Arts Integration Specialists

Karise Allen

Ms. Allen is a highly qualified K-8 teacher of over 20 years. She is a native Tucsonan and a proud University of Arizona Wildcat, where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Design and Marketing. Ms. Allen also holds her Post Baccalaureate degree in Elementary Education and her Master’s Degree in Education: Language, Reading, and Culture. As a lifelong student of dance, Pilates, drawing, and ceramics Ms. Allen enjoys sharing the arts with her students. She has integrated the arts in her elementary classroom for years. It is an honor to join OMA as an Arts Integration Specialist (AIS) at Soleng Tom Elementary. .

Tara Amy

Tara Amy grew up in Tucson feeling constantly inspired by the desert's natural beauty and the vibrant Hispanic culture.  While attending various TUSD schools, Tara fell in love with the visual arts...especially drawing, painting, and ceramics.  Tara received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education from the University of Arizona.  She currently shares her love of the arts with her students at Grijalva Elementary where she works as the OMA Arts Integration Specialist.  Tara is a strong advocate for the arts being absolutely VITAL as a motivator for students of all ages. While a student at Tucson High School, she took ballet folklorico classes which has become a lifelong passion of hers.  Today she continues to dance with Ballet Folklorico La Paloma entertaining for two Summer Olympic events and most recently appearing at Carnegie Hall.

Nancy Anaya

Nancy Anaya is a native Tucsonan and proud to be a product of TUSD and the University of Arizona.  She is highly qualified in Theatre Education and K-8 education.

As the Theatre Arts teacher at Utterback Middle School, Ms. Anaya was integral to the school's recognition and achievements as a Fine Arts Magnet Middle School. She also taught theatre in the Gregory School for 14 Summers working with children in grades 2-6.  Performances culminated at the Leo Rich Theatre. As a practicing artist, she has performed with the Southern Arizona Opera Company and taught pantomime for City Parks and Recreation as well as the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind.

Loving to entertain, travel, attend theatre productions and concerts, she is thrilled to have the opportunity as an OMA Arts Integration Specialist at Magee Middle School!!!

Linda Ball-Rodriquez

Linda is a highly qualified Visual Arts teacher of 22 years, who was formally trained in the United Kingdom. In the last 16 years, she was employed as the Visual Arts teacher at a Sedona, AZ Elementary School, and was one of the school librarians. Whenever possible she integrates children’s’ literature into her curriculum. While studying for her degree in Fine Arts at Bretton Hall College, she minored in Inter Arts, which taught her how to integrate performance, music and storytelling into the Visual Arts. She has an interest in multiculturalism, and has researched the cultures of: the Iroquois, Hopi, Haida and Navajo; the Aborigines of Australia and the ancient Egyptians.

Jessica Carter

Ms. Carter is a highly qualified teacher of 21 years.  She grew up in New York and relocated to Tucson to attend the University of Arizona.  It was at the University of Arizona where she earned her Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts and her Master's Degree in Teaching and Teacher Education.

Mrs. Carter has always had an interest in the visual arts and has multiple years of experience in the classroom as an art teacher for both middle school and elementary school students.  Balancing her family and a variety of professional and personal opportunities, she proudly joins the OMA staff this year as the Arts Integration Specialist (AIS) at Hudlow Elementary School.

Hsin-Chih Chang

Born and raised in Taiwan, Hsin-Chih Chang moved to New York City in 2012.  She earned her Master of Music at Manhattan School of Music, where she worked as a staff piano accompanist. She then spent time teaching in New York and Illinois, before moving to Tucson in 2017.

Since then, Ms. Chang has performed at Tucson Brass Workshop, AZ Corno Con Concert, ToCALO Tucson Festival, Choral Educators Choral Festivals, Northern Arizona University Vocal Jazz Madrigal Festival, University of Arizona Double Reed Day, and served as TUSD's high school accompanist.  Currently, she is employed as the OMA Arts Integration Specialist (AIS) at White Elementary School.

Alicia Damian

Ms. Alicia Damian is the OMA Performing Arts Integration Specialist at Doolen Middle School. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ, she moved to Tucson to pursue her BMUS in Music Education and BA in Theatre Arts at the University of Arizona. Upon graduation, Alicia was promptly hired at Doolen MS where she has proudly begun her teaching career. The fine arts have impacted Alicia on a profound level. Facing many personal adversities to arrive where she is today, Alicia could not have done it without the arts and the inspiring educators who supported her. Fine arts have the power to change lives and Alicia intends to bring her sense of love and passion to the music classroom. .

