Northwest Folklife Staff

Benjamin Hunter
Artistic Director

A Seattle-based polymath, Benjamin Hunter is a creative & cultural entrepreneur and advocate, and an award-winning multi-instrumentalist & composer.   Benjamin’s work explores the intersections of music & art, community, policy, and culture.  As co-founder of ventures like Black & Tan Hall, The Hillman City Collaboratory, Community Arts Create, and The Rhapsody Project, he builds artist-led ecosystems that blend performance, placemaking, and cultural equity--redefining how folk traditions scale and evolve in contemporary markets. Through his music, Benjamin attempts to connect his lived experiences and admiration for world music into one musical language, scanning the margins and nucleus alike for stories and intersections where humanity converges.  With his primary instrument the violin, he is as comfortable playing classical as he is blues, jazz, or folk. City Arts Magazine wrote, “The music he plays not only spans an array of genres but a huge swath of history.”

Reese Tanimura
Managing Director

Reese is a fourth generation Japanese American who was born on the island of O’ahu and raised between Hawaii and Illinois. Her passion for music was ignited the moment she began playing the ukulele and has grown steadily through numerous instruments and genres. Reese now serves as the Managing Director of Northwest Folklife, a sublime fusion of her personal endeavors with the organizational vision of ‘Strengthening communities through arts and culture.’ Since 2008, Reese has been the Music Director of Rain City Jazz Orchestra, an 18-piece all female/non-binary Big Band ensemble. She is a founding member of the urban folkgrass group, Lavender Lucy, and plays guitar in the all-female Nirvana tribute band, Heart Shaped Boxes. Reese earned a BA in Music Education from the University of Illinois and a certificate in Non-Profit Management from the University of Washington. In 2021, she joined the Recording Academy as a professional member with a profound commitment to making our region a thriving, sustainable ecosystem for creatives and cultural workers. “My folklife is rooted the spirit of Aloha and the vibrant culture of the indigenous Hawaiian peoples that has been graciously shared with me, the wisdom passed from my family and ancestors, and the strength of the female trailblazers in blues, jazz and rock ‘n roll that have shaped my values of community, compassion and creativity.”

Sarah Kinney
Programs Manager

After spending all her money and time feeding her music obsession in her late teens and early 20s, it seemed like a natural progression for Sarah to pursue a career in the arts. Since then, she was worked across all aspects of the music industry, from management to PR to ticketing, and with a variety of national and local festivals, including Warped Tour, Volunteer Park Pride Festival, Project Pabst, and Snow Day in Denny Park. It was while working toward her MA in Cultural and Creative Industries from Kings College London that she first became passionate about finding creative ways to link culture and commerce. She began working with Northwest Folklife in 2017 while at Hearth PR, where NWFL was one of her clients. “I attended my first Folklife shortly after moving to Seattle, and quickly fell in love with the mission and culture of the organization. Our region has so many diverse cultural traditions, and at Folklife we can celebrate them all. I live my ‘folklife’ by experiencing new food and cultures through travel, and learning as much as I can about the history and traditions of the Northwest – the region my family has lived in since immigrating to the US a few generations ago.”

Alejandra Hillon
Performer Relations Coordinator

Alejandra graduated from the University of Washington with degrees in ethnomusicology and economics. She is a musician who plays in multiple projects and is an experienced and versatile keyboard/piano player. Alejandra enjoys sticking close to her Colombian American roots by playing and studying cumbia music. She also enjoys working behind the scenes in the live music industry, especially at local Seattle music festivals. Alejandra has first-hand experience with the power of live music to connect communities and hopes that her work can help share this with as many people as possible.

Emily Silks
Archivist

Emily Silks is a PhD Candidate and Graduate Instructor in Ethnomusicology at the University of Washington, currently serving as the Archivist at Northwest Folklife. Their work combines music archives and cultural arts sustainability through collaborative projects with local non-profits and artists in Seattle. Outside of their professional pursuits, Emily enjoys cycling throughout the Pacific Northwest and indulging in home-cooked meals.

Bonnie Fox
Vendor Sponsorship Sr. Lead

She is new to the Vendor and Sponsorship Lead Position and comes from the small business world filled with a robust entrepreneurial spirit. A former business owner of 4 small businesses, she just loves her new professional path, which is challenging, exciting, and full of new and vibrant happenings!

Married to the best guy, stepmom to two wonderful bonus girls, and mama to a four-legged dog fur baby (the best WFO co-worker!) She tries to bring more hygge into her life as she recently moved into a new home and surrounds herself and her family with plants, cozy blankets, and many candles.

Bonnie started event planning in early 1990, and it’s grown from a passion to a profession, and she still loves it! She looks forward to the relationships she will build with the Vendors and the continued long term business interactions with our Sponsors. “I live my best folklife through music! I love all genres of music, but live and in-person shows fill my bucket and bring me the most JOY!”

Monique Courcy (she/her)

Strategic Initiatives Lead

Monique brings over 15 years of experience in arts leadership, with a focus on arts production, youth education, community engagement, and access. She holds a degree in Dance from the University of Washington and an MFA in Arts Leadership from Seattle University. Monique has held leadership roles at On the Boards and TeenTix, where she championed programs that dismantled barriers to cultural participation for youth, artists, audiences, and emerging arts leaders. She loves working with Northwest Folklife because it brings together her passions for cultural equity, joyful public celebration, and creating space for creatives to thrive.

Krista Orejudos
Communications Coordinator

Krista graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in English: Creative Writing and a minor in diversity! Since 2020, she has worked with Ground Zero Radio at The Vera Project to interview BIPOC artists and community leaders for her podcast, Krista’s Curiosity. When working with Folklife, GZR, Seattle Center, and other Seattle-based cultural communities, she’s always trying to find the right medium to tell their stories online! But in her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, chatting with her friends, and finding a good matcha spot to try next!

Marla Roberts
Accounting Assistant

Marla is a part of the finance and accounting team as the A/P and Payroll go-to girl. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest Marla has spent her life pursuing her passion for dance. “I love how Northwest Folklife brings our community together. “When I’m not working here, I live out my folklife by attending dance performances, taking the occasional ballet class, going salsa dancing, traveling, and baking cookies.”

Michelle Searle (she/her)
Community Outreach Coordinator

Michelle began her journey with the Northwest Folklife team in December 2021, initially serving as an Office Assistant. Her dedication and passion quickly propelled her into the role of Volunteer Coordinator by March 2022, and she further expanded her responsibilities as Office Coordinator in January 2023. Now, as the Community Outreach Coordinator, Michelle continues to foster meaningful connections within the community. Having relocated to the Pacific Northwest during the 1990s, she has amassed a wealth of experience across diverse fields, including bar management, show booking, production, music instruction, stage performance, community engagement, and volunteering.

Grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the Northwest Folklife team, she is committed to nurturing the evolving essence of FOLK. Michelle embodies her dedication to Folklife by leveraging art as a catalyst for community engagement and fostering a profound sense of belonging in the world.