts education and administration, and socially engaged arts curriculum development. John is committed to creating projects that use the arts as a process to examine complex issues that affect community empowerment. While serving as Director of Education for coLAB Arts, John has developed educational residencies and teacher professional development in several central New Jersey schools. As a producer he has developed art for impact programming that center social science research in Domestic Violence Prevention, Transgender Healthcare, Immigration, Economic Justice, and Juvenile Justice System Reform. He currently teaches Theater for Social Development at Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts. John earned his undergraduate degree at Holy Cross and holds a Masters in Fine Arts in Acting from Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts.
STAFF
General Manager - Jeff Key currently serves as a consultant with Nfinity Enterprises, providing website design, technology, and operations consulting to small and mid-sized nonprofits and businesses. He previously worked in the nonprofit sector for a number of New Jersey based education nonprofits serving students from middle school through college, with a focus on providing equitable access to educational services, after school programming, mentoring, and college counseling for students and their families.
He currently serves on the board of the Center for Non-Profits and the National Board of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, focusing on work to address equity issues in the nonprofit sector and support projects advancing diverse and inclusive board and executive leadership.
Jeff joined the coLAB Arts team in 2021 and is excited to work to support the organization's continued growth and capacity to take on more projects and community partnerships. Outside of his work with the nonprofit sector, he enjoys hiking, listening to interesting podcasts, discovering new music, and watching movies.
Associate Producer- Victoria Masteller is a multifaceted theatre-maker, educator, and administrator with a background in theatre spanning over twenty years. Recognized as the "Swiss army knife of theatre" by a producer, Victoria’s expertise encompasses diverse roles, from crafting engaging theatre curricula to spearheading complex production projects. Passionate about the transformative power of theatre, Victoria is dedicated to fostering inclusive and impactful programs at the intersection of community engagement, arts, education, and social justice. With a proven track record of success, including exceeding fundraising goals for Truthplay.org and developing innovative curricula at multiple charter schools, Victoria is committed to leveraging theatre as a catalyst for empathy, understanding, and positive change in diverse communities. Victoria graduated from Emerson College with a B.A. in Theatre Education.
Community Organizer- Yeimy Gamez Castillo is a multidisciplinary artist, poet, and community organizer dedicated to amplifying immigrant narratives and fostering collective healing. Raised and based on the unceded Lenni-Lenape lands in Newark, NJ, Yeimy explores the intersections of queerness, migrant identity, and cultural reclamation. Through music, poetry, and storytelling, she weaves Latin American traditions of storytelling and folklore with contemporary themes, creating immersive experiences that transcend cultural boundaries. In 2018, she co-founded ImVisible alongside Dr. Jennifer Buccalo and artist Layqa Nuna Yawar, a platform celebrating undocumented and immigrant stories through public art, workshops, and advocacy. Signature events include the "We Are Home" Festival and the "Murals Market Music Festival," engaging hundreds of community members to celebrate immigrant joy, kinship, and creative brilliance. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, NJPAC, The Newark Museum of Art, and BBC Radio, with notable performances at the NJ Folk Festival and collaborations with The City of Newark, Audible, and FOCUS Hispanic Center. A passionate educator, Yeimy empowers immigrant youth to reclaim their stories through initiatives like the “Collective Voices” Exhibition for Immigrant Youth at Rutgers University and the poetry workshop “EXPRESS” with author Javier Zamora.
Development Manager / Digital Archivist and Research Associate - Addie Gordon holds a Ph.D. in Art and Architectural History from Binghamton University. Having joined coLAB Arts in 2021, she utilizes the skills that she has developed during her time in higher education to help organize and manage the coLAB Arts oral history archive as the digital archivist and research associate. Her research is broadly interested in the social and political connotations of built space and material culture. Through her own research and projects, she advocates for the voices and avenues of exposure that are often overlooked by traditional forms of art engagement. Her interest in the public humanities aligns with coLAB Arts’ own engagements with community building and advocacy projects. She has continued to work in the nonprofit sector post-Ph.D.; she is a research associate at ACLS and was the development administrator at Princeton Public Library (2021-23). In 2024, she became the Development Manager for coLAB arts. In her free time, she enjoys experimenting with fiber arts, specifically needlework, as well as baking and spending time with friends.
