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.
Victoria Budesa, MA, AMFT, R-DMT
American Dance Therapy Association
Victoria Budesa, MA, R-DMT (she/they) is a registered dance/movement therapist based in Nashville, Tennessee. They earned their MA degree in Dance/Movement Therapy with a concentration in Couple + Family Therapy from Antioch University New England.
Victoria currently works as a dance/movement therapist in a comprehensive residential treatment center supporting adults with complex and persistent mental health disorders. She also has experience working with individuals 13+ in the outpatient setting struggling with grief, complex trauma, eating disorders, and LGBTQIA+ concerns.
Victoria was the American Dance Therapy Association’s 2024 Leader of Tomorrow Award and serves on their Board of Directors as the Secretary.
Leslie Orozco Henry, MM, MT-BC, WMTR
American Music Therapy Association
Leslie Orozco Henry (she/her) 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, she brings broad academic and clinical experience across settings, including acute mental health, memory care, hospice, community music, and intergenerational day programming. Leslie is a published author and peer reviewer for Dialogues in Music Therapy Education.
Deeply committed to professional service and leadership, Leslie currently serves as President and is the most recent past Treasurer of the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA). Her advocacy and non-profit work includes chairing the AMTA Professional Advocacy Committee, teaching courses in professional advocacy and grant writing, and serving on the Wisconsin Music Therapy Task Force.
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.
Cynthia Holloway Kelvin, PsyD, RDT/BCT, CPT
National Association for Poetry Therapy
Cynthia Holloway Kelvin, PsyD, RDT/BCT, CPT, is a certified poetry therapist. She has been involved with the National Association for Poetry Therapy since 2018, serving in multiple board roles before becoming president in 2026.
Her professional background includes work in community mental health and residential rehabilitation, and she is currently in private practice. She is also a member of the Climate Psychology Alliance (CPA-NA) and a registered drama therapist. Her work focuses on climate, creativity, and mental health, bridging these areas through poetry and performance.