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Tommy Rueff
Executive Director
Tommy is a practicing artist with a Masters of Fine Arts Degree
in Painting. He has taught both design and drawing on the college
level and continues to successfully make and show his work both
regionally and nationally. Mr. Rueff has worked for commercial design
companies both as a Designer and Production Artist. From 1995 to
1998 he was the Co-Founder, Art Director, and Copy Writer of Barefoot
Advertising in Cincinnati. Mr. Rueff left the advertising world
in 1998 with the mission of bringing together parents and children
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Rick Mallette
Office Manager
Born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan, Rick completed a BFA at Western
Michigan University in 1990 and an MFA from the School of the Art
Institute of Chicago in 1994. He lived in Chicago for 12 years working
many years for the Art Institute. Specializing in Drawing/Painting,
he has exhibited in the Greater Cincinnati area, Chicago, throughout
Michigan and nationally. Rick began working for Happen in 2000 on
special projects such as the Gameshow, Lights-Camera-Learning in
Action and Toy Lab. In 2002, he relocated to Cincinnati and joined
staff as an Assembly Specialist for Toy Lab and recently accepted
the position of Office Manager at Happen.
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Lewis Riley
IT/Tech Support
Spent most of his life in Williamsburg, Virginia until moving to
Cincinnati for college. He received his BFA in Electronic Media
from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati.
Lewis began with Happen in 2002 as an Assembly Specialist. He then
moved on to become the Assistant Manager of Happen's Toy Lab. Currently
he splits his time between being a Mac genius for Computer DNA and
trying to keep things from getting too crazy at Happen's Toy Lab.
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Russell Ihrig
Theatrical Director
Born and Raised in Alexandria, KY, Russell is a practicing artist
and actor. He received his BFA from the Art Academy of Cincinnati
and has had solo shows at Publico and the Warsaw Project Space.
He began working at Happen in September 2003, where he spends most
of his time in costume portraying various characters and acting
foolish. He also helps develop new ideas for classes and is good
at making spaghetti.
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Stefanie Busch
Bookkeeper
Stefanie is a true Cincinnatian. She grew up on the west side and
received a BBA in Accounting at the University of Cincinnati in
1998. She has worked as an auditor for the State of Ohio, as the
Assistant Treasurer for the Hamilton County Educational Service
Center and as a consultant for the Ohio Department of Education's
southwest teacher certification program. Stefanie took time off
in 2003 to raise her beautiful daughters Elizabeth and Emma. She
journeyed east to join Happen in October 2005 as a much-needed bookkeeper.
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Jordan Meehan
Toy Lab Manager
Jordan originates from Roodhouse, a small town in west-central Illinois. He made his way to the big city of Cincinnati in search of an education which he found at Xavier University where he currently pursues a degree in Theology. A former grocer by trade, Jordan found his way into the creative world through a summer internship at Happen, Inc. in 2007, playing a pivotal part in running our award winning Lights-Camera-Learning in Action program. Presently, Professor Jordan works weekends managing Happen’s Toy Lab and is known for his uncanny ability to see sunshine through the rain, earning the nickname Mr.Sunshine. |
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Ashley Hollingsworth
Toy Lab Professor
Born and raised on Cincinnati’s west “best” side, Ashley graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication in 2006. For a brief time she was employed in the insurance industry and recently returned to school to pursue graphic arts. In 2007, she became a Professor at Happen’s Toy Lab. Recently, she began running our Saturday afternoon free open studio
where she shares her love for painting and craft with the parents and children that visit Happen. Ashley is an avid collector and crafter of sorts and her life goal is to create something that's never been invented, like a robot that washes dishes for her. |
Joshua Mattie
Communications Coordinator
Josh first fostered his fascination with art and creativity at The School for Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. As all good things eventually do, Josh went south - to the Savannah College of Art and Design. There he earned an appreciation for sweet tea, patience and, finally, a BFA. After a bit of rambling about the country, Josh returned to Cincinnati settling in the thriving community of Northside. He has since poured his heart and sweat equity into the development of several arts organizations throughout Cincinnati. He brought this passion for creativity to Happen in 2007, where he now tends to our graphic and video needs, including the maintenance of our website and e-newsletter. |
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TT Stern-Enzi
Program Support
Born in North Carolina, this University of Pennsylvania graduate (with a BS in Economics - Class of 1991) worked for several non-profits in Philly before arriving in Cincinnati in 2000, to focus on fiction and screenplay projects. Since then, TT has become a freelance writer and film critic with Cincinnati CityBeat and Dayton CityPaper. He has also recently joined the Journalism faculty at the University of Cincinnati as an adjunct. TT discovered Happen during the first Lights, Camera, Learning in Action summer program back in 2001 or 2002 (?) and was adopted into the Happen family soon after.
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Julie Tran
Toy Lab Professor
Julie was born and raised in Cincinnati and presently attends University of Cincinnati (DAAP) where she studies Digital Design. Co-ops and Internships have given her design experience across the country including a stint in L.A. with American Greetings. Julie joined the Happen team in 2006 as a professor at Toy Lab. She’s the one in the over-sized lab coat with two pairs of safety glasses, one to protect her eyes and the other to hold her hair back.
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Tiesha Lewis
Creative Assistant
Tie is a product of the world; a born military brat. From Germany to India and everywhere in between, she's seen it all. She made her way to the busy city of Cincinnati in search of a home which she found in the Xavier Community. She obtained her BA in Political Science and International Affairs from Xavier University. Tie became a volunteer for Happen, Inc. in 2005 and joined our staff in 2008. |
Christine Gardner
Creative Assistant
Christine credits a portion of her original creativity to genetics and spending her earliest years in Mt. Adams; though her talents in fine arts were brought to light while studying with the Seton High School wonder Mr. Ben Price. She later went on to achieve an Associate's Degree in Industrial Design at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. Currently she shares her fanatical Professor skills with Happen's Toy Lab while serving her west-side community's grocer. Christine loves to read Marvel Comics, her superhero mission is to make the world a better place through art. |
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