Education Associate- Jasmine Carmichael is dedicated to educating and inspiring students as a teaching artist with coLAB Arts. After obtaining her BFA in Acting from Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University, Jasmine established a successful career as an actress, director and teacher. She is passionate about sharing the lessons learned from her experience on stage, in front of the camera and behind the scenes so that younger artists have the tools needed to pursue their dreams with confidence.
Graphic Designer - Emma joined the coLAB Arts team in July 2016. She coordinates with the producing director to develop and create specialized event posters, brochures, logos, and banners. Prior to her collaboration with coLAB Arts, Emma interned with Rutgers University Career Services during her junior and senior years of college where she gained valuable design experience. After she graduated from Mason Gross School of the Arts in May 2015, Emma moved to Brooklyn and began her career as a designer working in both the print and digital spheres and is currently a Senior Digital Designer at Clinique. Her personal design style revolves around simple color blocking mixed with small details and typography, resulting in eye catching visuals. Emma is also passionate about photography, dance and fashion and loves to integrate those passions into her design work whenever possible.
Marketing and Advertising- Think Big Picture is a full-service, strategic partner for creative entities: offering digital advertising & boutique social media marketing, project management, graphic design, strategic planning & business development. TBP uses a global network & extensive research to reach realistic goals and enhance authentic engagement. Using innovative techniques in mixed media design & guerrilla marketing strategies, Think Big Picture is committed to serving clients in a unique, collaborative way. https://www.thinkbigpicturellc.com
Oral History Research and Transcription Team Allison Baldwin, Paulina Barrios, Christina Briskin, Ainsley Fisher, Lucy Gilch, Lanai McAuley, Hannah M’Lynn, Rebecca Sandoval, Carla Zurita
Funders for New Staff Positions
coLAB Arts would like to acknowledge our incredible funders who in 2022 and 2023 have made the following new staff positions possible:
Communications Manager
Grant funding has been provided by the Middlesex County Board of County Commissioners. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Development Manager
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This position was made possible through funding from the New Jersey Cultural Trust.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President - Elise Brancheau
Vice President - Nicole Brownstein
Treasurer - Barry Sherman
Secretary - Erica Nagle
Members - Christina Briskin, Maevonia Caldwell, Monique Coleman, Perry Farhat, Carla Haynes, Carolina Moratti, Jin Hi Rheem, Dan Swern
RESIDENT ARTISTS
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In Memoriam
DR. JEFFREY LONGHOFER (Sep 13, 1955-Jan 31, 2023) served as Board President of coLAB Arts during a period of growth and transformation. He and his husband, Dr. Jerry Floersch, who served as Vice President, together oversaw coLAB Arts’ successful mission and vision transition to a socially-engaged arts organization, providing needed financial support and guidance.
Jeffrey was driven by his curiosity, enthusiasm for life’s experiences, and commitment to building a thriving and equitable New Brunswick. He had a great love and appreciation for the visual and performing arts, great food, literature, and interesting architecture. A psychoanalyst, anthropologist, and social worker, he was devoted to his career as a researcher, clinician and teacher, advancing the fields of applied anthropology and social work through his study of the human experience and our capabilities to defeat injustice.
At the Rutgers School of Social Work, Jeffrey, with Jerry, co-created the Doctor of Social Work program and served as the inaugural director of the Tyler Clementi Center for Diversity Education and Bias Prevention, a reflection of his life-long work against inequality.
The first education program fundraiser for coLAB Arts was held in Jeffrey and Jerry’s Highland Park backyard. In 2013 and 2014, they organized our first board retreats to the Contemporary American Theater Festival. In 2015, they underwrote “Behind the Moon, Beyond the Rain,” our first major fundraiser, an immersive performance which cemented our mission as a connective tissue between artists, advocates, and communities. We will be forever grateful for Jeffrey and Jerry’s friendship, guidance, vision, and leadership.
(Photo l-r: Dr. Jeffrey Longhofer, Dr. Jerry Floersch)