Hi, I’m Elise!

I help people build community with each other. I’m currently designing experiences and community strategy inside IDEO’s Play Lab.

Before that, I connected people at an internationally beloved participatory museum, a voter registration org that activates diehard fans at festivals and concerts, and through experiences I’ve designed myself – like an amateur dance class or secret midnight concerts.

That was all vague. It was intentional! Read on below for the specific stuff. 😎

p.s. Come read my run-on sentences about community craft in my new newsletter, GROUP HUG!

Do you love bringing people together?

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Got a sticky community challenge on your mind? Could you use another person to bounce some stuff off of? I’d be honored to be that person. Feel free to e-mail me here with a description of what’s on your mind and we can set up a free 30 minute call.

Making a Museum for the People at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History

I led Brand & Community Experience at the MAH, a museum in Santa Cruz that went from flailing to thriving over six years thanks to fire festivals, exhibitions with art from grandpas and 9-year-olds, and completely scrappy, DIY creative parties. It was as fun as it sounds. I helped build pathways for the thousands of members, volunteers, co-creators, and supporters who made the MAH their home.

Creating Digital-First Grassroots Experiences at Cosmic

I worked with organizations fighting climate change, expanding alternative energy solutions, and empowering indigenous people at Cosmic, a social impact creative agency. I help to create great experiences for our clients and guide them in making their supporter’s journeys repeatable, scalable, and feeling excellent.

Making Dance for Everyone with Power Prance

I co-taught an extremely amateur dance class for adults called Power Prance. I cannot emphasize this enough: I have no experience or training. I affectionately referred to Power Prance as “an exorcism for your inner goofball” which it totally is. In every class, we learn a simple piece of choreography– usually very silly– to an absolute jam. Past hits include: Wannabe by Spice Girls, Space Jam by Quad City DJs, and Pump Up the Jam by Technotronic. One time my co-teacher and I even danced in front of 400 people at a public recital. It was awesome and humiliating and awesome.

Centering Gender Equity and Racial Inclusivity on Bikes with the Radical Adventure Riders

I’m a Core Organizer of the Radical Adventure Riders New Haven Chapter, where we design bikecamping trips, skillbuilding experiences, and dance parties to empower more folks in cycling and enjoying the outdoors.

Getting Gen Z to Vote at HeadCount

During the 2020 Election Cycle, I was the Director of Digital Strategy at HeadCount where I mobilized young voters through amazing digital campaigns with artists, brands, and community partners across the country like Spotify, Ariana Grande, and Samuel L. Jackson (who taught voters to swear in 15 different languages). We couldn’t be together in person, but I feel proud that we co-created digital experiences that inspired millions to take action.

Founding an Epic Social Experience at POWER HOUR OF FUN

Ok, so, in 2014, I founded the Power Hour of Fun for my 23rd birthday party. I had just moved to Santa Cruz and had made lots of casual acquaintances, but not a ton of close friends. And I wanted to celebrate my existence with everyone together in a non-awkward way. Enter the Power Hour of Fun, an hour of sixty different minute-long group experiences that get strangers doing things they never would have originally done together. Think: one minute of high fives, one minute of speed meditating, one minute of slow motion saloon brawling. It is fun. It is chaotic. Couples and new best friends have met this way. I have had the wild privilege of doing it for parties, conferences, and events across the country and would like to do it with you someday.

Designing Secret Shows & Zombie Proms at SUNY Purchase

The truth is I peaked in 2011 when I produced 3-4 events per week for the SUNY Purchase College community. This included sweaty concerts, proms where everyone dressed like a zombie, and secret shows where I led 400 people into a gymnasium to see Dan Deacon. Every night felt like the movie PCU or the end of Empire Records. It taught me at an early age that most things are possible and people might even want to do them if you ask.

Telling the Stories of Record Stores & Social Spaces with Withfriends

In 2021, I worked with the membership platform Withfriends to spotlight their businesses. Creating alternative revenue streams feels more important than ever for small businesses and creative spaces, and it’s been exciting to tell their stories.

Creating a Resilient Community Space at the Bradley Street Bicycle Co-op

The Bradley Street Bicycle Co-Op reminded me of the power of community and friendship after an isolating year of COVID, and I try to pay that forward as a Board Member and Community Lead on the daily! I’m helping to facilitate the leadership transition and restructuring while also reimagining the Co-op’s membership and volunteer programs.