Michael Sample is grateful to work alongside the team at Inner-City Arts. He has spent the last 15 years of his career working in arts education, developing programs for children, families, and educators with international nonprofit organizations. Prior to his work in the education and nonprofit sector, Michael was an award-winning professional actor, performing in NYC, US-based tours, and TV/Film. As a musician, Michael is professional vocalist, composer, music director, and has served as a choral clinician with vocal ensembles around the world.
In 2008, Michael founded an arts-centered nonprofit organization, Project Creo (Creo in Spanish means both I believe and I create; the initiative started in Ecuador and was focused on teaching youth important messages through the arts such as believing in oneself and creating positive change). Michael has been working in Ecuador for over 20 years, and developed the arts center now known as Artisteca with CRISFE of Banco Pichincha and Diners Club International, which provided arts programs for youth, families, and teachers in various locations throughout the country. Following Ecuador, Michael worked with the Shanti Bhavan Children’s home in India, and supported the development of Maya, an original Broadway-style musical for youth with Teach for India and Actors Striving to End Poverty. He served as a teaching artist in the public school system in India, and facilitated professional development for educators. Michael has served as a Pedagogy Specialist for the nonprofit Lead for Ghana for the last 6 years, training new teachers before they embark on a 2-year fellowship teaching in rural areas of Ghana, working towards an equitable education system for Ghanaian youth. His arts education work has also included teaching and directing programs in China, Nepal, Peru, and Mexico. In the US, Michael worked in NYC as a teaching artist and researcher with the Metropolitan Opera Guild, a Director with TADA! Youth Theater, and the Summer Conservatory Director for the Tony-award winning nonprofit organization Broadway for All. He also served as a music therapy facilitator for cerebral palsy clients of United Cerebral Palsy of NYC.
As a professional choral director and composer, Michael has served as a clinician with vocal ensembles internationally, including supporting the Grammy-nominated singer Chandrika Tandon and Soul Chants music with the development of the first ever Hindu choir in NYC and performance at the World Culture Festival in Berlin. He published a choral piece in celebration of the Tsachila indigenous community in Ecuador, with whom Michael lived and volunteered, and proceeds of the publication go to supporting the preservation and promotion of Tsachila culture.
Michael has recently focused his work on supporting the mental health of young people through arts programming and media production. This has included the development of a mental wellness program at Inner-City Arts in partnership with Para Los Niños, as well as collaborating with the Work of Art performing artists and Dreamworks Animation to produce Rated Z for Everyone, a webseries for Gen Z focused around important mental health topics. He has recently been certified as a volunteer crisis counselor for youth. Michael believes children are our hope for a better world and investing in their thriving is the best investment we can make as we work towards a more loving world.
Leadership & Staff

Justine Adeboyejo
Teaching Artist, Visual Arts
Matías Anaya
Teaching Artist, Music

Nancy Avila
Accounting Supervisor
Ernest Baker
Teaching Artist
Eugenia Barbuc
Teaching Artist, Creativity Lab
Giselle Barrios
Programs Coordinator


Wendy Cruz
H.R. Generalist
Amy Cuenco
Director of Finance
Amanda Edwards
Associate Director of Communications
Zion El-Amin
Teaching Artist, Dance
Dillon Garcia
Teaching Artist
George Garcia
EVP & Chief Operating Officer
Jeremy Guyton
Teaching Artist

Holly Le
Staff Accountant
Jovonie Leonard
Teaching Artist, Dance



Orlando Moreno
Outreach + Programs Manager

Josh Pedregon
Teaching Artist, Music

Arthur Romeo
Teaching Artist

Dana Carly Eitches Sasi
Teaching Artist, Music
Tyrese Starling
Teaching Artist, Dance

Rebecca Tager
Teaching Artist, Ceramics

Rosanna Tullio
Associate Director of Institutional Giving
Anabel Vallin
Programs Assistant


Board Officers

Jonathan Schreter
ChairBolton

Grant Withers
Vice ChairCapital Group

Patricia Brum
SecretarySnell & Wilmer, LLP

Sam Kunianski
TreasurerSK Consulting
Board Members

Kingsley Afemikhe
Xos Trucks
Eric Coleman
Television Producer
Peter Gal
Dreamworks
Brian Goldsmith
Lionsgate
Kapil Gupta
Boston Scientific
Jackie Harman
COYN
Brian Ishida
Pacific Western Bank
Jeffrey E. Jaeger
Standard Properties
Tae Kim
Collins Kim, LLP
Melissa Passman
Day Pitney LLP
Christian A. Pierce
Actor/Writer/Producer
Kevin Pleasant
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Margaret Richard
MLR Consulting Partners
Darris Sherman
NBCUniversal
Tom Stillwell
Big Fish Consulting
Julia Taylor-Brown
The Garcia Companies
Vanessa Walker-Oakes
Flintridge Preparatory SchoolThe Founders
- Bob Bates Co-Founder
- Irwin J. Jaeger Co-Founder
Founders Board Members
- Geoffrey Anenberg Creative Space
- Wallis Annenberg
- Kim Baer
- Bill & Tamara Bagnard
- Jon Basalone Trader Joe's
- Frank Baxter
- Craig Benell
- Alan Berro
- Cynthia Harnisch Breunig
- Al Brooks
- Marvin G. Burns
- Vera R. Campbell
- Ira Cohen
- Bob Davidson
- Sharon DeBriere
- Susan Emerling-Torres
- Mitchell Frank Spaceland Productions
- Bobbie Greenfield
- Crosby Haffner Synan Holdings
- Eugene L. Hernandez
- Douglas Hinchliffe
- Steve Hirsh
- Linda Hothem
- Paul C. Johnson
- Glorya Kaufman
- Laurie Konheim
- Melanie Lundquist
- Rick Madden Kirkland & Ellis LLP
- Michael Maltzan
- Jay Mangel
- Jeff Marine
- Silvia Marjoram American Business Bank
- Randy Miller
- Connie Moran-Romero
- Scott Morielli Graff Californiawear
- Anthony E. Nicholas
- Drew Planting
- Maura Rampolla
- Monica Rosenthal
- Joseph Sanford
- Martha Saucedo
- Steve Schoenholz Tempted Apparel
- William Schoenholz
- Eric Schotz
- Michael Schreter
- Bob Shearin
- Mithra Sheybani Attorney
- Mark Slavkin
- Beatriz Stotzer
- Katerina Tana
- Joni Topper JP Morgan Chase
Young Professionals Board Members
- Justin J. Garza The Dream Adopters
- Amanda Hovest KBDA
- Michael Khosravifard UX Design
- Toyin Moses Actress