FORMER BOARDS

PAST PRESIDENTS

Adam D-F Stevens, MA, RDT/BCT, LCAT-P

They/Them

Adam D-F. Stevens (they|them), MA, RDT. They are a Registered Drama Therapist (RDT) who has worked with the Hetrick-Martin Institute, a non-profit organization that serves LGBTQAI+ youth in NYC. Their role included supporting queer youth in transforming their loss and grief into unapologetic, abundant joy and empowerment. Adam also worked at the Cooke School & Institute, NYC, guiding young people with developmental and intellectual differences. They are alumni of Marymount Manhattan College and New York University where their areas of study included Theatre Arts and Drama Therapy respectively. Adam serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Creative Arts Therapy Programs at Antioch University in Seattle, New York University, and Marymount Manhattan College in NYC. Previously, they sat on the Board of Directors for the North American Drama Therapy Association (NADTA) as Chair of the Cultural Humility, Equity, and Diversity Committee. Adam currently sits on the Board of Directors for the National Alliance for Children's Grief (NACG). Adam is a political and social justice theatre practitioner who has performed, directed, and choreographed throughout North America. In 2020, they were named Artistic Director for the Collideoscope Repertory Theatre Company (CRTC) whose mission is to advance racial justice and healing through artful affinity and performance. Adam works as a diversity, equity, and inclusion specialist supporting organizations and schools worldwide. More recently, Adam has connected with several Broadway, Off-Broadway, and university theatre companies as an actor’s advocate and emotional wellness consultant. Inspired by Robert Landy’s Role Method and Role Theory in drama therapy, Adam has presented on and is developing the Black American Role Taxonomy, or BART, offering space for Black clients to reclaim racialized roles and deconstruct stereotypes appropriated by privileged others. Adam's superpowers are rooted in the fantastical forces of creativity and love.

Chyela Rowe, Ph.D., RDT/BCT

She/Her

Chyela Rowe: PhD, RDT/BCT (she/her), has witnessed a lot of change in the NADTA since becoming an RDT in 2004 through the AT program. She has served as a research committee member since 2018, contributing to the body of knowledge through a critical analysis of race in drama therapy empirical research, a core process delphi study, and researching the use of drama therapy in physician and nurse leader peer-support training. She is an adjunct professor of research at Lesley University, the manager of arts therapies and well-being at CHI Memorial, Chattanooga, TN, and contributes to national well-being strategies at CommonSpirit Health. Dr. Rowe’s work includes burnout education for physicians, nurses, and healthcare executives, supervision of creative arts therapy graduate students, and development of acute medical creative arts therapy services. She has also directed award-winning multi-disciplinary community arts advocacy programs that address issues such as the health impacts of racism, and LGBTQ+ teen mental health.

Emily Faith, MA, LPC, RDT

She/Her

Emily P. Faith (she/her), MA, LPC, RDT, is a multidisciplinary artist and licensed drama therapist dedicated to the intersection of mental wellness and the performing arts. With over a decade of experience performing and teaching across the U.S., Emily now calls Dallas, TX home, where she founded a women-focused nonprofit theater and established a private practice. She earned her Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in Drama Therapy from Lesley University (’21), where her research concentrated on supporting the mental wellness of performing artists. She is actively engaged in the CoActive Therapeutic Theatre Model (CoATT), and aided in the facilitation of the 18-month research study, a collaboration with Lesley University, UMASS Mind, and the National Endowment for the Arts. She previously served the NADTA as Communications Chair, before stepping into her role as Vice President. Emily is a proud board member of the Laughter League, a national nonprofit dedicated to medical clowning, and Arts Mission Oak Cliff, an arts organization in Dallas, TX.

Michelle Yadon, MA, RDT/BCT, CTRS

She/Her

Michelle is the Recreational Therapy Director at Andrus Children’s Center in Yonkers, NY. She is getting her PhD in Recreational Therapy with her research in Arts-Based Research, DEI, and therapeutic performance. Her dream is to start a Drama Therapy Master's program in her home state of Indiana. She is the recipient of the 2019 NADTA Performance Award.