Jodi Darling

Mrs. Darling grew up in Tucson and graduated from Northern Arizona University with a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance. After graduating, Jodi lived in New York City for 10 years working as an actress locally, regionally and on several national tours. Since returning to Tucson in 2006, she has taught Kindermusik and private voice as well as many after-school musical theatre classes for TUSD and TVUSD. She recently taught choir, drama and musical theatre at Secrist MS for two years. She has also performed locally for Arts Express, The Great American Playhouse, Roadrunner Theatre, Lonely Street Productions, Khris Dodge Entertainment, Arizona Choral Society and SAPAC. She and her husband Chach have two kids Julia and Gabriel. Jodi is currently an Arts Integrated Specialist in the TUSD OMA program at Sewell Elementary.

Karen Fields

Karen Fields believes there is nothing better than bringing the arts to children and seeing worlds open in their eyes. Karen has been working in the arts-integration program Opening Minds through the Arts (OMA) in Tucson for 21 years, working at Lineweaver Elementary for sixteen of them. She has seen the arts transform children's lives and serve as powerful tools to teach virtually anything – literacy, math, culture and science! Ms. Fields earned a BS in Political Science from ASU, Hand a Post-baccalaureate in Elementary Education from U of A. She has Orff- Shulwerk certification in Levels 1 and 2 and has loved to sing and play the piano for as long as she can remember.

Joshua Floyd

Mr. Joshua Floyd is the current OMA Arts Integration Specialist at Warren Elementary and band director at Ford and Lineweaver Elementaries.  Joshua has been working with TUSD since 2017, shortly after completing a semester of student teaching at Lineweaver Elementary. He recently graduated from the University of Arizona in 2019 with a Masters in Educational Psychology.  Joshua is an active member of the fine arts community in Tucson through his participation in various vocal and instrumental ensembles.

Nora Ford

Nora Ford has been teaching music since 1998. Born in Honolulu, HI, Nora was raised in Illinois and attended Millikin University. She spent her first five years teaching elementary through high school band and choir in central Illinois before moving to Arizona in 2003. She joined the TUSD Fine Arts Staff in 2004 and has worked in various roles throughout the district. Her varied interests have allowed her to teach band, orchestra, and choir at multiple age levels during her time with TUSD. Mrs. Ford proudly joined the OMA staff in 2020 as the Arts Integration Specialist (AIS) at Maldonado Elementary School. In 2023, she became the AIS at Banks Elementary School as well. Since joining the OMA team Mrs. Ford has felt her most creative and happy. Teaching children to love music makes her feel in tune with her life’s purpose.

Catherine Gale

Catherine Gale started teaching in 2013. She got her Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the University of Arizona. She taught in her hometown of Phoenix before joining the TUSD Fine Arts staff in 2015, where band was her primary focus for years. Catherine joined the Arts Integration Specialist in 2019. She currently teaches OMA and band at Fruchthendler elementary school, with an emphasis on creativity and performance.

Mia Garcia

Ms. Garcia is a born and raised Tucsonan and loves being in the desert.  She was fortunate enough to attend schools in Tucson that were heavily immersed in Fine Arts classes, and to have a mother that always did art projects with her.  This inspired her to pursue both a career as a professional artist and an art educator.  She recently graduated from the University of Arizona in May of 2021 with a double major in Art and Visual Culture Education and Studio Art (2D).

She loves working with elementary students because they have the best imaginations without limits!  They have already taught her so much in the short amount of time she has been teaching.  Although Ms. Garcia is young with a calm demeanor, she is so excited and ready to take on both Tolson Elementary and Oyama Elementary as the OMA Visual Arts Integration Specialist.

Sara Gascho

Sara's love for the Arts began while growing up in Lancaster, PA, where she sang in choirs, studied piano and voice, and became an accomplished, award-winning singer. Her fortune brought her to Tucson where she taught choral music at Tucson High Magnet School for seven years then transferred to Sam Hughes elementary to become their OMA Arts Integration Specialist teaching  OMA, Band, Strings, Ukulele, Recorders, and Choir. She loves working with young people who spark her creativity. While coordinating the biannual OMAPalooza Concert Informances, Sara additionally directs two plays each year and performs with her choir for various community events. Sara has been the lead singer with two Tucson-based bands and loves being a wife and mom to her two amazing kids.

