Coalition Representatives
NCCATA is run by four board members as well as a representative from each of the member organizations.
Board Members
Amy Furman, MM, MT-BC
Past Chair
Amy is a Past President of the American Music Therapy Association. She has worked in a variety of settings collaborating with other creative arts therapists and related service providers.
She has written articles for professional journals, music therapy monographs and book chapters. A regular presenter both nationally and internationally, her specialties include individuals with ASD, English Learners, and inclusion/mainstreaming in the school setting.
Dr. Margaret Carlock, ATR-BC, ATCS
Chair
Margaret is a registered, board-certified art therapist and certified art therapy supervisor. Margaret has worked extensively with individuals and groups of all ages, engaged in program development and graduate education.
Through her practice, Chroma SoulArts, Margaret offers virtual and in-person creative arts community groups and retreats and provides consultation and presentations globally. She is a clinical faculty member at Prescott College, coordinating the Expressive Arts Therapy Post Master’s Certificate Program.
Dr. Laura L Wood, PhD, RDT-BCT, LMHC
Chair-Elect
Laura L Wood, PhD, RDT-BCT, LMHC is an Associate Professor of Drama Therapy at Lesley University. She is a Past President of the North American Drama Therapy Association. With a deep commitment to the creative arts, with a focus on uniting over commonalities between professions, she is delighted to join the board. Her global contributions through teaching, lectures, and consultation have helped advance the practice of drama therapy, in particular her book, co-authored with Dave Mowers, explores the use of therapeutic theater with individuals in recovery.
Karen Knappenberger
Treasurer
Karen is a Registered Drama Therapist and Board Certified Trainer in private practice. She has previously served as the Treasurer for the North American Drama Therapy Association and as a member for the Drama Therapy Fund.
Jennifer Hicks, MMT, MT-BC, E-RYT
Communications Coordinator
Jen (she/her/hers) is a board-certified music therapist, a licensed music educator, and an experienced registered yoga teacher. She specializes in working with adults with mental health concerns, supervising music therapy professionals, and providing continuing education courses. Jen previously served as Co-Chair for the American Music Therapy Association’s Commission on the Education and Clinical Training of 21st Century Music Therapists.
Jen’s vision is to create and support courageous communities that work towards social justice and encourage cultural humility, lifelong learning, gratitude, and living in the AND to inspire joy and sustainable, wholistic wellness.
Association Representatives
Raquel Farrell-Kirk, MS, ATR-BC
American Art Therapy Association
Raquel Farrell-Kirk is a board-certified art therapist and program evaluator. She has over 20 years of experience providing art therapy in hospitals, schools, museums, and community programs and was the lead therapist for The Power of Art, a Bloomberg Philanthropies-funded initiative that supported the community in the years following the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school shooting.
Raquel’s clinical skills and community work led to her work as a program evaluator. She is passionate about using program evaluation, particularly art based and qualitative methods of inquiry, to help organizations and initiatives maximize their positive impact on individuals and communities.
Marcia B. Leventhal, PhD, CMA, BC-DMT
American Dance Therapy Association
Marcia B. Leventhal, PhD, CMA, BC-DMT, holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and is the former Associate Professor and founding Director of the NYU Graduate Dance Movement Therapy Program and multiple international programs.
A former professional dancer, actor, choreographer, and Director, having performed in numerous film, theater, and television productions, both throughout Europe and the USA. Clinical practice have included Special Populations of children and adolescents, Frail Elderly, Juvenile offenders, and incarcerated male inmates, the Unhoused, and Veteran populations. She maintains a private practice in Los Angeles, California.
Leslie Orozco Henry, MM, MT-BC, WMTR
American Music Therapy Association
Leslie Orozco Henry is an Associate Professor of Music Therapy and
Director of the Music Therapy Program at Alverno College in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. A board-certified music therapist with broad
academic and clinical experience, Ms. Orozco Henry has worked in a
range of settings, including acute mental health, memory care,
community music, hospice, and an intergenerational day program.
Chyela Rowe, Ph.D., RDT/BCT
North American Drama Therapy Association
Chyela Rowe, Ph.D., RDT/BCT (she/her), has witnessed a lot of change in the NADTA since becoming an RDT in 2004 through the AT program. She has served as a research committee member since 2018, contributing to the body of knowledge through a critical analysis of race in drama therapy empirical research, a core process delphi study, and researching the use of drama therapy in physician and nurse leader peer-support training. She is an adjunct professor of research at Lesley University, the manager of arts therapies and well-being at CHI Memorial, Chattanooga, TN, and contributes to national well-being strategies at CommonSpirit Health.
Dr. Rowe’s work includes burnout education for physicians, nurses, and healthcare executives, supervision of creative arts therapy graduate students, and development of acute medical creative arts therapy services. She has also directed award-winning multi-disciplinary community arts advocacy programs that address issues such as the health impacts of racism and LGBTQ+ teen mental health.
Laura Santner, LCSW, PTR-CM, CCATP
National Association for Poetry Therapy
Laura is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional, a Registered Poetry Therapist, and a Certified Mentor in Poetry Therapy. Ms. Santner has been involved with the National Association for Poetry Therapy (NAPT) on various committees and board roles since 2006 and currently serves as President.
Ms. Santner is also a New York Regional Representative for Poetry Therapy. Ms. Santner can be found in several publications and has presented on Poetry Therapy to spread awareness and provide education, in addition to facilitating numerous workshops and groups to promote growth and healing.