Banner Image: Patsaouras Transit Plaza at Los Angeles Union Station mural by artist Richard Wyatt.
our team
James Catterall, Ph.D.
Director, Co-Founder
In July 2011, Dr. Catterall co-founded the Centers for Research on Creativity, based in Los Angeles and London, UK.. Dr. Catterall is Professor Emeritus and past Chair of the Faculty at the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies and an Affiliate Faculty member at the UCLA Center for Culture, Brain, and Development. His groundbreaking research and analysis in arts education focuses on measurement of children’s cognitive and social development and motivation in the context of learning in the arts. He is the author of The Creativity Playbook (2015) and Doing Well and Doing Good by Doing Art, a 12-year longitudinal study of the effects of learning in the arts on the achievements and values of young adults (2009). In 2012, Dr. Catterall and colleagues Prof. Susan Dumais (LSU) and Prof. Gillian Hampden-Thompson (York University, U.K), published The Arts and Achievement in At-risk Youth: Findings from Four Longitudinal Studies, published by the National Endowment for the Arts. Professor Catterall holds degrees in economics (with honors) from Princeton University and Public Policy Analysis from the University of Minnesota; he holds a Ph.D. in Educational Policy Analysis/Learning Studies from Stanford University. He is an accomplished cellist and bassist and performs with the Topanga Symphony Orchestra.
Rebecca Catterall, MAT
Director, Senior Research Associate
Ms. Catterall is a principal client contact and lead researcher and also serves as an observer, survey administrator, focus group facilitator, and interviewer in the field. She contributes to evaluation plan design and implementation, and report writing. She served as Associate Director of Admissions at Viewpoint School in Calabasas, CA and held several positions at Brentwood School in Los Angeles, including Dean of Faculty. She has taught History, English, Cultural Studies and other core and elective curriculum in middle and high school classrooms in California, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. She has taught adults online through California National University and Learning Tree University. Ms. Catteral received her Master of Arts in Teaching from Antioch Graduate School of Education in Keene, NH and is an award winning ceramics artist.
Director, Senior Research Associate
Ms. Catterall is a principal client contact and lead researcher and also serves as an observer, survey administrator, focus group facilitator, and interviewer in the field. She contributes to evaluation plan design and implementation, and report writing. She served as Associate Director of Admissions at Viewpoint School in Calabasas, CA and held several positions at Brentwood School in Los Angeles, including Dean of Faculty. She has taught History, English, Cultural Studies and other core and elective curriculum in middle and high school classrooms in California, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. She has taught adults online through California National University and Learning Tree University. Ms. Catteral received her Master of Arts in Teaching from Antioch Graduate School of Education in Keene, NH and is an award winning ceramics artist.
Kim Zanti
Associate Director
Ms. Zanti is a principal client contact and project coordinator. She contributes to evaluation plan design, field research, and oversees administrative and business operations, including recruitment, training, and systems development. In the public benefit arts arena, she enjoyed a 20-year career working with performing, visual, and literary arts programs and organizations. She established sustainable development departments for the Los Angeles County Arts Commission's Arts For All Initiative and Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum. She serves as a strategic planning consultant to Pacific Resident Theatre in Venice, California and a grant writer and development mentor to Get Lit - Words Ignite in Los Angeles. Previously, she served as a development consultant to Arts for LA, California State Summer School for the Arts Foundation, Dry Creek Arts Fellowship, Urban Possibilities, and others. Ms. Zanti serves on the editorial board of the Messenger Mountain News and is the founder of the Transport Topanga Literary Festival.
Associate Director
Ms. Zanti is a principal client contact and project coordinator. She contributes to evaluation plan design, field research, and oversees administrative and business operations, including recruitment, training, and systems development. In the public benefit arts arena, she enjoyed a 20-year career working with performing, visual, and literary arts programs and organizations. She established sustainable development departments for the Los Angeles County Arts Commission's Arts For All Initiative and Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum. She serves as a strategic planning consultant to Pacific Resident Theatre in Venice, California and a grant writer and development mentor to Get Lit - Words Ignite in Los Angeles. Previously, she served as a development consultant to Arts for LA, California State Summer School for the Arts Foundation, Dry Creek Arts Fellowship, Urban Possibilities, and others. Ms. Zanti serves on the editorial board of the Messenger Mountain News and is the founder of the Transport Topanga Literary Festival.
