Mary Joanne Sofianos

Arts and Education

Mary was born in Yonkers, NY where she currently resides, and was raised in Pleasantville, NY where her love for creating art was fostered by her amazing teachers throughout the Pleasantville school system from K-12. Growing up, Mary was always drawn to the arts as a way to express and understand herself as well as those around her whether it was through dance, music, visual art, writing, or the performing arts. Mary graduated from Westchester Community College with an A.A.S. in Visual Art during which she participated in a summer study abroad program in Rome. Mary was afforded the opportunity to focus her studies of Renaissance Art in support of a scholarship awarded by the Westchester Community College Italian Club. Mary went on to study for a year at the College of New Rochelle concentrating in Art Therapy and Art Education before she transferred to CUNY Lehman College in 2009 where she obtained a double major in Art and Dance with minors in Music and Education. Mary graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2014 receiving departmental honors in Art, Journalism, Communication, and Theatre, and was the recipient of the Joan Miller Legacy Award in Dance.

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Professional Background and Public Health

While working in arts and after-school education programs as well as the nonprofit sector, it was evident to Mary how important the arts are in elevating and healing individuals of all ages in diverse communities and in various therapeutic fields. She then decided to pursue a Master of Public Health degree and graduated from New York Medical College with a concentration in Behavioral Sciences and Health Promotion. By doing so, she was able to incorporate arts programming within her communities as well as engage with additional public health collaborations including working with local law enforcement and healthcare organizations. Mary also acquired an Advanced Certificate in Health Education from New York Medical College and an Integrative Health Coach Certificate from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

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Advocacy, Leadership, and Collective Creativity

Mary has participated in improving communities and health and wellness outcomes through her professional and volunteer work in New York and Arizona over the last 10 years. Mary is extremely proud to be part of the leadership team of two significant arts organizations, NACHMO and the Lost Museum Foundation, that support and encourage people from all over the world to pursue their craft and creative expression. In order to support people near and far with their personal development, Mary is continuing to explore her own unique projects of community building and experimenting with creative collaborations that integrate mind, body, and spirit.