Staff Members

Rick came to CounterPulse through the Fellowship Program, and brings 30 years experience in dance, theater, social work, and activism to his role as the Community Engagement Associate. Rick has lived, worked and made art in the Tenderloin neighborhood since 1995. During this time, Rick has facilitated a number of social practice art based project with special populations in the Tenderloin and other communities Along with project partner Central City SRO Collaborative, Rick produces Block Fest, a monthly outdoor event which engages neighbors, visitors and passerbys through a shared arts experience.

As Director of Operations at CounterPulse, Natalie employs creative strategies to support day-to-day operations of the organization. Natalie holds a B.A. in the History of Art from University of California, Berkeley, bolstered by Queer, and Feminist, and Ethnic studies minors. Natalie’s personal background as a first generation college student fuels the desire to focus her education, leadership experience, and labor on inspiring solidarity among the diverse Bay Area communities. Natalie spends her time attending performances and playing outdoors with her 6 year old son, Fela. She also jogs near Lake Merritt, paints, tends the garden, and practices Yoga with her longtime mentors at Oakland’s Barefoot Movement.

As Operations Manager, Zerena organizes day to day financials and supports facilities management at CounterPulse to support its transition into a new space and expanding programming. Zerena is a recent graduate and holds a B.F.A from UC Berkeley. She is a practicing performing and multimedia artist based out of Oakland and her work has been exhibited at YBCA, SOMArts, and CounterPulse. In her professional and personal life Zerena seeks to creatively problem solve, educate, and act to recreate our reality. She spends her free time at drag shows, queer orgs, punk concerts, and art spaces.

Erica brings a designer’s sensibility in spearheading the engagement, communication, and public art initiatives of the organization. Erica has been with CounterPulse for three years, and was part of the team that landed the organization in our new home at 80 Turk Street. Her expertise spans leading strategic communications, human-centered design practices, identifying opportunity, program management and design, and facilitation. Erica brings 9 years co-creating and curating scrappy, unconventional art spaces to this work and holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Arts and Technology from the University of Colorado. When not at CounterPulse, Erica can be found championing alternative economies, mushroom foraging in Bay Area forests, and most of all, growing, cooking, and sharing good food.

Justin designs and implements strategic marketing activities to build CounterPulse’s audience, in addition to overseeing the Front of House program. He holds a B.A. in Journalism from CSU Monterey Bay and M.A. in Environment & Community from Humboldt State University. Throughout his academic career, Justin advocated for food and environmental justice as an activist and spoken word artist. He brings his expertise in community outreach to deepen CounterPulse’s engagement with the Tenderloin, while his background in social science research spearheads the organization’s demographic and webpage analytics. He enjoys outdoor recreation, poetry, and gardening.

As Technical Director at CounterPulse, Justine oversees the operation of our theater and studios.  Justine is currently a candidate for the Master of Arts in Museum Studies at San Francisco State University with an emphasis in Exhibition Design.  She is currently working on exhibitions at the Global Museum at SFSU and for the SF SPCA’s 150th Anniversary.  Outside of school and work, you can find Justine playing or watching soccer, at a bar trivia night, or on a trail.

Nicky’s role at CounterPulse is to provide space tours, help with the House Artist Program, and manage timelines for CounterPulse’s ARC programs. Before this position Nicky worked at the University of San Francisco (USF) as a Professor Assistant to Amie Dowling. They received a BA in Performing Arts and Social Justice from USF and has worked in theaters such as the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, San Francisco Shakespeare Company, and Crowded Fire. Apart from working at CounterPulse Nicky is a native bay area actor and playwright that received a Gender Justice award for their work tackling *Trans/LGBQ issues. They are very excited to work at CounterPulse to continue their drive for promoting social justice performative art in the community.

As the Executive & Development Associate Yetunde assists in expanding CounterPulse’s development and fundraising capacity. With a long dedication to cultivating sustainable resource within diverse communities, they bring their passion for people and empowerment to the Development field.  As a practicing artist they have worked with institutions such as SFMOMA, Oakland Museum of California, and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. In their free time they can be found working on community-oriented projects with their art collective Blackmail, working on videos, and finding the next best costal vista point.

Through CounterPulse, Phelps intersects grassroots community responsiveness with practices borrowed from tactical urbanism, placemaking and social innovation to co-create transformational experiences. Phelps recently spearheaded the process of acquiring and renovating a new building as the pilot project of the Community Arts Stabilization Trust (CAST). In collaboration with Jensen Architects Phelps designed a facility that is acclaimed by the public, press and featured in architectural reviews. Phelps has led the enterprising team of CounterPulse in funding and launching an acclaimed program of performing arts events, community-based programming, and international exchange projects. Phelps tours nationally and internationally as a speaker, U.S. representative, and dance artist.

As Director of Producing & Advancement, Jeanne works to build and maintain the relationships and resources to further the CounterPulse mission. Prior to joining the CounterPulse staff in 2014, Jeanne honed her skills working with dance and performance artists in the San Francisco Bay Area, most notably with FACT/SF (Operations Manager, 2009-2014) and Jess Curtis/Gravity (Program Director, 2012-2014). She is a former Fellow with the Emerging ArtsProfessionals – San Francisco Bay Area, and a current member of the FACT/SF Board of Directors. As an artist, Jeanne is most interested in the continuous improvisation of life.