Creative Capital: How the Arts Drive Regional Prosperity

At this year’s Creative Sector Summit, Dr. Tatiana Bailey will deliver a keynote exploring the creative economy’s critical role in regional prosperity. Her data-driven presentation will highlight how the arts are not just cultural assets but powerful economic engines—fueling tourism and attracting talent. Her talk will emphasize the strategic importance of investing in the arts as a lever for long-term economic growth and regional competitiveness. A facilitated Q&A will follow to foster deeper discussion and cross-sector collaboration.

Tatiana Bailey has her master’s in applied economics and her doctorate in public health, both from the University of Michigan. In the economic development field, Dr. Bailey presents nation-wide, year-round on the current national, state and local economies. She also participates in various economic development initiatives and has particularly focused on closing the skills gap. In the health care arena, Dr. Bailey has focused on programs that aim to increase access and quality while reducing costs. She also presents to audiences who wish to be better informed about the general framework of the health care system in the United States.

Dr. Bailey founded and is director for the nonprofit, Data-Driven Economic Strategies (DDES), which focuses on rigorous, unbiased monthly economic reporting and workforce development initiatives particularly for underserved communities. DDES produces monthly economic reports for various Colorado cities, and an international one for a large association in Washington D.C. She also serves as an economic development resource to both businesses and government. Dr. Bailey is an appointee to the Colorado governor’s council of economists, and an appointee to the Pikes Peak State College Advisory Council. In 2016, Dr. Bailey was a “Woman of Influence,” and in 2018, was named “Business Leader of the Year.”

Experience Economy Breakout: Topics in this room will include experience design, raising capital, business models for success, and running an arts business.

• Brian Corrigan // Farm-to-Spaceship // BRIAN CORRIGAN is a creative placemaking artist-designer-entrepreneur working at the intersection of the experience economy, technology, and community development. His socially engaged practice spans rural/urban/suburban communities and focuses on sparking and supporting the development of healthy, inclusive, and vibrant neighborhoods for all people. NPR, PBS, Cool Hunting, Springwise, Denver Post, Streetwise, Business Journal, and Dwell Magazine has featured his work. He is an ArtPlace America Grantee, NewCities Global Urban Innovator Finalist, Knight Public Spaces Fellowship Finalist, and an International Award for Public Art Finalist. His projects have been published in Streets Reconsidered: Inclusive Design for the Public Realm and The Digital City: Media and the Social Production of Place. He is the founder of Farm-to-Spaceship, an Experience Economy workforce development accelerator working to ensure the health of our democracy by making everything [more] fun

• Bernardo Bermudez // Colorado Enterprise Fund //  I am an Army retiree with four Iraq and one Afghanistan deployment, and I joined CEF in December 2024. I love to serve the community and the CEF mission aligns dearly with my personal beliefs. I have been a mortgage lender for almost ten years and being the person that helps others accomplish their dreams is what fulfills me as a person. Being a great person is free and at CEF I have the opportunity to share what CEF has to offer, our mission, vision, and what we stand to share with the community. This is why I joined CEF.

  

• Shakanah Tedder // City of Colorado Springs, Economic Development // Shakanah Tedder is the Small Business Development Administrator in the City of Colorado Springs Economic Development Division. Shakanah serves as a liaison to the small business community by assisting with government regulatory processes, connecting entrepreneurs to appropriate services, and collaborating with agencies to simplify regulatory processes. She also serves as the main point of contact for the Pikes Peak Small Business Alliance (PPSBA) advisory group. As a long time Colorado resident Shakanah believes that small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and is committed to supporting their growth and success.
  

  

• Clay and Emily Ross // Yobel and the Look Up Gallery // Clay and Emily Ross are the owners of Yobel, a men’s and women’s ethical and sustainable fashion boutique in downtown Colorado Springs since 2019.  Clay and Emily ran Yobel on the side of full-time jobs for a few years but are now both full time with their social impact business. Clay and Emily believe that every person has value and have always been in the industry of people. From Emily’s customer service background and 16-year human resources career to Clay’s work with vulnerable youth, special needs adults and years as a pastor, they love people. “We are moved and heartbroken about the state of people in our world and one way Clay and I try to make it better is through our ethical fashion boutique.” Emily and Clay were raised in Colorado Springs and refer to themselves as “townies”. They have been married over seven years and co-raise Clay’s three kids. They are passionate about their family, the downtown Colorado Springs community and small businesses, and you can often find them on the front porch of their 115-year-old downtown home enjoying their neighborhood.

Arts and Destination Stewardship Breakout: Topics in this room will include creating vibrant and sustainable public spaces, enhancing community well-being and tourism appeal, and general arts tourism.

