Meet the KickstART Farmington Board

Board President Marilyn Radojcich is an Occupational Therapist with a private practice in Farmington, MI. Part of her education and training includes art and crafts, creating and using art as a therapeutic tool for physical and emotional well-being. As a local resident and board member, she supports the continuation of having a creative avenue accessible to all.

Board Vice-President Jennifer Liptow currently serves as Director of Research Operations for New York-based Arizent, and has been with the company since 2000 in different roles and capacities. Prior to that she had the pleasure of supporting the citizens of NYC as an Urban Park Ranger and working in Ann Arbor, Mich., for the USDA as a Soil Conservation Technician. She has a BS from the University of Michigan in resource ecology and management. After several wonderful years in NYC, Jennifer now lives in a charming home near downtown Farmington with two beloved and spoiled felines (as well as an assortment of friendly wildlife in the yard). She is overjoyed to help bring meaningful and relatable art experiences to the community. 

Board Treasurer Javier Flores joined the Board of KickstART Farmington in November of 2019. Earlier in his life, he was involved with music, photography, and poetry. Javier strongly believes in the importance of art and creativity as a crucial part of a person’s lifetime education. Originally from Spain, he has lived in the Farmington area since 2008. He is currently a Senior Financial Analyst in the software industry.

Board Secretary Steve Chang is a member of the building committee. A graduate of the University of Michigan, he is a financial advisor. At age four, Steve discovered a deep passion for music, learning the violin and has continued to nurture his passion through the Orchard Lake Philharmonic Symphony. He has been active in business and civic affairs for many years.

Peter Barta is a member of the building and education committees and was involved in planning the 2022 series of classes and workshops presented by the organization. He is a senior designer at AAM and enjoys singing and playing guitar. He lives with his wife and two children in downtown Farmington.  

Anton Bassey is a Detroit native (Old Redford). He attended Wayne State University and was accepted into B.F.A. Program. After Wayne, he moved to England where he earned a Master’s Degree at The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. Since then, he has earned multiple film, television and voiceover credits. He is a proud SAG-Aftra member and encourages everyone to support the writers currently on strike. 

Jonathan Braue was born and raised in a small mobile home park on the outskirts of Detroit and has always been a pathfinder of dreams. After attending Wayne State University, he turned an entry-level IT position with a massive financial corporation into his own creative production company called Woodward Original. Mixing both art and business, Jonathan is a director at his core, understanding and practicing many filmmaking disciplines that he incorporates into the marketing and advertising space. His ambition to create great stories and films from anywhere has led him to become an Executive Producer in the industry and in his community. Jonathan’s ultimate goal is to help make Detroit, and the state of Michigan, the new hotbed for films and storytelling. Jonathan also serves on the board of the newly formed Michigan Film Industry Association.

Amber DeLind has been a proud Farmington resident since 2015. She is a nonprofit fundraising and civic engagement professional, serving as membership and engagement director for Bridge Michigan. DeLind completed two years of national service as an AmeriCorps VISTA, and earned a B.A. from Michigan State University and a master of public administration degree from Grand Valley State University. Amber lives in Farmington’s downtown area with her husband and daughter, and is passionate about living in a community with arts opportunities for people of all ages.

Joe Grekin is the chair of the building committee and was instrumental in guiding the organization through the lease process with the new space. He attended the University of Michigan and has performed in hundreds of venues as a trombone player for several musical groups. He is an experienced litigator, negotiator, and counselor, with expertise in commercial, bankruptcy and general insolvency issues.

Nancy Jennings has been a Farmington Hills resident since 2002. She is a proud Warrior (and for those of a certain age, Tartar!) from Wayne State University. Art has always been an important part of her world, something that her time at Cass Technical High School in the Commercial Art Curriculum helped to focus. In her professional life she has served as the Executive Director of the Farmington/Farmington Hills Education Foundation since 2014. Nancy is also a member of the Associations of Fundraising Professionals, Fort Street Open Door, the District Re-Accreditation Stakeholder Team, Farmington Public Schools Community Council, Farmington Area PTA Council, and North Farmington PTSA.

Lynne Mullins has been involved with KickstART Farmington since it was officially formed and has helped to put together the Greater Farmington Film Festival every year with great enthusiasm. Always a cheerleader for downtown Farmington, she enjoys seeing KickstART Farmington grow and flourish. She is especially interested in foreign and independent films and the artists and art from the Impressionist era. She is one half of Detroit Gourmet Nut Company, which keeps her very busy during the holiday seasons.  

Dave Richardson is the past president of the KickstART Farmington board. He works behind the scenes on the Film Festival and the Art Gallery, soliciting sponsors, manning the gallery, and providing baked goods for volunteers and visitors. He is a Partner and LEED accredited architect with Lindhout Associates in Brighton, having earned his master’s in architecture from the University of Michigan. Dave is a Livingston Environmental Council board member as well as the Green Leaf coordinator, helping to build more sustainability in area businesses. A U.S.T.A. 18+ men’s team captain, Dave’s passions include tennis, art and sustainability. A Farmington resident for twenty-three years, he can always be found walking his dog Carson around town, often sharing a carrot muffin from Sunflour Bakehaus.

Rachel Urbaniak has a background in graphic design and a BFA in photography from Wayne State University. Most recently she began a mentorship with Magnum Photo, London. Currently, she runs a commercial photography business in Farmington Hills. Her personal projects are sociological in nature with a particular interest in the cause of social problems specifically the breakdown in community, the condition of alienation, and its underlying causes. Her photography has been exhibited at
various spaces and galleries in the Detroit area. Living in Farmington Hills, her focus at KickstART includes strengthening community bonds, fostering an inclusive environment, and mentoring youths interested in photography.

Susan Warner was born in Detroit and has resided in Farmington for thirty years. She studied at Society of Arts and Crafts, now Center for Creative Studies, Schoolcraft Community College and various workshops and classes. Her professional career included property management, work as a tile design space specialist, trades and design consultant, color consultant and freelance commercial designer. She has designed sets for community theater and has illustrated children’s books. Her collage and mixed media work has been exhibited at the Scarab Club, Sixteen Hands Gallery, City Gallery, Next Step Gallery, Birmingham Our Town exhibit, Michigan Fine Arts Competition, City of Livonia Invitational, Farmington Hills Public Art Program, Lawrence Street Gallery and KickstART Gallery. She spent twelve years as a member of the Farmington Area Arts Commission and was a member of the Farmington Community Arts Council and Versailles Place Condominium Board. Art as enrichment for the community has always been a passion for her.

Dwayne Hayes is the Executive Director of KickstART Farmington. Dwayne holds an MSW from the University of Michigan and worked in publishing for twenty years. In addition to a career in information and reference publishing, he founded and published Absinthe, a magazine of European writing and art, and later published the men’s lifestyle magazine STAND. His writing has been published in the Washington Post and elsewhere, and a short play won the “Spectacular Tournament of Playwrights” at the Acorn Theatre. Dwayne lives in downtown Farmington with his wife Jessica and their children Logan and Savannah, along with their two pups. A former member of the Farmington Area Arts Commission, Dwayne is a member of the Downtown Farmington Public Art Committee.