Anne Bamford, Ph.D. MA CA, B.Ed., Dip Teach
Co-Founder
Dr. Bamford is currently Professor at the University of the Arts London and Director of the International Research Agency. Anne has been recognized nationally and internationally for her research in arts, education, emerging literacies, and visual communication. She is an expert in the international dimension of education and through her research, she has pursued issues of innovation, social impact, equity, and diversity. A World Scholar for UNESCO, Anne has conducted national educational impact and evaluation studies for the governments of Denmark, The Netherlands, Belgium, Iceland, Hong Kong, and Norway. Amongst her numerous articles and book chapters, Anne is author of the “Wow Factor: Global research compendium on the impact of the arts in education” which has been published in five languages and distributed in more than 40 countries. Anne has won a number of educational awards including for Best Educational Research, the National Teaching Award and was a runner-up in the British Female Innovator of the Year award. Professor Bamford is a Freeman of the Guild of Educators, a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, Dip Teach Professor, University of the Arts, London U.K., Founder of The Engine Room, Wimbledon College of Art, Author of The Wow Factor, Global Research Compendium on the Impact of the Arts in Education. New York: Waxmann. (2006), and Recipient of the National Teaching Award (UK).
Co-Founder
Dr. Bamford is currently Professor at the University of the Arts London and Director of the International Research Agency. Anne has been recognized nationally and internationally for her research in arts, education, emerging literacies, and visual communication. She is an expert in the international dimension of education and through her research, she has pursued issues of innovation, social impact, equity, and diversity. A World Scholar for UNESCO, Anne has conducted national educational impact and evaluation studies for the governments of Denmark, The Netherlands, Belgium, Iceland, Hong Kong, and Norway. Amongst her numerous articles and book chapters, Anne is author of the “Wow Factor: Global research compendium on the impact of the arts in education” which has been published in five languages and distributed in more than 40 countries. Anne has won a number of educational awards including for Best Educational Research, the National Teaching Award and was a runner-up in the British Female Innovator of the Year award. Professor Bamford is a Freeman of the Guild of Educators, a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, Dip Teach Professor, University of the Arts, London U.K., Founder of The Engine Room, Wimbledon College of Art, Author of The Wow Factor, Global Research Compendium on the Impact of the Arts in Education. New York: Waxmann. (2006), and Recipient of the National Teaching Award (UK).
Mark Runco, Ph.D.
Senior Affiliated Scholar
Dr. Runco has studied creativity and innovation for 35 years. He holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology and is Professor at the University of Georgia, as well as Distinguished Research Fellow at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology. He is founding Editor of the Creativity Research Journal and is on the Editorial Board of Creativity and Innovation Management, the Journal of Creative Behavior and various other academic journals. He is co-editor of the Encyclopedia of Creativity (1999, 2011) and in 2015 he collaborated with the International Center for Studies in Creativity to introduce two new academic journals, Business Creativity and the Creative Economy and the Journal of Genius and Eminence. His textbook Creativity: Research, development, and practice (Academic Press, 2010) has been translated into six languages and was revised and expanded in 2014.
Dr. Runco was Adjunct Professor at the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration and the Torrance Professor and Director of the Torrance Creativity Center at UGA. He is Past President of the American Psychological Association’s Division 10. Dr. Runco has published approximately 200 articles, chapters, and books on creativity and innovation.
Senior Affiliated Scholar
Dr. Runco has studied creativity and innovation for 35 years. He holds a Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology and is Professor at the University of Georgia, as well as Distinguished Research Fellow at the American Institute for Behavioral Research and Technology. He is founding Editor of the Creativity Research Journal and is on the Editorial Board of Creativity and Innovation Management, the Journal of Creative Behavior and various other academic journals. He is co-editor of the Encyclopedia of Creativity (1999, 2011) and in 2015 he collaborated with the International Center for Studies in Creativity to introduce two new academic journals, Business Creativity and the Creative Economy and the Journal of Genius and Eminence. His textbook Creativity: Research, development, and practice (Academic Press, 2010) has been translated into six languages and was revised and expanded in 2014.