Bethanne Griffin

Bethanne is a native Tucsonan and a dancer at an early age. As a former graduate of Tucson High Magnet School, she was introduced to modern dance and the art of choreography.  After further dance training in New York, she began designing and implementing integrative dance curricula for local fine arts programs right here in Tucson. In 2010, she began Dance Aloud, an early childhood fine arts program; introducing children to literature through creative movement. In 2014, Bethanne and her family returned to New York where she spent 9 months working as a Teaching Dance Artist in NYC's public schools. In addition to modern dance, tap, ballroom, Latin and ballet, Bethanne is very excited to add aerial arts to her movement repertoire as she begins a new chapter this year: dancing with silks! She holds a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education. She has enthusiastically been working with the OMA program since 2011.

Marc Hebl

Mr. Hebl is a native of southern Arizona.  He graduated from Tombstone High School where he developed his interest in visual arts and developed an understanding of the importance of the arts in one's education.  After several years working in manufacturing and engineering, he returned to school to further pursue his interest in art.  He graduated from the University of Arizona with Bachelors Degrees in Studio Arts, Art History, and Classical History.  After receiving his teaching certifications, Mr. Hebl taught elementary literacy skills and visual art for seven years.  After a few years away, Mr. Hebl is once again excited to be sharing his experiences and talents with the students of TUSD through the OMA program.

Matthew Holter

Originally from Moorhead, Minnesota, Mr .Holter is an accomplished lyric tenor and director. He has performed and directed throughout the Western United States and abroad, including China, Russia, Japan and England. His stage credits include numerous roles in opera, musical theatre and dance. Matthew's directing credits include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Peter Pan, H.M.S. Pinafore, and Godspell, to name a few. He maintains a career as a professional soloist and chorister having performed with various ensembles from the greater Tucson area including the Arizona Early Music Society and the Tucson Chamber Artists. Mr. Holter is an Arts Integration Specialist for TUSD with the OMA program and a vocal instructor at Trollwood Performing Arts School through the Fargo Public Schools during the summer. Matthew received his Masters degree in Voice from Washington State University and earned his Bachelors degree in Music Education from The University of Arizona.

Dara Laird

Mrs. Dara Laird has served in the Tucson Unified School District for twenty years as an elementary classroom teacher and Fine Arts Specialist.  She has experience in teaching Art and Music in the classroom and after-school programs.  Dara is passionate about using multiple modalities to serve the educational needs of students, since many students learn best through the Arts.

Being a part of the OMA team allows her to collaborate with likeminded peers and enrich her skillset to more effectively influence learners.

She is proud to be a member of the OMA Arts Integration Specialist Team serving at Gale Elementary School.

Jacob Litt

Jacob Litt comes to TUSD with a strong background in education and performance. He has taught music at elementary schools in both Connecticut and Arizona, and has directed several musicals for students of all ages. Jacob holds a BA in Music and Leadership Studies from the University of Richmond, and an MA in Secondary Education from the University of Bridgeport. Outside of the classroom, Jacob enjoys singing and is an enthusiastic participant in community theatre, having performed in shows such as Chicago, Guys and Dolls, Little Shop of Horrors, and many more. Jacob is especially passionate about working with students with special needs. At the University of Richmond, he completed an honors thesis that explored the ways in which a rich performing arts education can integrate effectively with special education to build academic and social-emotional skills. Jacob is excited to be exploring and embracing curricular connections such as these through his work as an OMA AIS.

Chiara Lovio

Ms. Lovio received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Education from the University of Arizona, and is a certified K-12 Drama/Theatre teacher. She also received her Master of Fine Arts in Theatre for Youth at Arizona State University. Her Theatre experiences include working with Seattle Children's Theatre, Metro Children's Theatre in St. Louis, and Cornerstone Theatre Company in Los Angeles. Local teaching experiences have been with Live Theatre Workshop, Fine Arts Youth Academy, and Catalina Foothills Summer Program. She was born and raised in Tucson and is proud to have grown up attending TUSD schools. As an Arts Integration Specialist, with the OMA program, she feels very fortunate to be able to teach Theatre and to learn about the other three art forms as well, Music, Visual Art, and Dance.

