The Board of Directors

Ruth Marks
Ruth Marks is the lead teacher and founder of Fly Children’s Art Center.  She has a Bachelors of Fine Art and a teaching certificate from Eastern Michigan University. She has worked since 1998 as an art educator with elementary aged children at Willow Run Community Schools, Dearborn Public Schools, and the Detroit Institute of Arts. She currently teaches at Summers-Knoll, a private school in Ann Arbor. When not in the classroom, Ruth works in her studio as a professional artist, making sculptures for galleries and collectors all over the country. She lives in Ypsilanti with her husband and two children.

Valerie Eninsche
I am an art educator and metalsmith and I live in Ann Arbor. I have a Bachelor of Fine art in Jewelry and K-12 teacher certification from Eastern Michigan University. I have been teaching art to children of all ages for 10 years, both in private and public schools. I have volunteered at the Ann Arbor Art Center, and the Michigan Art Education Association. In May of 2009, I completed a Master of Art Education at Wayne State University, with a thesis focused on non-traditional art education. Hobbies include slow foods cooking, gardening, painting, and (dare I say it) cats.

Rob Todd
Growing up with little art instruction before college, Rob developed his need for art-making as a young adult.  While living in Germany after high school, he decided to change his educational path from engineering to art.  In 2008, he graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a BFA in sculpture.  He currently works as an artist’s assistant in Ann Arbor.  “I joined FLY because I wanted to help get art-making in the hands of kids who wouldn’t normally be given the opportunity.”  However, he believes the most important part of FLY is not the artwork the children take home, but the ability to be creative problem solvers.

KJ Miller
KJ knows a great idea when she sees one even though she insists she has no artistic ability.  She lives in Ypsilanti, with her husband and her son (who are both far more creative than she is).  KJ feels strongly that FLY is a dynamic organization that lays essential groundwork necessary for the continued greatness of both Ypsi and the children participating in FLY’s open studio format.

Gauri Thergaonkar
As a student at a school with an experimental and creative curriculum, art was an integral part of Gauri’s early schooling. At home, her father dabbled in painting and charcoal drawing and many a childhood summer afternoon was spent posing for a portrait. Much later, stuck in a job she could not love, Gauri used art to keep her life interesting and inspiring. And so it was that when FLY found Gauri, Gauri felt privileged and happy to be found!

Cyntha Burgoyne

Linette Lao
Linette Lao believes in the amazing power of encouraging everyday creativity in children and adults. She is a print and web designer and teaches Zines and Mixed Media in the creative writing program at Eastern Michigan University. She lives in downtown Ypsilanti with her husband Mark Maynard and her six year-old daughter Clementine, a happy FLY participant. “Something rare and wonderful happens at FLY: kids (and sometimes their parents) buckle down and work intuitively, immersed in their own process. It isn’t always easy to get into that fluid state of creative productivity– FLY is completely inspiring! I’m convinced that FLY is vital to community and culture in Ypsilanti and beyond!”