Staff

Rick brings over 30 years experience in dance, theater, social work, and activism to his role as the Director of Neighborhood Arts. Rick has lived, worked and made art in the Tenderloin neighborhood since 1995. During this time, Rick, has facilitated a number of social practice art based projects with special populations in the Tenderloin and other communities. Through CounterPulse’s Neighborhood Arts program, Rick works to identify and engage a wide range of Tenderloin stakeholders through Block Fest and other

As the Associate Director of Community Engagement, Ach supports some key ways in which CounterPulse situates itself as a neighbor and hub to our greater bay area dance community. They manage the House Artist program and the Artist Residency & Commission Program, overseeing curation and administration. They are also the main point of contact for any local organizations or artist collectives to access CounterPulse’s free and reduced space offerings. All the while they work with CounterPulse’s development team to write

As Exhibitions & Operations Manager, Zoë applies their passion for nurturing San Francisco’s arts ecosystem to the daily details of CounterPulse. In their creative practice, Zoë explores the function of memory, the codification of space into place, and the ways in which the body navigates the ideological landscape. Their texts, performances, and installations incorporate vocabularies of printmaking, fiber, cinema, and sound.

Susan oversees CounterPulse’s accounting and financial reporting and supports with budgeting and other administrative functions. She began her career in bookkeeping in 2011 and has worked with several arts organizations and other nonprofits in the Bay Area, experience that has deepened her knowledge of accounting principles and the particular needs and requirements of nonprofits. Her goal is for those she works with to understand their finances and know their books are well looked after, so they can focus on their

Peekaboo supports the CounterPulse programs, artists and staff by stepping in as a Development and Communications Associate as well as House Technician. Their movements are informed by the ongoing sustainable and equitable community activism geared towards bringing visibility to many artists and amplifying the stories of QTBIPOC2S communities from youth to elders. You can find them playing the cello, flipping through the pages of used books in local thrift stores and listening to amazing dj lineups and live music in

As Presenting Associate, Em Thurin provides administrative support and hospitality services to CounterPulse’s artists, programs, and audiences. She brings her experience across the arts and education to co-create and fortify accessible and resourced spaces and opportunities. A former competitive Irish dancer, Em has deep roots in social dance and folk practice that continue to guide her visual and movement-based art practice. Born and raised in the East Bay, she received her MFA in Art from UC Irvine in 2019.

gg/ grisel torres is a non-binary queer creative born on Muwekma-Ohlone Territory. as a visitor to this land, they would like to acknowledge the generations of mexican mestizo and indigenous migrant land workers in their lineage that tended to the land from california to guanajuato, mexico. gg is informed by their family history and as an artist centers their art and community practices around the body, land, atmosphere, and ritual transformation. gg holds a BA from SFSU’s School of Theatre