The Folks Behind the Scenes
MEET THE INGENUITY TEAM

Executive Artistic Director
emily appelbaum
Emily joined Ingenuity in 2015, after returning to Cleveland from the Bay Area where she helped make places awesome through collaborative design, large-scale public art, earthshaking events, and outreach to underserved communities.
She has a degree in Architecture and Urban Studies from Yale, and she has a passion for creative place-making through artist involvement. She serves as Art Director for Brite Cleveland, and worked previously with LAND studio, City Architecture and Westlake Reed Leskosky (Cleveland); and (in San Francisco) American Steel Studios, the Box Shop and the late, great San Francisco Bay Guardian. She has been instrumental in visioning and bringing the Hamilton Collaborative to life.
Operations Manager
russa wenzel
Russa is a Cleveland native who has spent the last decade overseeing all kinds of events within our city! With a strong passion for inclusive spaces and community engagement Russa first came to Ingenuity in 2018 as a Volunteer Coordinator, her role has since grown to Operations and Sustainability Manager- helping to grow Ingenuity's programming, Ingeneers and annual festival.
In her free time she enjoys kayaking and exploring the outdoors with her dog Kovi.


Program Manager
KIERRA MCDADE
Kierra is a Cleveland Native with a Degree in Social Work. She enjoys creative writing and attending local arts events for leisure. In 2016, Kierra began her own performance arts platform, Temple of Passions, to provide a safe space and more visibility for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ artists.
Kierra has 9 years of combined experience in community organizing and outreach and has joined Ingenuity in 2022 as Program Manager.
Marketing & Development Manager
Emma Morris
Emma is a Chicago-area native turned Clevelander after graduating from Baldwin Wallace University in May 2022 with a B.A. in Arts Management and Entrepreneurship. She joined Ingenuity in June 2022 with experience in marketing, social media strategy, and arts administration.
In her free time, she enjoys reading, traveling, Zumba, and spending time with her cats, Lemon, Larry, and Lady.
