STAFF AND BOARD MEMBERS
Join the Board
Ready to grow your network? We are seeking engaging leaders to join our dedicated Board of Directors. This volunteer role gives you an opportunity to connect with corporate and nonprofit leaders while nurturing the talented St. Paul community of culture bearers and artists to advance St. Paul as a place where artists thrive, and residents enjoy an elevated quality of life. We are committed to having our board represent the City of St. Paul. We encourage members of diverse groups to apply.
SPAC Staff
Mariusz Kujawski
Executive Director
Mariusz (he/him/his) is a seasoned leader in the arts and non-profit sectors, with a strong foundation in dance from the University of Wisconsin Stevens-Point and movement direction from working in NYC with Vogue Spain, Branda Bufalino, and Mackage. As an experienced art curator, arts and operations director, Mariusz has played key roles in guiding organizations, fostering creative communities, and shaping innovative programming in Poland, Iceland, Minnesota, California, Florida, and New York. Mariusz is also a proud COO of Pilates for the People, a local Twincities Pilates studio he runs with his wife Emma Fitzsimmons.
mariusz.kujawski@stpaulartcollective.org“Simplicity is the highest goal, achievable when you have overcome all difficulties. It is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.” ― Fryderyk Chopin
Board of Directors
Veronica Hawman
President
Veronica is a national Director, Mission Operations for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Veronica is a classically trained artist who works primarily in charcoal and oil painting. Heavily influenced by her work in philanthropy, the human condition – replication of life and emotion through classical realism is a central theme throughout her work.
Camille Gonzalez
Vice President and Operations Committee Chair
Camille has a diverse background in research and training across various disciplines and is passionate about promoting equity in the nonprofit sector. She is currently the Grants and Program Manager at the Mortenson Family Foundation. Camille earned a Bachelor of Arts in Art History, Anthropology, and Asian Studies from St. Olaf College and has studied at the University of Oslo and National Taiwan University. She is now pursuing a Master of Arts in Graphic and Web Design at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Thomas Burke
Treasure and Finance Committee Chair
Thomas is a Lowertown-based Artist, Investor, Seeker, Bon Vivant, and Neo-Absurdist Pioneer. He studied Philosophy and obtained an MBA at the University of Minnesota prior to a long and successful project management career in the technology industry.
David Fallon
Membership Committee Chair
David holds a BFA in Studio Arts from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. As a photographer and painter, he celebrates the human form while also challenging destructive narratives about beauty, gender identity and race. His art reflects his life experiences, struggles and successes, and everything in between.
Leetta Douglas
Program Committee Chair
Leetta is a retired architectural designer and educator, born and raised in the St Paul Rondo Neighborhood. Leetta is a former member and board chair for Aurora St Anthony NDC, former board member of Landbank Twin Cities, and former St Paul Heritage Preservation Commissioner. Leetta has a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Houston, Houston, Texas, and a Master’s of Education from the University of St Thomas, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Leetta is back doing what she loves best, drawing and painting, her first love.
Emma Fitzsimmons
Youth Committee Chair
Emma is a Minnesota based dance artist who is passionate about collaborative work with other artists in creating immersive performance art. She is a small business owner of Pilates for the People. Emma has BA in International Studies and Dance from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. She previously volunteered as Director of Operations at NYC Dance Week.
Caleb VanDeman
Secretary and Fundraising Committee Chair
Caleb is a St. Paul-based entrepreneur who joined the board after working with the artists of SPAC to promote the 2021 St. Paul Art Crawls. He is the CEO of SocialWorks Digital, an advertising consulting firm, and a co-founder of VSOD.io, a veterinary telehealth company. Caleb is a hobby artist who paints, sculpts, and makes noise with a guitar every chance he gets.
Benjamin Mason
Communication Committee Chair
Benjamin is a writer and art organizer. He grew up in St Paul and lives on the East Side. As co-director of the Art in the Hollow festival since 2017, he has worked to build an accessible and unique art experience for everybody in the underground wilderness of Swede Hollow. His pinhole photography has been exhibited at the Solidarity Art Festival and a solo show Unstable Memories. He has worked in both corporate and non-profit spaces, and writes poetry and fiction