Meet The Team
The individuals behind the scenes that keep the organization running
The Current Team
Leesa Kelly
She/Her
Executive Director
Leesa Kelly is an activist, writer, public speaker, and curator. Leesa is the Founder and Executive Director of Memorialize the Movement (MTM), a living archive located in Minneapolis dedicated to the preservation and activation of over 1,000 plywood murals that emerged following George Floyd’s murder and the Minneapolis uprising in 2020. Through her work with Memorialize the Movement, Leesa has spoken at over 20 conferences and universities, organized 10 large-scale exhibitions in the Twin Cities and New York, published a catalog of the murals titled Art and Artifact: Murals from the Minneapolis Uprising, and led workshops on cultivating BIPOC representation and visibility in the museum and conservation industry. She believes in dismantling oppressive systems and rebuilding new systems that work for ALL people.
In the winter of 2022, Leesa became a McWatt Fellow, where she worked to strengthen Black history research & community engagement with the Ramsey County Historical Society, Hennepin History Museum, Anoka County Historical Society, and the Dakota County Historical Society.
She/Her
Grant Writer
Kiara
Sample
Kiara Sample is a Ph.D. candidate in African Diaspora Studies at UC Berkeley. She holds a Master’s from UC Berkeley and a Bachelor's from Washington University in St. Louis, where she was a Mellon Mays Fellow. As a reiki practitioner and blooming herbalist, her work examines relationality emerging from perceiving the land as sentient, approaching herbalism and rootwork as intimate practices influencing politics of gender, sexuality, land ownership, and environmental destruction. Rooted in a Black feminist anti-imperialist framework, Kiara's work recognizes the interconnectedness of struggles against anti-blackness, state violence, and environmental destruction, in solidarity with all Black and Indigenous anti-colonial land back movements.
Ashton Musielewicz
He/Him
Executive Assistant
Ashton is a recent graduate from UW Stout in Wisconsin with a BFA in Game Design. Ash is a creative that is passionate about art, talking with other artists, and serving communities. He enjoys creating 2D illustrations and concept art as well as 3D modeling and texturing.
She/They
Collections Manager
Amira McLendon
Amira started off as an intern with MTM in 2022 as the Artist Liaison. In 2024 she began interning at the Katherine E Nash Gallery, which led to her curatorial debut with Art & Artifacts: Murals From the Minneapolis Uprising. They graduated with a BA in Art and minored in Asian and Middle Eastern studies at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
Camille Duaplaise
She/Her
Archiving Intern
Camille will graduate from the University of Minnesota this spring with a BA in Art History and a
minor in Museum and Curatorial Studies. She is passionate about art as a medium for social
justice and plans to specialize in protest art during her future graduate studies.
She/Her
Archiving Intern
Saina Kathi
A developing anthropology professional while strengthening skills in museum curation and
preparatory work. Passionate about avenues aiding the repatriation and preservation of art,
artifacts, and historical sites, and hope I can keep engaging in such possibilities in the
next phase of my career.
Past Team Members
Dani Follett-Dion
She/Her
Past Communications Intern
Dani was a University of Minnesota student studying Communications with minors in Digital Media Studies, Cultural Studies, and Chinese. She graduated in the spring of 2022. She is most passionate about community advocacy and social justice, in particular how communications media can be used to create change.
Semhar Solomon
She/Her
Past Community Engagement Intern
Semhar was born and raised in Minneapolis her whole life, growing up in St. Anthony. She is definite and decided on her goals towards helping build a community that thrives in the preservation and enrichment of each other's stories, backgrounds and differences. The uprising of 2020 after the murder of George Floyd showed her that standing up and using our voices to speak up for what we believe in is powerful and beautiful.
Zaynab Ahmed
She/Her
Past Administrative Assistant Intern
Zaynab studied biology and public health at the University of Minnesota. She is very passionate about local environmental justice and racial justice efforts. She is also a published poet who enjoys creative writing and performing original spoken word pieces. Some of her other hobbies include being outdoors, reading and traveling.
Ale Guzman Huaman
He/Him
Past Administrative Assistant Intern
Ale was a student at the University of Minnesota. He majored in Chicane Latine studies with a minor in Spanish. He hope to do advocacy and interpretation for their community! Besides that, he is a Virgo Sun, Sagittarius Moon, Gemini Rising. He loves to doodle and go out and about with their besties!
Eva Ngono
She/They
Past Events Coordinator Intern
Born and raised in the Twin Cities, Eva is currently attending St. Catherine University triple majoring in art history, critical studies of race and ethnicity, and political science, with a minor in museum studies. Eva's passions lie in collaborative community building, advocacy, education, and all things art! She enjoys trying out new things, foods, going to new places, traveling, and being around the people they love.
Thomas Redd
He/They
Past Graduate Student Assistant Intern
Thomas is an artist, student, photographer, yoga instructor, and community organizer.
Current Graduate Student in the University of Minnesota's Heritage Studies Public History Program. Previously dedicated 7 years at the Hennepin County Libraries supervising Sumner Library and community engagement. Thomas's Background also includes youth work with highly-mobile youth at Lutheran Social Services, K-8 after-school education at the YMCA Beacons.
Shameela Khan
She/Her
Past Content Manager Intern
Shameela is a graduate from the University of Minnesota majoring in International Relations and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. She is a true INFP homebody who enjoys spending time indoors and making wired jewelry, watching dramas, and creating content. Shameela is also a self-taught graphic designer, illustrator and a polyglot!
Hannah Yee
She/Her
Past Grant Writer
Hannah received her Master of Public Health in Community Health Promotion at the University of Minnesota. She received her undergraduate degree from Beloit College in Psychology and Museum Studies. She is passionate about abolition of the carceral system, health equity for BIPOC communities, and making art accessible for all.