Longmont Creates Staff and Board of Directors
The Longmont Creates Board of Directors oversee, advance, and serve the Longmont Creative District.
Eric Kawczynski, Director
Born and raised in Longmont, Eric moved to Denver upon graduating from Longmont High School to attend Metropolitan State University of Denver where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Art History, Theory, and Criticism. During his 10 years in Denver, Eric discovered his love for community development and nonprofit administration. Eric moved back to Longmont in November of 2022 and began working at the Firehouse Art Center, assisting in the coordination and production of downtown Longmont's two large annual community festivals, ArtWalk on Main and Dia de Los Muertos celebration.
Makenzie Davis, Board Chair 
After completing her three year Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Hawaii, Davis returned to Longmont in May of 2022 where she continued her career in collegiate arts education at Front Range Community College as their Drawing 1 and 2 instructor. In addition to joining the Longmont Creates Board of Directors in June of this year, Makenzie also serves on the Firehouse Art Center's Board of Directors as the Vice President. She was selected as Firehouse Art Center's Summer 2023 Artist In-Residence - offering a way to reconnect to her art practice outside of academia and observe changes in the local landscape. During the two month residency, she expanded upon her painting and paper-making practices by taking a deeper look into the transforming environment of her home in the Front Range.
Joseph Perrotto, Treasurer
Joseph is a Principal of Burden Incorporated and its Senior Vice President. He is also a licensed Colorado Real Estate Broker and co -owns and manages 21 commercial properties in the north Denver metro area.. Joseph graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts from Union College in Schenectady, NY in 1995. He received his MBA from Northeastern University’s Graduate School of Business Administration in 2000. Over the past 26 years, Joseph has worked in finance in a variety of Fortune 500 and Fortune 1,000 service related companies. In the 10 years prior to joining Burden Incorporated, he managed, led, and fiscally turned around organizations within the healthcare industry in Massachusetts and Florida through his positions as Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance. Joseph is a member of the Board of Directors of the Longmont Downtown Development Authority and has served as a Board member, former President and current Vice President since 2009.
Jean Ditslear, Secretary
Jean Ditslear, who hails from Ohio, settled in Longmont in 2000. She and her husband established a graphic design agency, Red Wall Communications shortly after. They grew their roots here, doing design and illustration work for small businesses as well as pro-bono work for non-profits and arts organizations. In 2014, they caught the craft beer bug and founded 300 Suns Brewing, a hyper-local brewpub just south of the tracks in downtown Longmont. Jean is grateful that having two businesses in Longmont has given her an avenue to stay connected to the Longmont community in meaningful ways. In her free time, Jean has illustrated a children's book and is mom to two musically and artistically talented teen-aged children.
Antonio Lopez, Board Member
Antonio Lopez is a quiet man with somet
hing to say. His music is like an onion, each layer revealing something more. His adept guitar work and composition skills are never used in a showy way but rather like the spices in a delectable home-cooked meal. The result is a feast of emotions that delights the listener. His latest release, Roots and Wings, won Album of The Year and Song of The Year in the Colorado Playlist Listener’s Poll. Lopez was born in Alamosa, CO, steeped in the Chicano culture of northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. Since 2012 Lopez has been living in Longmont.
Jared Thompson, Board Member
Jared Thompson, Curator of Exhibits at the Longmont Museum & Cultural Center, joined the Longmont Creates Board of Directors in October of 2024.
Jon Fukuda, Board Member
Jon is co-founder of Limina.co with 20+ years as a User Experience Specialist with a focus on UX Strategy, Design Thinking, and UI Design with experience leading human-centered requirements, strategy, interaction design, testing, and evaluation. Most recently, Jon has dedicated his efforts to Research & Design Operations facilitation for scalable/sustainable human-centered systems.
Our Creative District Champions
The Longmont Creative District Champions currently oversee the Longmont Creative District. They are the Creative District Advisory Committee for Longmont Creates.
Jean Ditslear, 300 Suns Brewery
Joyanna Gittings, Obra Arts
Sergio Angeles, Longmont Public Media
Tim Gulsrud, Soundpost Sessions
Eli Kalen, Porchlight Real Estate Group
Gili Wolf, Big Bad Industries
Sabrina Ehlert, Sabrina Ehlert Art
Sean Gaffner, The Roost, Jefes, Smokin' Bowls
Matthew Spencer, Inner Court Creatives
Elaine Waterman, Firehouse Art Center
Joanne Kirves, All Things Social
Catherine Beeson, Longmont Symphony Orchestra
Josie Brockmann, Longmont Public Library
Courtney Pletcher, Longmont Museum
Cynthia Barnes, Cynthia Barnes Art
Leigh Putman, Longmont Museum
Justin Veach, Longmont Museum
Ann Macca, Longmont Museum
Angela Brill, Arts in Public Places
LDDA Staff Partners
Kimberlee McKee, Executive Director
Colin Argys, Marketing & Events Coordinator
Del Rae Heiser, Downtown Specialist
Other working committees, assisting in management of the District include:
- Retail Committee This group works to get more businesses involved in 2nd Friday celebrations, including pop up art opportunities, joint promotions, etc.
- Downtown Street Team This experienced-based group focuses on blog and social media posts that highlight different aspects of the Creative District.
- Mobile Block Party Team This group provides curated tours to local neighborhood group associations during 2nd Fridays in the Creative District.
- Downtown Block Captains This group has a representative from different blocks within the District that meet monthly to discuss issues including clean/safe, placemaking, marketing, events, development and connectivity.
The Longmont Creative District is an important part of the community. In the next few years, it will continue to work on sustainability efforts that are outlined in the Updated Sustainability Plan.