Board of Directors
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Kevin Bishop, President
Kevin is a board member of Art Impact Project and will serve as the board’s President from January 2022. Kevin joined the board of AIP in March 2020 and has led the board development of the agencies strategic plan as well as the recruitment of the current Director of Programming.
Prior to AIP, Kevin was a board member of Beacon Place Not For Profit, a neighborhood community center in Waukegan, IL, with programming for children and families focusing on academic growth and improved health. Kevin acted as board President from January 2018 through January 2020 during which he oversaw the development and refinement of the strategic plan and the successful recruitment of the Executive Director that enabled founding board members to step away from day-to-day agency management and focus more on volunteer activities.
Professionally, Kevin is Vice President in the software solutions business unit of Clario, a company that provides clinical trial software, systems and expertise to the biopharmaceutical industry. Although a native of the UK, Kevin and his family have lived in the US for over 20 years and currently reside in Lake Forest, IL.
Gary Potter, Treasurer
Gary is originally from Aurora, Illinois and after graduating from Illinois State University, moved to Lake County. He has worked in non profit auditing/accounting for over 35 years, as a Partner in a Waukegan CPA firm, and a Chief Financial Officer of a social service agency. He is married to Carol and has three daughters. Gary’s free time has been filled for the past 15 years with his passion for helping run, and coaching in, a girl’s travel Fastpitch softball program. He is excited to combine his nonprofit finance background with this passion for helping kids realize their combined educational/athletic dreams at Heart of the City.
David Motley, Secretary
David Motley is the Director of Public Relations for the City of Waukegan and has worked for Waukegan in various capacities since 1988. David is active in the community and is involved in many civic initiatives and social efforts. He is a multifaceted artist most known for his support of public art projects and special event programming. He is a volunteer art advocate and secretary of the board for Art Impact Project, a non-profit organization in the Chicago area dedicated to enhancing emotional wellness through creative expression, and he is currently assigned to Neal Math and Science Academy in North Chicago, Illinois. In addition, he is an actor, ensemble member and board member at Waukegan’s Three Brothers Theatre. In his official capacity for the City of Waukegan, David is Vice President of the Board of the Lake County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, the official tourism bureau for Lake County, Illinois. Complimentary to his artistic endeavors, David is a volunteer soccer coach and certified referee for the Heart of the City Soccer based in Waukegan where he also serves as secretary on their board of directors.
Michele Gorski
Michele is passionate about art, community, and wellness. She has served on the Art Impact Project Board of Directors since 2016 and enjoys volunteering as an AIP Advocate for community members in need of support. Michele creates session projects with the talented AIP Creative Minds volunteer group as well.
She is a Tufts University and The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston alum. Michele has enjoyed her career in corporate advertising, communications and consulting. She is an active artist, a life-long learner and serves as an Art Consultant focused on helping clients make meaningful connections to artwork and the artists behind this work.
Michele lived in several great communities including New York, Los Angeles, and Boston before settling in Chicago. She has made connections with artists in each of these communities and draws inspiration from their creativity, passion, and commitment to support each other.
Vickie Marasco
Vickie founded Art Impact Project with the concept of combining the positive power of art and compassion to help people who struggle to have a voice. Prior to Art Impact Project, Vickie directed and was a curator for two art galleries on Chicago’s North Shore as well as design textiles and paper for special events.
Vickie lives in Lake County and in her spare time, enjoys playing tennis, traveling and spending time with friends, family and her three amazing adult children.
Sara Zamor
Sara Zamor is the Associate Director of Prevention at the Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center based in Waukegan, IL. Sara received her Masters of Public Health at University of Illinois at Chicago and has a background in Anthropology and Sociology. She joined the Lake County Health Department’s Sexually Transmitted Infections Program in 2004 as an HIV/STI prevention counselor and treatment health educator and served as coordinator prior to her current role at the agency. She currently provides leadership and oversight to several prevention programs including Maternal and Child Health, Early Intervention, Nutrition Services, and STI/HIV and has served as the coordinator of the COVID-19 Contact Tracing team. Sara is also involved in community efforts to support LGBTQ+ programming and services through partnerships and collaboration. She is passionate about optimizing prevention services and programming particularly for Lake County’s most marginalized communities.