Ana Bess Moyer Bell, RDT

She/Her

TBD

Monica Lopez Gamboa, MA, LCAT, RDT

She/Her

Monica is a Filipino licensed creative arts therapist and registered drama therapist under the North American Drama Therapy Association. Monica received her master’s degree in drama therapy from NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. She served as the former research assistant of the Theatre and Health Lab and coordinator for the World Alliance of Drama Therapy. Monica is a published researcher, clinician at Montefiore Medical Center, and instructor at The Arts in Health Institute Philippines.

TBD

Melissa Killian, RDT

TBD

Chabreah Alston, LMHC, LCAT, RDT

She/Her

Chabreah is a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist in NY, Licensed Mental Health Counselor in MA, and Registered Drama Therapist, currently living in Queens, NY on Jameco land. She graduated from Lesley University in 2018 and is currently working in private practice. Chabreah has worked with adults with Multiple Sclerosis, children & adolescents in a partial hospitalization program, adults with dual diagnosis at a psychiatric day treatment program, and in juvenile detention with adolescent boys with criminal charges. Chabreah has also written for the Drama Therapy Reviews 8.1 and 9.1.

Angelle Cook, Ph.D., RDT/BCT

She/Her

Angelle Cook, Ph.D., RDT-BCT is a visiting professor at Lesley University in the drama therapy department, where she is also the Research Lab Director of the Drama Therapy and Dis/ability Lab. She is an adjunct at New York University in the drama therapy department. Angelle is the Managing Editor for the Drama Therapy Review and the current Research Chair for the NADTA. She runs her own private practice in Virginia where she works with teens and adults at the intersections of dis/ability, chronic illness, and mental illness.

Cindy Coady, MA, RDT

She/Her

With over 20 years of dedicated work in supporting children and families, Cindy has served in various impactful roles. Her career spans clinical, educational, and leadership positions, each reinforcing her commitment to empowering families. She has worked as a clinician in a trauma clinic and on the reunification team at the Department of Social Services in Boston, MA. As a Director of CPE and a private practice clinician, consultant, and trainer, Cindy has developed expertise in therapeutic intervention and guidance. Additionally, she has taught in the Social Integration Program at CSMB and served as a teacher and practicum coordinator in the Drama Therapy program at Concordia University. Her diverse experience enriches her approach, providing families with compassionate, knowledgeable support tailored to their unique needs.

Lisa Moreno, M.Ed., M.A., LPC, RDT, NCC, IPT-CST

She/Her

Lisa Moreno is in private practice in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. She is an advocate for expressive arts, strength-based, and body-centered approaches. She seeks to promote trauma-sensitive, grief-conscious techniques, and the intentional use of the arts as tools for expression and healing. Lisa Moreno currently serves as the Central Region Representative.

Abbie Truax, MA, LCAT, RDT

She/They

Abbie Truax, MA, LCAT, RDT (she/they) is a proud graduate of Lesley University who is currently working in New York City specializing in drama therapy with LGBTQ+ youth, and folks living with and affected by HIV/AIDS. They have been a member of the NADTA’s Cultural Humility Equity and Diversity Committee since the summer of 2020 and has most recently served as the Program Chair for the 2023 NADTA Annual Conference. Previously, Abbie has presented on drama therapy and harm reduction at the 2022 New York State Department of Health Ending the Epidemic Summit and World AIDS Day, to bring awareness to the powerful application of drama therapy in relation to the treatment of HIV/AIDS, substance use, and harm reduction.

Ryan Lisman, MA, LPCC, RDT

He/Him

Ryan Lisman is proud to be a registered drama therapist and serve as the NADTA Western Region Representative. He received his master's in Drama Therapy at Lesley University in 2018 and has worked in the field since. Ryan is passionate about using Drama Therapy to cultivate healthy identity formation and self-narratives. He has experience working with a wide range of client populations through his experience in private practice and in-patient psychiatric hospitalization settings. Ryan loves Drama Therapy and is deeply grateful to find a modality and community that captures his greatest interests.