• Alexea Veneracion // Visit COS // Alexea joined Visit COS in February 2020 after spending five years at a public relations agency. She oversees internal and external communications, including media and influencer relationships, crisis communications, social media strategy and editorial content. An innovator and breaker of the status quo, Alexea was an honoree in the Destination’s International 30 Under 30 program as well as the first recipient of the Colorado Governor’s Award for Rising Tourism Star in 2022. When she’s not coordinating media visits and building out content calendars, you can find her hitting the hiking trails or grabbing a bite at her favorite local restaurants.

• Niko Huebler // Colorado Creative Industries // Niko Huebler is the Community Revitalization Program Manager at Colorado Creative Industries, Colorado’s State Arts Agency. He oversees the Community Revitalization Tax Credit which went into effect this year and provides $10M annually for capital projects supporting the creative industry. Niko has previous experience in both state government and tech. He was born and raised in Boulder and is a graduate of the University of Colorado. In his free time, Niko enjoys exploring the Colorado art scene, making pottery, backpacking and skiing

• Michelle Rozell // City of Cripple Creek // Michelle Rozell-Director of Heritage Tourism for the City of Cripple Creek, Board Member the Cultural Office for the Pikes Peak Region, Vice Chair for Gold Belt Scenic Byway, Vice Chair for The Pikes Peak History Coalition and on the Advisory Committee for VCOS. While working as a Special Education Para Educator, I returned to college (in my 40’s) and received a BA in History. 2 years later, I was hired as a museum manager by the City of Cripple Creek, eventually being put in charge of 3 city museums and the Department of Heritage Tourism. I am a self-taught photographer, so visual arts have always been a connection for me. The recent re-vitalization of arts and crafts has been influential in renewing my passion for supporting the creative arts and how it ties in with history, community and tourism.

• Jonathan Toman // Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region // Jonathan Toman builds local and tourist arts audiences, and the Pikes Peak region’s visibility as an arts destination, using the marketing, communications, and storytelling platforms of the Cultural Office and its partnerships. To that end, he spearheads the Cultural Office’s flagship cultural promotion & tourism program, Peak Radar – the local creative sector’s most powerful promotional tool. An experienced storyteller and program manager (and Pikes Peak region native), Jonathan enjoys amplifying and illustrating the value of the region’s arts sector…and saying all puns that occur to him.

Foundational Strategies for Working with and for The Creative Sector

In this closing plenary Rick Griffith who has been a fixture in the front range creative sector for 3 decades, gives a glimpse into the strategies he provides for communities all over the United States, including colleges and universities, museums and cultural institutions. Regarding the creative sector and the value(s) they possess. Non-creatives, administrators, non-profit leadership AND creatives will gain insight from this powerful closing to our proceedings.

Rick Griffith has figured out how to be ever present in Brooklyn, New York, seen in Los Angeles, California and simultaneously—he has been a fixture in Denver’s creative sector since arriving in 1996. He is a former Denver Commissioner of Cultural Affairs, Public Art Policy Chair, and founder and partner in MATTER, the ambidextrous design consultancy with a print shop for the public good, design reading room/library, and a bookstore/venue for Denver’s intersectional community of revolutionaries, designers, activists, and other thinking persons. For over 25 years MATTER has been challenging the traditional boundaries of retail and studio practice to become something intentionally unruly, non-binary, collaborative, and pluralistic. He speaks globally on Design, Ethics, Typography, Printing Arts and his prolific creative practice. His work is sometimes collected and can be found in the permanent collections of The Denver Art Museum, Tweed Museum, New York’s Poster House, and The Butler Library of Rare Books and Manuscripts at Columbia University.

A father, combat veteran, inventor, musician and CEO of Anthem Music Enterprises, TerryJosiah is the epitome of a true Creative Artist in today’s society. He also serves as one of the most sought after educators on healthy relationships through him sharing his story of “The Misunderstanding of, and Overcoming Abuse”.

His awards range from the Presidential Service Award to College Songwriter of the Year (TX) – to receiving citywide proclamations for his work in reminding humanity that gratitude is the key to our freedom. TerryJosiah has already solidified his position in society as an inspiration and continues to use his voice to inspire social change.

For the 2025 LEVEL UP! Creative Sector Summit, he will perform his original anthem, “Olympic City, USA.”

Nestled against the breathtaking backdrop of Pikes Peak, the Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale has been a cornerstone of artistic excellence and youth development for decades. With a rich history of nurturing young talent and fostering a deep love for music, we invite you to explore our website and discover the magic that happens when children come together to sing, learn, and grow. Join us on a journey where the power of music transcends boundaries and transforms the lives of our talented young performers.

The Children’s Chorale will perform an uplifting closing act for the Closing Plenary of the 2025 LEVEL UP! Creative Sector Summit.