Lisa Apps
Executive Assistant to Founder and Executive Director
Lisa Apps is a human resources and communications professional dedicated to fostering community connection, leadership, and creative engagement. . At TBEY Arts Center, she supports organizational communications, strategic initiatives, and youth arts programs that inspire connection and leadership through the arts. Lisa brings a strong background in nonprofit, higher education, and public service leadership, including roles at Marquette University as Assistant Hall Director, Service Learning Student Coordinator, and Graduate Student Organization President. She has held human resources roles with Boys and Girls Club of St. Joseph County, The Israel Project, and Grocery Manufacturers Association. Her earlier career r includes over 15 years in politics and public service, with experience in campaign management and the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, as well as human resources roles with community-based and national organizations. A Milwaukee native, Lisa holds master’s degrees from Marquette University and The George Washington University and a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification. She is passionate about mentorship, storytelling, and building inclusive, creative spaces that strengthen civic life.
Chancie Cole
Dance Instructor | Lead Choreographer
Chancie Cole’s unique form of talent started while attending Milwaukee High School of the Arts, where she majored in dance and discovered her true passion. Cole studied ballet, modern, African, jazz, and hip-hop and continues to perfect her craft by taking classes. Chancie has been the lead dance instructor and choreographer for TBEY, Inc. for over 10 years, and has helped design dance curriculums for our dance programs. Cole is also the lead coach/choreographer for TBEY’s Dance Team “SuperNova” that performs at several events throughout the year. She is well known for her huge role as the lead choreographer for TBEY’s Annual Summer Dance Production “A Journey through Dance” since its inception in 2009. Chancie is active in the dance community and still performs as a member of two professional dance performance groups. Working with TBEY, Inc. Chancie has experience working with youth during and after-school hours. Chancie is a mentor, instructor, choreographer, entertainer, team player and strong leader.
Myesha Cole
Program Director | Visual Art Instructor
Myesha Cole is responsible for developing and implementing our youth art education programs that support TBEY’s mission and aligns with the creative needs of the community and occasionally develops lesson and instructs the Visual Arts classes. She makes sure that our teaching artists have the resources they require to sustain quality arts programming. As a visual artist in Milwaukee, Myesha is an advocate for youth engagement in the arts. She has helped create TBEY and assisted in shaping it as a fixture for creative outlets in the community. Myesha has a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She has participated in organizing several arts campaigns as a member of the Board of Directors and has steered the Programming Committee as Chair. Her work history includes Office Manager at the Peck School of Arts at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and voluntarily conducts drawing workshops for Interfaith Senior Center. For over 15 years her volunteer service and work experience involves organizing several events, projects and campaigns.
Desmond Cotton
Dance Instructor / Lead Choreographer
Desmond Cotton graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in December 2015 with a BFA in contemporary dance and performance choreography. He is a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and began his formal training at Milwaukee High School of the Arts. Cotton has a passion for dance as well as providing dance education/training for children. He firmly believes in cultivating dance throughout the Milwaukee community; thus, inspiring and enriching the lives of his students. Desmond has been a dance instructor, choreographer, sharing his passion with Milwaukee youth at TBEY for over 11 years. He has also designed dance curriculums for TBEY dance programs. Cotton is also the choreographer for TBEY’s Dance Team “SuperNova” that performs at several events throughout the year. He helps lead and choreograph TBEY’s Annual Summer Dance Production “A Journey through Dance” since its inception in 2009.
Jalise Kerkenbush
Program & Outreach Assistant
Graduating from The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a dual major in film and psychology, Jalise Kerkenbush is a filmmaker and well immersed in the Milwaukee community, creating and collaborating with children and adolescents through the arts and mental health. Before TBEY, Jalise directed youth plays with the Milwaukee Youth Theatre and UWM’s New Dramaworks: Short Play Festival. Jalise was also a videographer at Nō Studios and a Research Assistant through the Nagy Lab, identifying and conducting field work of multicultural stressors through immigrants and refugees. Jalise currently live-streams educational events with The Milwaukee Turners and is working on getting her master’s in counseling. Jalise is the Program & Outreach Assistant for TBEY and is excited to continue supporting the art programs TBEY offers for the youth in the Milwaukee community while building empowerment and embracing their confidence and creativity.
Donna Lewis
Music Instructor/ Teaching Artist Lead
Donna Lewis is a Milwaukee local musician, entrepreneur and alumna of TBEY Arts center 13’. She participated in several performing arts programs as a child, however discovered her passion and gift for music in high school, leading Riverside’s Gospel Choir and several Multicultural programs. In college, she taught herself how to play guitar and has always had the natural ability for rhythm. Donna also sings, songwriters and composers music. She is heavily inspired by 70 soul music and often infuses this in her content creations. Artists like Patrice Rushen, Marvin Gaye, Earth Wind & Fire and Michael Jackson have heavily influenced her music abilities. Donna is the daughter of late local Jazz Trumpeter and educator Don Lewis. Donna realized her true calling and purpose to be a musical artist during college, as she often found herself being alone and music oftentimes was her centerpiece connection. In the 2020 pandemic, she spent much time creating and developing her skills as a musician in her dorm. She even collaborated with a producer named Ambrozia, who is based in the Netherlands to produce her debut single “I Won’t Try”, under her stage name Donna Re’nee. She has vivid memories of spiritually connecting to west African drums at 7 years old, which guided her current mission to follow the beat of her heart and pursue music. Alongside Donna’s rich musical history, she is passionate about working with youth, through arts and education. Donna is eager to contribute to TBEY’s mission of inspiring youth to be creative and push them to their fullest potential.
Breanna Taylor
Program & Outreach Manager
Breanna Taylor is a Milwaukee-based interdisciplinary artist and dreamer. She’s passionate about dance, film, content creation, and writing, specializing in film impact work and production. Breanna is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and New York University with a B.A. in Afro-American Studies with an arts emphasis and a Masters in Performance Studies. In 2020, she co-designed Langston League’s HBO ‘Lovecraft Country’ Unofficial Syllabus as well as the 2021 Companion Guide for Nia DaCosta’s ‘Candyman,’ which was in collaboration with Jordan Peele’s MonkeyPaw Productions and NBCUniversal.
She also co-wrote the curriculum for the Emmy Award-Winning Documentary ‘When Claude Got Shot.’ Breanna’s recent work includes co-writing a reparations toolkit and discussion guide for Colorfarm’s documentary, ‘The Big Payback,’ and the discussion guide for Netflix’s ‘African Queens: Njinga.’ To stay true to her love for horror, she wrote the curriculum for ‘The Angry Black Girl and her Monster,’ which was screened during the 2023 Milwaukee Film Festival. Most recently, Breanna served as the associate producer and curriculum coordinator for the short film documentary, ‘Black Strings’ directed by Milwaukee filmmaker Marquise Mays. She has previously served as the film co-facilitator for the Black Lens’ youth program, ‘Souls of Young Folks.’ She is a former participant of the 3rd cohort for Milwaukee Film’s ‘Focus Finder Accelerated Film Program,’ where she began working on her horror short film, In Holding, which is set to be released in the latter half of 2025!
Amber Williams
Fund Development and Communications Coordinator
Amber graduated from Marquette University in 2016 with a degree in Corporate Communication and Spanish and is currently pursuing her master’s in Corporate Communication at Marquette. She has professional experience in both advertising agencies and nonprofit organizations, most recently working in the pre-college department at UW–Milwaukee. She enjoys social media marketing and event planning. Outside of work, Amber enjoys theatre, trying new coffee shops, and spending time with her fiancée and their three-year-old daughter.