Art is Social. Art is a Catalyst.

Silvie Hibdon - Founder, Executive Director & Chief Curator

Passionate about the arts, the human spirit, and the power of community, Silvie founded Arts Humanitas to cultivate a deeper and continually evolving connection to art. She believes that the artistic process reminds us of our innate creativity, sensitivity, and beauty. As the organization’s founder, Silvie leads the mission and vision of Arts Humanitas, bringing the project to life through directing the event production, community-building, and digital storytelling.

Prior to launching Arts Humanitas, Silvie’s commitment to creativity and community engagement led her to organize challenges and facilitate design-thinking initiatives for OpenIDEO, an IDEO program focused on addressing complex environmental and climate challenges. Her events regularly sold out, were hosted at co-working spaces across San Francisco and at Stanford University, and attracted City of San Francisco officials as well as executives from prominent impact organizations such as Kiva.org.

Em Havens, former Design Lead at IDEO and now at Deloitte, described Silvie’s leadership and impact:
“Silvie is a mover and a shaker and shines as one of our fellows in San Francisco. I often reference her work in San Francisco as a best practice. She has a great spirit, a way to motivate people to join her, and has started a volunteer training program within her San Francisco community. She’s mentored other facilitators and secured local partnerships for her community. As a fellow, she’s one of the very best.”

Helene Thibieroz - Board Member
Entrepreneur and Business Consultant with a focus on Energy Transition, Ocean infrastructure and Nature-based Health technology , PhD

Technologist and business entrepreneur who thrives on uncovering solutions to complex problems through a merger of technology, business and environment. With a doctoral degree in Electrical Engineering, my 20+ year work experience combines advanced research for deep sub-micron semiconductor processes, engineering for leading software EDA companies, and business strategy, development and branding for large technology corporations.

I strongly believe that applying conscientious technology and nature-based science can successfully create practical solutions to current environmental challenges so I created the firm We Grow Green Tech. I have performed various roles as mentor/advisor/board director at several world leading accelerators (Dassault 3DS, HAX, Samsung XTC, Silicon Catalyst), universities (UC Davis, Biomimicry institute) and green technology startups (energy, material, biotechnology, AI, Hardware, Big data, IoT, Blockchain).

In the last few years, I have grown hands-on expertise in various sectors: carbon economy, biomimicry, ocean regenerative technologies, plant-based and microbiome ecosystem, waste circular model, and smart building sectors. I also managed several internships with various universities focusing on forging the next generation of entrepreneurs required to tackle challenges inherent to green technology sector.

Tejal Shah - Treasurer and Secretary, Board Member

VP Investment Banking | Founder-Turned-Financier | Early-Stage Investor & Startup Advisor.

Investment banker and founder, bridging operational strategy with complex capital structuring. Proven ability to scale businesses from zero to $400M+ and raise significant venture funding. Currently at US Capital, leading full-stack capital raising and designs financing solutions for client expansion. Driving these outcomes by leveraging an extensive, trusted network, spanning venture capital, family offices, strategic corporates, and private credit, mastering the art of connecting the right investors to clients based on stage, size, and industry to accelerate deal execution. Offers over a decade of experience in the startup ecosystem, backed by strong financial services expertise in deal structuring, budgeting, and tax considerations. A mechanical engineering background provides a critical edge in evaluating tech-driven business models and an appreciation of emerging technologies.

Allison Dong - Program Manager

Allie Dong grew up with the opportunity to visit National Parks throughout the year with her family and friends, with her favorites being Yosemite, Arches (UT), and Haleakala (HI). She was fortunate enough to grow up in the San Francisco Bay Area with easy access to the outdoors for hiking and camping. She has always been an admirer, rather than a practitioner of art, and continues to learn from her peers. When she travels, she enjoys wandering through art museums and getting lost in ancient cities.

Allie brings several years of Program Management experience with the federal government to Arts Humanitas, and looks forward to applying the knowledge she has learned to help build relationships with the community and sustainable programming for the organization. She spends her time volunteering at various nonprofit organizations, including local animal shelters, as a way to give back to the community that raised her.

Stu Nolan - Community Development

Stu Nolan (they/them) is a queer writer and producer living on the unceded Ohlone lands of Oakland, California. They are interested in the intersection of community engagement, storytelling, and environmental stewardship and the ways we can deepen our connections with one another and with the more-than-human world. From arts non-profits, to public media, to podcasting, Stu's work has brought them into organizations including: ITVS, RadioWest KUER, Voxtopica, Sundance Film Festival, and 826 Valencia. Whether the medium is soil or stories, they are passionate about working collaboratively to seed a future where living beings thrive.

Their creative work explores the dynamic interactions between internal and external environments, ecological kinships, and emotional landscapes. Stu's first chapbookFor The Compost won the 2022 Flume Press Chapbook Contest judged by José Antonio Rodríguez, and their work has been published by Arcturus Magazine, GirlsRightTheWorld, Leopardskin & Limes, Scribendi, and by Humans and Nature Digital Press. Their poems appear in the anthologies In The Garden: Community Storytelling on Food, Ecology, and Place published by Torrey House Press, and in Distilled Devotion: A Trans Poetry Anthology. 

GRANTS
Center for Cultural Innovation, Los Angeles, CA

FOUNDING PRIVATE DONORS
Lalo Davis, Arun Bordoloi, Adrian Danieli, Olga Collins, John Balbach, Tehal Shah, Nathalie Brochstein, Peter Fowler, William Nighan, Josh Baillon, Bianca Beatty, Roys Gureli, Elle Shelley Black, Carla Rz, Dana Hermanssen, Ryan Medeiros.