OUR STAFF
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Frank Escamilla
Director of School & Community Programs
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Matthew Cuban Hernandez
Director of Camp Programs
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Art Quiros
Recording Studio Director
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Matt Sawaya
Teaching Artist
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Jaynese Poole
Intern and Media Coordinator
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Michelle Sorgen
Grants Manager
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David Sanchez
Teaching Artist
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Alyesha Wise
Teaching Artist
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Chris Henrikson
Founder and Executive Director
Matthew Cuban Hernandez is a poet, educator, and teaching artist from Jacksonville, Florida. He is the co-coach of the Get Lit-Words Ignite Youth Slam Team and the Hollywood (Da Poetry Lounge) Adult Slam Team, who recently made finals in the 2017 National Poetry Slam. Matthew has traveled around the world, from Duval to Abu Dhabi, performing, teaching poetry, and coaching slam teams to great success. Matthew has also served as the Lead Instructor for New Earth, working in youth detention centers across Los Angeles county. He has opened for artists such as Wu-Tang and has performed for platforms such as BuzzFeed. Matthew brings his artistic and educational background to Street Poets Inc. where he continues to empower opportunity youth as the Director of Camp Programming.
Jaynese ‘Ladybug’ Poole from South Central, Los Angeles and Compton, California is a spoken word poet, dancer and screenwriter. She hosts, performs, organizes community events and holds safe spaces for youth throughout Los Angeles County and beyond. She has been an involved with Street Poets Inc. for over 7 years, as a youth and is now a teaching artist and media strategist. Jaynese has worked closely with the Los Angeles LGBT center as an OutSet alumni (a filmmaking program for LGBTQ young people between the ages of 16-24, created by Lifeworks and Outfest) performing spoken word with Pen Pushers LifeWorks program at Models of Pride 2016 and The Future is Black: Reclaiming Our Power event in honor of Black History Month. She is also a member of 4CLab, a non-profit, providing opportunities for young creative visionaries to share their stories through artistic expression.
OUR BOARD AND PARTNERS
Board of Directors
- Chirag Menon, Principal at Third Settlements consulting group, Poet/MC, Former Street Poets Program Director
- Don Flood, Photographer
- Taylor Code Maxie Jr., Street Poets Alumnus
- Nick Streets, Engineer, Snap Inc.
- Susannah Grant, Screenwriter/Director/ Producer
- Chenjerai Kumanyika, Assistant Professor, Media Studies, Rutgers University
- Rona Mercado, Cashmere Agency
- Robert Perrin, Attorney/Partner, Latham & Watkins
- Sean Scott, Entrepreneur
- Alison Tatlock, Screenwriter/Playwright
- Julie Arias Young, Attorney/Partner, Young, Zinn & Bate
Alumni Profiles:

Alumni Profiles
David Sanchez Street Poet David Sanchez shares his story (and poetry) at Do Lectures USA at Campovida in Hopland, CA, fall 2013.
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