Dr. Runco was Adjunct Professor at the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration and the Torrance Professor and Director of the Torrance Creativity Center at UGA. He is Past President of the American Psychological Association’s Division 10. Dr. Runco has published approximately 200 articles, chapters, and books on creativity and innovation.
Dr. Sherry Kerr
Senior Research Associate
Dr. Kerr provides professional development, leads seminars, conducts university master classes and works closely with schools to integrate arts across the curriculum. She applies current research on the adolescent brain to dynamic arts-infused learning strategies that engage diverse learners, even the most reluctant. She has taught integrated arts classes at Harvard University, New York University, Brock University (Canada), Cal State University, Louisiana State University and graduate courses at Centenary College. She has worked with hundreds of teachers in over fifty schools from Los Angeles to New York, New Orleans to Michigan, graduate level to grammar school. Dr. Kerr served as an instructional consultant for the Annenberg Metropolitan Project, Teach for America, Sylvan Learning Systems, Advanced School Management Program UCLA, The Galef Institute, Los Angeles Educational Partnership, LEARN Reform Initiative of California, Canter Associates, and the Arts Branch of Los Angeles Unified School District. She was a classroom teacher in New York City, Los Angeles, New Orleans and a teaching artist for Los Angeles Unified School District. Sherry received her Ed.D. from the University of California Los Angeles and her B.S. from Louisiana State University. She received pre- and post-graduate arts and drama instruction at University of Central England, Oxford University, London Regents College and the London Shakespearean Studio.
Senior Research Associate
Dr. Kerr provides professional development, leads seminars, conducts university master classes and works closely with schools to integrate arts across the curriculum. She applies current research on the adolescent brain to dynamic arts-infused learning strategies that engage diverse learners, even the most reluctant. She has taught integrated arts classes at Harvard University, New York University, Brock University (Canada), Cal State University, Louisiana State University and graduate courses at Centenary College. She has worked with hundreds of teachers in over fifty schools from Los Angeles to New York, New Orleans to Michigan, graduate level to grammar school. Dr. Kerr served as an instructional consultant for the Annenberg Metropolitan Project, Teach for America, Sylvan Learning Systems, Advanced School Management Program UCLA, The Galef Institute, Los Angeles Educational Partnership, LEARN Reform Initiative of California, Canter Associates, and the Arts Branch of Los Angeles Unified School District. She was a classroom teacher in New York City, Los Angeles, New Orleans and a teaching artist for Los Angeles Unified School District. Sherry received her Ed.D. from the University of California Los Angeles and her B.S. from Louisiana State University. She received pre- and post-graduate arts and drama instruction at University of Central England, Oxford University, London Regents College and the London Shakespearean Studio.
Gabrielle Arenge, MPhil
Research Associate
Ms. Arenge served as Dr. Catterall's primary research assistant from May 2015 - September 2015 and currently works remotely as a Research Associate. She designs CRoC research projects and data collection tools, analyzes and synthesizes data and drafts annual reports for projects worldwide. She is also the Curriculum Manager and HIV Education Project Coordinator for Young 1ove, a health and education Non-Governmental Organization in Gaborone, Botswana. Over the past five years, Ms. Arenge has led several start-up, sustainable development initiatives in East Africa, presented on students’ role in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals at the UK House of Lords, and conducted research on creative pedagogies and creative community building. In all of her work, Ms. Arenge works with communities to design and implement evidence-based interventions as a means to promote quality education and create equitable, innovative, and sustainable solutions to society's greatest challenges. She received a BA in Psychology, Public Policy & Community Action and Art from Connecticut College in 2014 and an MPhil in Education from the University of Cambridge in 2016. While briefly residing in Topanga, she won the Topanga Messenger’s Annual Poetry Contest with her piece, Topanga Kids. She is an avid ceramicist, who is often seen wearing one of her signature, multi-purpose paperclips somewhere on her clothes.