Cynthia Miltenberger

Cynthia Miltenberger received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Arizona and her dance teaching credential from Arizona State University.  She taught in Los Angeles for eighteen years as a dance specialist for the Los Angeles Unified School District, and two years with Los Angeles City College. Cynthia recently returned to her roots in Tucson and now works as an OMA Arts Integration Specialist (AIS). Cynthia created her own advancement through her arts integration initiative, which consists of her self-published book, "art moves" brand, workshop, and charity.  In addition, she also holds a barre fitness teaching certificate and is working on her Pilates credential. Always a voice for the voiceless, she advocates for children and the creative arts.  From dancing the phases of the moon, to exploring how engineering and dance come from the same place, she strives to empower her students by discovering their self-value and embodying their inner masterpiece.

Jeffrey Requadt

Mr. Requadt spent the majority of his childhood living in Tucson, France and Côte d’Ivoire (West Africa). He began taking piano lessons at the age of five and continued to study piano throughout high school and into college, receiving “First Mention” in an area-wide West African piano competition in 1998. Jeff has been teaching and performing piano publically as a soloist and accompanist since 1993 and has been teaching piano for almost as long. Jeff has also performed with choral groups in high school and college. In 2005, Jeff graduated from Southwestern College with a degree in Elementary Education and taught third grade at Dietz K-8 School from 2006 to 2014. He enjoys using musical concepts and skills both to expand his students’ minds as well as to teach concepts in other disciplines such as reading, writing, science, and math.

Ana Sanders

Ana Sanders was born in Colombia, South America, and raised in Tucson, Arizona. She earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Arts with an emphasis in ceramics from Northern Arizona University. Her love of the arts has led her to work professionally and show her work as a ceramicist and a jeweler. As an educator, Ms. Sanders has taught in public school and outdoor programs in Utah and Arizona. She is a new teacher in the OMA program at TUSD, wher she brings art integration to science classes at Magee Middle School and Visual Arts education as a classroom teacher.

Olga Savic

Olga is the OMA Arts Integration Specialist (AIS) at Bonillas Traditional Elementary Magnet School.  Additionally, she is currently pursuing a Ph.D. program in Music Theory with a minor in Music Education from the Fred Fox School of Music at the University of Arizona.  She received a Master's degree in Music Theory from the Northern Arizona University and a Bachelor in General Music Pedagogy from the University of Arts in Belgrade, Serbia. Before joining the TUSD Fine Arts/OMA Department, she taught general music, music theory, and ear training in Serbia and the USA.

Jeff Simpson

Mr. Simpson is a Tucson based musician and a graduate of the University of Arizona’s Music Education program. A vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, Jeff has recently performed with a wide variety of groups such as the pan-African pop band The Key Ingredients of African Soul, the acapella vocal troupe Catacoustic Groove, and the Brazilian rock band Batucaxé – also serving as an assistant director for its community drumming ensemble.

During a career spanning over 30 years, Jeff has worn many hats as a performer: staff singer in a church choir, jazz/blues/rock trumpet player, ukulele and kazoo busker, punk-rock singer and guitarist, and hootenanny troubadour. He has always been passionate about exploring the connections between seemingly unrelated styles and disciplines, and is eager to apply his knowledge, experience, and creativity as an OMA Arts Integration Specialist at Tully Elementary.

Jose (Chach) Snook

José “Chach” Snook is originally from Napa, California and has performed music around the world. For almost 10 years, Chach lived in NYC as a professional singer/actor appearing and touring in a number of shows including Forever Plaid (National Tour). He was also a member of the jazz a cappella group, Pieces of 8. In Tucson, he has been seen singing with Khris Dodge Entertainment, Lonely Street Productions, Every Era Entertainment, the Doo Wop sensation, and The 4GENTS. Chach directed Godspell and has directed/starred in a successful run of I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change (MAC Nominations for Best Musical, Best Director and Best Actor) and Triumph of Love (MAC Nominations for Best Musical and Best Director). Chach has a Vocal Performance degree from Northern Arizona University and was the choir/drama teacher at Flowing Wells J.H. School where he directed over 20 plays/musicals and conducted almost 2,000 choir students over the span of 12 years. In 2013, he was named a Top 5 Teacher of the Year for Arizona and in 2016 he was named Latino Teacher of the Year for Arizona.

Amy Stahlman

Amy Stahlman was raised in New York. She trained in the Royal Academy of Dance and attended numerous summer programs including the prestigious School of American Ballet. Upon graduation, Amy received a contract with the Tulsa Ballet Theater and was featured as Big Swan and White Cat in Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. Later, she received a degree in Fine Arts Dance from the University of Arizona. She has taught fourth grade and is presently excited to start a new adventure as an OMA Dance AIS instructor at McCorkle Elementary.

