Meet Your Team!
J.Cottle B.A, M.Ed, (He, Him, His) is an Educator, Arts Administrator, Musician, Writer, Host and Advocate. He is currently the Founder/Executive Director of Dunamis, the Creative Director of Petrichor, and a Co-Host of the podcasts Playblack, and Heart Behind the Hustle. J has supported and advanced the work of MassVOTE, Boston Arts Academy, Berklee College of Music and the Community Music Center of Boston. He serves on the boards of Hooplah and The Flavor Continues, is a 2019 National Arts Strategies Creative Community Fellow, a member of the Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice Advisory Board, and the Tisch College Community Partnerships Committee. J's work explores the intersection of art, equity, civic engagement, transformative growth, and joy.
Neo Gcabo (She, Her, Hers) is an R&B, Jazz & Neo-Soul vocalist from Pretoria, South Africa, and the Director of Marketing and Community Development at Dunamis Inc. She has toured internationally with the University of Pretoria Youth Choir and has performed with Grammy Award–winning artists Esperanza Spalding and John Oates. She has been a featured vocalist with the Silver Arrow Band since 2017 and toured with the Brown Box Theatre as a performer in 2019. Neo has performed alongside artists such as Lisa Oduor-Noah, Wambura Mitaru, Marcus Prince in addition to Skybridge, a band for social justice led by Utako Toyama. As a manager, Neo has worked at La Roque MGMT, a boutique artist management company and subsequently managed Tim Reynolds: a young violinist, singer, composer, arranger from Rome, Georgia. Neo is currently a voice and piano instructor at the Onset School of Music.
Jasmine Garcia (She, Her, Hers) is a singer, arts-manager, and advocate for self-empowerment through the arts. A graduate of the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts with a degree in Arts Management and Sociology, Jasmine previously served as the Associate Teen Programs Manager at the Boch Center. She has performed at the iconic Feinstein's 54 Below as a cast member of This is Treatment, as well as at the Oberon as part of the cast of The Haunt. She continues to perform with her band Petrichor where she is a featured vocalist. Throughout her work, Jasmine seeks to integrate sociology, arts management and performance towards igniting agency, finding identity and making connections through curiosity.
Eliza Malecki (She, Her, Hers) is a Boston-based dancer, choreographer, administrator, and producer. She graduated magna cum laude from Goucher College with a BA in Dance and was a Young Artist in Residence at Bearnstow in Mt. Vernon, ME. Her passion for arts non-profit work arose during her time serving as Studio Manager for Green Street Studios in Cambridge, MA. Eliza is a founding member of The Picnic Sisters, a quirky dancing duo comprised of herself and collaborator Molly Hess. In 2019 she co-produced "Laugh Track," a dance comedy show featuring dancers and stand up comedians in two nights of laughter and community. Along with her work for Dunamis, Eliza is an Artist in Residence for the City of Lawrence and a Teaching Artist with the Boch Center.
