Pathways

Woman, daughter, wife, mother, godmother, athlete, friend.

Alyssa is passionate about affordable housing, the arts, and community and economic development (and the link among them all), especially in cities blighted by post-industrial economic decline. Growing up in Northeast Pennsylvania, Alyssa lived among some of the country’s most formidable and abandoned coal breakers, iron furnaces, and textile mills – all of which, she believes, hold their own beauty and potential for revitalization and repurposing. She is thrilled to be sharing her enthusiasm for functional, meaningful, and beautiful spaces with people who are looking to enhance their physical spaces as well.



Before joining the Pathways team, Alyssa worked for Artspace as a project manager in the property development department. She worked on historic preservation and new construction projects in Memphis, Chicago, Hastings (Minnesota), and Silver Spring (Maryland).



She has a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs and also has both a M.S. in Employment Relations and a B.S. in Spanish from Penn State University.

Get in touch with Pablo here.

Pablo Lituma is a first-generation Ecuadorian-American with roots in New York. Mr. Lituma is Indigenous from Azuay, Ecuador, and advocates for the cultural preservation of diaspora communities in the U.S.A. His experiences of living in distinct cultural communities have shaped a path to advocate for equity and diversity in communities. Mr. Lituma's early aspirations to create equity through community and real estate development led him to obtain his  Bachelor of Science of Architecture degree from the University at Buffalo, in New York, and later his dual Master's degrees in Architecture and Community and Regional Planning from the University of New Mexico. Mr. Lituma was part of the second cohort Rafala Green Fellowship at Artspace and now supports Artspace in a Project Manager role in the Property Development department. 

Kathleen Kvern is Senior Vice President of National Advancement at Artspace.  The core responsibility of this position is to raise the private funds necessary to complete individual Artspace projects in communities across the country. 

Prior to joining Artspace Kathleen was Development Director for Northwoods NiiJii (NiiJii means “friends” in Ojibwe), a nonprofit Economic Development organization located in rural Northern Wisconsin assisting Native American communities.  While there she developed and implemented a regional Woodland Indian Arts Initiative, and opened the Woodland Indian Art Center located on the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa reservation. Prior to Northwoods NiiJii, Kathleen worked at the Walker Art Center as Project Director of mnartists.org, providing her with a depth of knowledge working with individual artists, community building in the arts, and internet technologies and social networking. 

Kathleen has a strong entrepreneurial background and was co-founder and owner of The Fine Line in Chicago; and assisted in opening Studium in Manhattan. She was a founding member of the Twin Cities Fine Arts Organization and has done independent consulting and development work for diverse organizations including the Minnesota Museum of American Art, All My Relations Gallery, the Loring Park Art Festival, and the Madeline Island School of the Arts. 

Being part of a creative community and developing her own creativity and creative process is vital to her sense of well being. She participated in Intermedia Arts’ leadership program, The Creative Community Leadership Institute, one of only a few programs nationwide to provide comprehensive, professional-level training and support for local, community-engaged artists and community developers. 

Kathleen lives in South Minneapolis with her daughter, Emma, and their squirrel-chasing English Springer Spaniel, Daisy.  

Greg Handberg joined Artspace in October 1999. During his 20 + years at Artspace, Greg has played a variety of roles. From his initial role as Project Manager responsible for the Shubert Theater (Cowles Center) development, Greg transitioned to Director of Property Development in 2001, and Senior Vice President of Properties in 2004. As SVP, Properties, Greg is responsible for leadership of all new project development efforts and the the stewardship of Artspace’s ever growing portfolio of Real Estate Owned. Greg is an avid photographer, painter and mountain biker. Photography and painting keep his eyes open. Mountain biking keeps his synapses active. Greg has a B.A. degree in Urban Studies from the University of Minnesota, and received his M.S. degree in Real Estate Finance from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has lectured nationally and internationally on arts facility development and real estate finance.

“My personal vision is to create opportunities for Indigenous Peoples that support their traditional values through art, culture and identity.”

Ron is a traditional pueblo potter from Isleta and Taos Pueblo in New Mexico. He is a graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA) and is an international award-winning artist. He also has a bachelor’s degree in Indigenous Liberal Studies from IAIA. His expertise includes 20 years of community and leadership development, specializing in the area of building sustainable economic and leadership development in Indigenous global communities.

Ihanktonwan Dakota & Oglala Lakota

Cecily Engelhart (she/her) is a Master Certified Life Coach, known by clients as “Your Dream Life’s Hype Chick.” She helps clients who are feeling burnt out, trapped, and drained of enthusiasm to decolonize, dismantle systems of oppression, and cultivate more joy. When Cecily isn’t coaching, she hosts events in the 1904 Victorian home her family bought and is restoring on her reservation. She can also be found spending time with her family playing games, cooking, baking, and dancing in the kitchen. She also continues her creative expression as the owner of Rosie Matȟó, her jewelry and home decor business.