Michelle Sugameli

Michelle was born and raised in Tucson with a life that has been inspired by visual arts. Encouraged by her high school art teacher to pursue a career in Visual Arts, Michelle graduated from the University of Arizona with a BA in Art Education in 2006. Upon graduation, Michelle was accepted into TUSD's Smithsonian Internship Program, where she spent the summer gathering educational resources at the Natural History Museum in Washington D.C. Returning to Tucson, Michelle taught with the TUSD Arts Mobile and as part time art instructor at two elementary schools. In 2008 Michelle taught Visual Art and Ceramics to middle school and high school students in the Marana Unified School District. Michelle has worked in her free time with local ceramic artist Nina Borgia Aberle in art projects throughout the Tucson area. Michelle enjoys developing her own art work in her free time in the mediums of painting and ceramics. Michelle Sugameli has always had a special love for teaching elementary school and is excited about the up and coming school year as the Arts Integration Specialist.

Stephanie Swift

Stephanie Swift fell in love with music at a young age. Her passion for violin, piano and singing soprano lead her to becoming a mariachi performer and music educator throughout the Tucson community for nearly the past three decades. Her talents have led her to a diverse career in directing, performing and teaching. Stephanie is a Mariachi Teacher and Arts Integration Specialist for Opening Minds through the Arts for TUSD.

Trista Tamura

Ms. Tamura received her Bachelor of Science and Master's degree in elementary education from the University of Oregon. In 2008, she relocated to Tucson and began her elementary teaching career as a 2nd grade teacher. While teaching, Trista focused on helping students that gravitated towards the arts, much like her younger self. She has been involved with the arts since she was young from drawing and painting at an early age to being expected to learn how to read music and play a musical instrument. As a teacher, she found joy in sharing visual arts with her students through integration and found that her students were more engaged and retained more information. While Trista enjoyed regular classroom teaching, she knew that she felt a natural calling to dive deeper into teaching in tandem with the arts. She decided to pursue a career in visual arts integration through OMA and has found true joy in bringing the arts to many students throughout TUSD.

Katie Thaler (Capp)

Katie Thaler is the OMA Arts Integration Specialist (AIS) and Orchestra Director at Dunham Elementary School.  An accomplished cellist, Katie holds a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from Florida State University and a Master of Music in Cello Performance from the University of Arizona School of Music, where she was a Graduate Teaching Assistant.  Katie has performed in masterclasses for many professional artists.  Currently she performs with the Sierra Vista Symphony and runs a thriving cello studio while teaching OMA.  Katie lives in downtown Tucson with her husband, violist and fellow AIS Raiden Thaler, and their charming orange tabby Charlie.  If you don't hear string music filling Katie's and Raiden's home, they're most likely trying out an adventurous recipe for dinner or catching up on the latest episodes of Grey's Anatomy!

Chika Willis

Ms. Chika Willis was born and raised in Kyoto City in Japan. She studied in Bukkyo University and earned a bachelor's degree in Japanese Literature and received a provisional teaching license for secondary education in Japan. Instead of pursuing teaching careers in Kyoto, Chika came to Tucson and attended CESL at the University of Arizona learning English with people from all over the world. Soon she earned an Associate degree of American Indian Studies at Pima College. Chika decided to become a teacher in America and began study in the College of Education at the University. Her OMA at Van Buskirk work was recognized by school staff and awarded the TUSD campus teacher of the year in 2017-18. Chika enjoys drawing and painting and is delighted that her art skills have helped her students' learning and their success.

Jennifer Wortman

Ms. Jennifer Wortman is a native Tucsonan who went through Tucson Unified public K-12 Magnet Schools.  She is currently in her 21st year of teaching and her 7th year as an OMA Arts Integration Specialist at Dietz K-8 teaching K-4 and the 5th - 8th grade Choirs.  She received her Bachelor of Music Education degree from Northern Arizona University and her Masters in Choral Conducting from California State University Los Angeles.  She was the choir teacher at Palo Verde High School for twelve years as well as the founder of the Palo Verde Alumni and Faculty Choirs. Ms. Wortman is a past president of the Arizona Choral Educators, has been a clinician and conductor for various festivals as well as the Tucson Girls Chorus. She is currently the Choir Director of the Adult and Children's Choir at Tanque Verde Lutheran Church.  Ms. Wortman lives in Tucson with her husband and two boys.