Research Associate
Ms. Arenge served as Dr. Catterall's primary research assistant from May 2015 - September 2015 and currently works remotely as a Research Associate. She designs CRoC research projects and data collection tools, analyzes and synthesizes data and drafts annual reports for projects worldwide. She is also the Curriculum Manager and HIV Education Project Coordinator for Young 1ove, a health and education Non-Governmental Organization in Gaborone, Botswana. Over the past five years, Ms. Arenge has led several start-up, sustainable development initiatives in East Africa, presented on students’ role in achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals at the UK House of Lords, and conducted research on creative pedagogies and creative community building. In all of her work, Ms. Arenge works with communities to design and implement evidence-based interventions as a means to promote quality education and create equitable, innovative, and sustainable solutions to society's greatest challenges. She received a BA in Psychology, Public Policy & Community Action and Art from Connecticut College in 2014 and an MPhil in Education from the University of Cambridge in 2016. While briefly residing in Topanga, she won the Topanga Messenger’s Annual Poetry Contest with her piece, Topanga Kids. She is an avid ceramicist, who is often seen wearing one of her signature, multi-purpose paperclips somewhere on her clothes.
Tameé Seidling
Chief Financial Officer
After a successful 25-year career in the commercial and residential relocation industry, Ms. Seidling made a career change to follow her passion and graduated summa cum laude from California State University at Northridge with a degree in Theatre. She then founded the Big Tent Theatre Troupe, presenting a range of children's theatre productions tailored to elementary school curricula. She has also produced and performed her solo show “…a beacon of light" for family advocacy and education groups. Ms. Seidling is a certified, bonded tax preparer for the state of California and lives in Los Angeles.
Chief Financial Officer
After a successful 25-year career in the commercial and residential relocation industry, Ms. Seidling made a career change to follow her passion and graduated summa cum laude from California State University at Northridge with a degree in Theatre. She then founded the Big Tent Theatre Troupe, presenting a range of children's theatre productions tailored to elementary school curricula. She has also produced and performed her solo show “…a beacon of light" for family advocacy and education groups. Ms. Seidling is a certified, bonded tax preparer for the state of California and lives in Los Angeles.
FIELD RESEARCHERS
Noelle Adames (London/UK), Rhianna Casesa, Nellie Chaban, Dempsey Davis, Diane Friedlaender, Christopher 'Kit' Goode, Holli Hennessey, Jennifer Johnson, Lisa Johnson-Davis, Tina Kendrick, Jessica Lowry, Kelly Simms, Steve Tracey
Noelle Adames (London/UK), Rhianna Casesa, Nellie Chaban, Dempsey Davis, Diane Friedlaender, Christopher 'Kit' Goode, Holli Hennessey, Jennifer Johnson, Lisa Johnson-Davis, Tina Kendrick, Jessica Lowry, Kelly Simms, Steve Tracey
ADVISORS
Many colleagues have been instrumental to the development of CRoC and the Next Generation Creativity Survey, including Steven Lavine, President, California Institute for the Arts; Malissa Ferruzi Shriver, Executive Director, California Turnaround Arts Initiative; Dr. Kristen Paglia, CEO P.S. ARTS; Eric Booth, The Juilliard School, Lincoln Center, Columbia College of Chicago; Robin Lithgow, Senior Arts Administrator (retired), Arts Education Branch, Los Angeles Unified School District; Linda Johannesen; and Lisa Mitchell, Disney Theatrical Productions, NY.
Many colleagues have been instrumental to the development of CRoC and the Next Generation Creativity Survey, including Steven Lavine, President, California Institute for the Arts; Malissa Ferruzi Shriver, Executive Director, California Turnaround Arts Initiative; Dr. Kristen Paglia, CEO P.S. ARTS; Eric Booth, The Juilliard School, Lincoln Center, Columbia College of Chicago; Robin Lithgow, Senior Arts Administrator (retired), Arts Education Branch, Los Angeles Unified School District; Linda Johannesen; and Lisa Mitchell, Disney Theatrical Productions, NY.
And, our comic yet profound ally in innovation, the inventor Gyro Gearloose. He solved problems best when birds nested in his thinking cap. Created by Carl Barks for The Walt Disney Company, Gyro was a friend to Donald Duck. His workbench was full of gewgaws, gimcracks, gadgets, and gizmos. Gyro represents to CRoC the freewheeling spirit of experimentation that children engage in, when given the means, motive(s), and opportunity.
