How We Do It

Art is our vehicle, but the soul of our work is showing children that their voice matters, their ideas are important, and their actions can make a difference in shaping the future.

Who We Serve

We partner with educational and nonprofit organizations to engage youth, through projects that are artist-led, to empower conversations guided by trauma-informed standards.

Our Partners →

Lara T Smith

Acting Executive Director

Lara Smith is the person nonprofits call when they need a steady hand at the helm. She’s served as Interim Executive Director for Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty and, before that, International Women’s House, stepping in to keep things running with clarity and confidence. Before that, she spent nearly a decade as Managing Director of Dad’s Garage Theatre Company, where she raised $2 million in emergency funding during COVID, led a team of over 100 full-time and part-time staff, and ran a nontraditional capital campaign (including the most successful theatre fundraiser in Kickstarter’s history) to move the organization to a new home. She’s a Harvard Business School Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management scholar and has been named to Atlanta Magazine’s list of 500 Most Powerful Leaders twice. Now, as Paint Love’s Acting Executive Director, she’s bringing that same steady, hands-on leadership to the organization while keeping things running smoothly ahead of Laura’s return.

Laura Shaw

Executive Director (On Sabbatical)

Growing up as a ballet dancer, and later teaching dance in schools, Laura fell in love with the transformative power of art and sought to find innovative ways to incorporate imaginative and creative opportunities into the lives of young people.

Laura earned her master’s degree at Boston University focusing on an interdisciplinary study of social justice. She holds several yoga teacher certifications, and with deep experience in the arts, community engagement, and nonprofit management from Boston to San Francisco, she joined the Paint Love team in 2016 and became Executive Director in 2019.

Katie Cash Hayes

Director of Development

Katie is happiest with clay on her hands or a craft project spread across the coffee table with her daughter. She believes making art offers space for play, connection, and healing. She joined Paint Love’s 2026 Artist Cohort and fell in love with the organization’s joyful, caring approach to supporting young people.

An Atlanta native and NYU graduate, Katie brings over 20 years of experience in education and nonprofits, including work with National Geographic, KIPP DC, and Community Farmers Markets. As Paint Love’s Development Director, she brings her love of art and community together with her experience building relationships and raising support.

Mandy Noa

Director of Programming

Mandy believes all the best things in life are a little messy - hands should be covered in paint, legs in dirt, and faces in pizza sauce. 

She holds a master’s degree in Social Work and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the University of GA. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), Registered Play Therapist (RPT), and has numerous certifications utilizing play and arts including Trauma and Grief Component Therapy (TGCT) and AutPlay. She first joined the Paint Love team as a volunteer in 2016 and became a paid Teaching Artist in 2018. After 8 years as a school social worker at three Title 1 schools in the Cobb County school system, Mandy transitioned into her role as Program Director with Paint Love full-time in 2022.

Nikita Raper

Director of Operations

Nikita is a social worker with artist roots, teaching and developing arts curriculum since 2014. She works in mixed media arts with a BFA in Drawing and Painting. She has taught all ages and varying intersections of cognitive and physical ability, working with paint, papier mache, textiles, and ceramics.

With an LMSW/MBA dual, her clinical education is focused on children & families, specializing in trauma and traumatic grief. Her training and background in child welfare and nonprofit formation have allowed her to blend social work with a creative approach, fostering community-driven resilience through artistic expression.

Michelle Wood

Artist & Programs Manager

Michelle loves videogames, cosplay, and art of all kinds! Her outfit is not complete without dog hair and some paint splatter stains.

She is a freelance photographer, with her Bachelor's in photography from the Art Institute of Atlanta. When she's not capturing images, you can find her exploring new Atlanta parks on nature walks with her dog Hercules, or trying to hunt down the yummiest darkest chocolate. She joined the Paint Love team in 2022.

Leah Kellaway

Mural Manager

Leah is an artist, illustrator, designer, and educator. She creates expressive work that focuses on themes of character and portraiture, everyday magic and adventure, and inspiration and empowerment. She holds an BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Georgia and a BFA in Illustration from the University of Hartford.

She has worked independently and collaboratively to solve a multitude of visual problems, before founding her creative services business – Kellaway Creative Collaborative – in 2023. After being a member of the Paint Love Artist Cohort, she joined the staff in 2023.

M ALZAMORA

Programs Coordinator

M loves developing curriculum, leading programs, and making sure everyone is as prepped and ready as they can be. When not helping kids make cardboard houses or abstract masterpieces, they enjoy reading and hanging out with their two cats.

Erika Hawkins

Lead Program Staff Artist

Erika holds degrees from University of North Carolina in psychology and a master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. She loves hanging out with friends, spending time outdoors, exploring new places, and being creative through art and music. 

She has loved art since she was a little kid and it has always been her favorite creative outlet and way to de-stress. She loves that her work with Paint Love lets her combine her love of art and her education as a counselor and gives her the chance to help others be creative and find new ways of expressing themselves. She joined the Paint Love staff in 2024.

Jackie Chapman

Lead Program Staff Artist

Gabi madrid

Lead Program Staff Artist

Gabi Madrid (Muscogee Creek Nation of Oklahoma based in Atlanta, GA) whose work reflects upon the human experience, focusing on themes of self-development, identity formation, and the unconscious. . They received their Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Savannah College of Art & Design and they are currently pursuing their Master of Fine Arts degree at Georgia State University. They work with organizations like the Creatives Project and Paint Love to teach art workshops and classes, like drawing, printmaking, and painting, to all ages.

Staff headshots by Michelle at Elle Wood Photography

Sage Bader-Gottlieb

Program Support Staff

Sage Bader-Gottlieb approaches art through multisensory learning to accommodate the support needs of young artists. He feels most engaged working with his hands and enjoys empowering others’ self-expression through knowledge of material practices. In Sage’s personal practice, he is an unorthodox fiber artist interested in dissecting the functional and contextual applications of soft sculpture. He uses an array of processes, some of which include insect pinning, quilting, and foraging. 

Sage holds a degree in Bachelor of Fine Arts in Textiles from Georgia State University. His work has been featured in juried showcases and exhibitions from The Surface Design Association, South River Art Studios, and The Bakery. He joined the Paint Love team in 2026!

Amy Clarke
Board Vice-Chair
Director of Community Impact, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta

Cara Hergenroether
Board Chair
Former attorney, Community Volunteer

Steve Pomberg
Owner/Managing Director of Specialized Printing, INC.

Brandon Roldan
Board Secretary
Privacy Program Manager, Meta

Renée Wilson-Simmons, DrPH
Founder & CEO, The Nonprofit Strategist