Tara A. Houston is a scenic designer, DEI specialist, and educator. She is the Cultural and Community Liaison for Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Her work builds connections between OSF and folks in the community. Previously, she was the Assistant Professor of Scenic Design at Louisiana State University and the Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the College of Music and Dramatic Arts. She believes in sharing stories of diverse lived experiences, especially those historically excluded from the arts. She flourishes in collaborative environments that support intellectual and artistic risk taking. Tara’s design work has been featured at Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cara Mía Theatre, Children’s Theatre of Madison, American Blues Theatre, and more. She is on the Board of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology and is on the Steering Committee for the Latinx Theatre Commons. Tara is an organizing member for La Gente: The Latine/x Theatre Production and Design Network. She lives in Ashland with her muttly dog, Obi and her partner, Eric.