Starting Board of Directors/Advisors

Regina Kelly,
Vice President, Board of Directors, Arts Marketplace
Regina Kelly is currently a PhD student in the Rhetoric and Composition Program in the English Department of the University of Arizona. In April 2009, her students and supervisors at the UA nominated her for the Johnnie Raye Harper award that honors excellence in the teaching of English.

Recently, Kelly joined the founding board of Tucson’s Arts Marketplace as the Vice-President.

In Pima County, Arizona, Kelly is best known as the founder of VOICES: Community Stories Past and Present, Inc. and served as the Executive Director from 1998 to 2008.  Over the past decade, VOICES has mentored hundreds of low-income youth to tell their personal and community stories using the tools of literary journalism, the personal essay, oral history, poetry, digital storytelling, radio, and photography.

Five award-winning publications have resulted from this work including a community history of mid-twentieth-century downtown Tucson, Snapped on the Street, and a bilingual oral history of the Connie Chambers and La Reforma public housing projects, Don’t Look at Me Different/No Me Veas Diferente. In May 2005, VOICES published its third book under Kelly’s leadership, They Opened Their Hearts—Tucson Elders Tell World War II Stories to Tucson Youth.

VOICES has also published nine issues of the magazine that is the result of VOICES’ flagship after school program, 110º—Tucson’s Youth Tell Tucson’s Stories.

Kelly’s cultural, literacy, and community leadership has been recognized with the following awards and distinctions including:

•    The 2006 inaugural Every Voice in Action “Youth Voice Advocate” Award in the “Activist Individual” Category;
•    The Downtown Tucsonan named her as one of the “Eight Great Women” of Downtown Tucson in 2005;
•    The 2004 International Reading Association State of Arizona award for excellence in promoting literacy;
•    The 2003 Bicentennial Medalist Award from Williams College for excellence in social entrepeneurship;
•    The 2001 Tucson Area Literacy Coalition Award for Community Service;
•    The 2000 Tucson-Pima County Historic Preservation Award; and
•    The 1999 Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum’s “Keeper of the Desert Treasure.”

Bob Demers,
Treasurer & Secretary,  Board of Directors, Arts Marketplace
Image Acquisition Specialist – Editor            (520) 749-2708
Bob Demers has been working in the film and video industry for over 30 years.  His career started as a studio manager, senior cameraman and finally Director of Photography for all commercial, promotional and programming production at WCSH-TV, the NBC affiliate in Portland, Maine.
In 1985 Bob left Maine and moved to Boston where he worked as a freelance director of photography and lighting designer for television.  He worked with all the major production and broadcast companies in Boston, contributing to numerous industry awards along the way.  In 1993 Bob was hired to manage the Film Production Services department for Boston University’s film program.  He also taught editing, lighting and cinematography at Boston University and has conducted workshops at the International Film Workshops in Maine.
Currently Bob is the Post-Production Supervisor for the School of Media Arts at the University of Arizona.  He oversees the post-production and editing facilities for the program and assists students and faculty with research and curricula required media projects.
In addition to his career in film and video, Bob also is a photographer and musician.   He is combining those interests in a documentary on the power and myth of rhythm and drumming.