Alexis is a researcher, writer, consultant, and educator, whose work is informed by diverse fields including cultural anthropology, acupuncture, psychology, design thinking, tai chi, permaculture, and solidarity economics. She leads Helicon’s work on culture and the environment–including research on how culture can help us address our environmental challenges and advance a more just and sustainable world. She provides research, strategic consulting and network-building for various environmental partners (including Grist.org and the US Water Alliance) who believe that our environmental predicament is a cultural problem, and are interested in integrating cultural strategies into their work.

She also leads Helicon’s work on socially engaged art, which has been informed artist training curriculums and various funding programs. She provides education and leadership trainings for artists and arts leaders in the U.S. and Canada, and she is passionate about helping people developing the capacity for wise and creative leadership in today’s complex social, ecological and economic context. She also directs research around applying new economy strategies to achieve sustainability for artists and cultural entities, and supports Helicon’s work to confront the entrenched lack of equity in the cultural sector.

Alexis graduated Summa cum Laude from Princeton University with a degree in Cultural Anthropology and has pursued Masters level studies in Chinese Medicine. She is an advisor to Food Shift, a social enterprise working for systemic solutions to food waste and hunger, and the Headlands Center for the Arts. She lives in Oakland and is studying permaculture.