Dr. Desmonette Hazly MA, MSW Ph.D.

Dr.Hazly is an Integrative Health Specialist in Los Angeles, California. Dr. Hazly currently develops and implements trauma-informed, culturally inclusive health and wellness education programs for marginalized groups in underserved communities. Dr. Hazly approaches health and wellness from a mind, body, and spirit perspective and provides simple health and wellness skills and techniques that can be easily incorporated into daily activities. Dr. Hazly has developed and implemented community health and wellness programs locally, nationally, and internationally and has collaborated with the LA County Department of Mental Health, the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, the VA Hospital in West Los Angeles, the International Red Cross, the United Nations, and UNICEF. Dr. Hazly has taught integrative health and wellness education for over 15 years. 

MARK TOMASIC Throughout his performing career of over 20 years, Mark Tomasic danced principal and featured roles in the masterworks of the most notable choreographers of the 20th century, including Martha Graham, Donald McKayle, Paul Taylor, May O’Donnell, George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, Talley Beatty, and Agnes de Mille.  Mark has worked extensively in the field of physically integrated dance with the Dancing Wheels Company & School, one of the premier arts and disability organizations in the United States. Serving as Artistic Advisor to the Company, Mark travels nationally and internationally to teach physically integrated dance to students and professionals alike and is the author of the inclusive dance training manual, “Physically Integrated Dance: The Dancing Wheels Comprehensive Guide for Teachers, Choreographers and Students of Mixed Abilities.” Mark’s choreographic work for Dancing Wheels has been presented across the United States and internationally. One of his recent works for the Company, “Proof” (2022), received a major grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts to support a national tour and outreach initiatives. Mark is currently Chair of the Dance Department of Santa Monica College. At SMC, he has been recognized as an “Equity Champion” and an “Outstanding Faculty Member of the Year” (2018-19). Mark holds an AA from Cuyahoga Community College, a BFA in Ballet from the University of Cincinnati-College Conservatory of Music, and an MFA in Dance from the University of California, Irvine. IG: marktomasic1

Sarah Carter, LMHC, RDT, TCTSY-F is a co-developer/co-director of Trauma Informed Improv and Play (TIIP) and the ReScripted program with CFTE. Sarah holds an MA in Expressive Therapies and Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University and a BA in Theater Arts from Boston College. Sarah has 15+ years of clinical experience in inpatient, outpatient, and residential psychiatric settings, specializing in treatment for youth and adults with complex trauma through arts-based and trauma-informed interventions. Sarah also works in private practice and is part-time faculty at Boston College.

Jenny Herzog is a singer, tap dancer, educator, and producer working on gun violence prevention and criminal justice reform. Her project, Chaos Theory, uses the arts to connect community members who have been impacted by the cycle of violence with stakeholders, policy makers, and the public. Jenny directed Moving Stories, a full-length production comprised of a cast of women who met while incarcerated at MCI-Framingham. They told true stories addressing mass incarceration and addiction; stories were interwoven with original choreography and music. Jenny was an Educator with Roca Boston, helping young men at the heart of urban violence attain their GED. She was the Arts teacher at a therapeutic residential school serving teenage girls with a history of complex trauma; she taught music, theatre, creative writing, and yoga. During Covid, she started Tap for Joy: a free, outdoor tap dance program for students of all ages, based on her personal philosophy that it's impossible to be unhappy when you tap. (Featured in The Boston Globe, PBS, and NPR.) Most recently, Jenny produced Hear Me, a documentary film featuring seven young people from Western MA who have been impacted by gun violence. The film explores root causes, stories of impact, and a way forward, through the voices of experts: those who have lived it. Screenings and talk-backs aim to facilitate a broader conversation on effective gun violence prevention. Jenny teaches music, theatre, and film to young people with justice-involvement. She also teaches music and theatre to adults behind the wall in the Massachusetts Department of Corrections.