Staff

Board

Lory Johansson, Chair | Owner, Just Joh

Juliet Ashby Hillman, Vice Chair | Philanthropist

Charlie Dobson, Treasurer | CFP,  Dobson Asset Management

Kristina Newhouse, Secretary | Artist Estate and Legacy Consultant, What the Artist Says

Golnaz Armin | VP, Nike Color, Materials, Trend & Sustainable Design

Lindsey Bastani | Executive VP, General Manager WE Communications

Jason Joner | Executive Vice President at Wellons

Jessica Decker | CFP, Vice President, Wealth Advisor, HDYG Team, J.P. Morgan Wealth Management

History

Converge 45 was founded in 2016 by Elizabeth Leach and a coalition of arts professionals and business leaders committed to supporting the Pacific Northwest’s creative community by creating new opportunities for increased engagement with critical issues in contemporary art. Operating on a three-year cycle, the first artistic director and curator, Kristy Edmonds, held an artists’ congress in the organization’s initial year, four days of public programs featuring twenty-six artists its second year, and a multi-venue exhibition series in its third that featured artists Melody Owens, Jenny Holzer, and Ann Hamilton, which was augmented by a concentration of public programs focused on discussing critical issues of aesthetic, societal, and global significance.