CREATE BIRMINGHAM STAFF
MEGHANN BRIDGEMAN
President & CEO
With over thirteen years of nonprofit leadership experience, Meghann excels in developing community partnerships and building organizational capacity through program management, fundraising, and strategic planning. Prior to joining Create in 2021, she served as Vice President of Social Ventures at Per Scholas, a national organization advancing economic equity through training under-represented talent for high-growth tech careers. Meghann spent a decade as Artistic Director & Chief Operating Officer of the San Angelo Civic Ballet in San Angelo, Texas, where she was also a founding board member of the San Angelo Performing Arts Center. As a performing artist herself, Meghann was a dancer with the Alabama Ballet and Ballet Austin and studied dance at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. She holds an MBA from SMU’s Cox School of Business and a Master’s in Arts Administration from SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts.
JESSICA MOODY
Director of Programs & Operations
Jessica Moody, Director of Programs and Operations, has worked in the nonprofit sector for 13 years, joining Create as Communications Specialist in 2011 after serving as Customer Service Manager for the Greater Birmingham Humane Society. She now oversees the services Create offers in support of the city’s creative industries, including Creative Entrepreneurship programs, Film Birmingham, Birmingham365, and Office Hours. She serves as a valuable resource to visiting filmmakers and incoming productions and plays a critical role in mentoring local small businesses and entrepreneurs. In addition to weekly meetings with CO.STARTERS participants, she consults with artists and entrepreneurs regularly to help them set actionable tasks and achievable goals and take full advantage of the support services Create Birmingham has to offer. Jessica plays an essential part in our communications strategies and strategic outreach
DESEAN MOTLEY
Film Office Specialist
In partnership with Birmingham Corps, DeSean joined Create Birmingham in February 2023 as our Film Office Specialist. He plays an important role in serving as the liaison between film productions, municipalities, and the community. Born and raised in Birmingham, DeSean is now a film student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, currently studying cinematography and narrative filmmaking with aspirations of directing in the future. He loves Birmingham and film and is thrilled to join the team.
MEG DANIEL NELSON
Director of Development & Strategic Initiatives
Meg has more than twenty years of experience with arts and culture nonprofits, specializing in fundraising, grantmaking, and public relations. Before joining Create in 2014, she held positions with organizations including the Jim Henson Foundation and ArtsConnection in New York City, the National Archives Foundation and Arena Stage in Washington, DC, and Red Mountain Theatre Company and the Alabama Humanities Foundation in her hometown of Birmingham. In addition to directing Create’s fundraising efforts, she advises nonprofits, artists, and social enterprises looking to enhance fundraising and marketing campaigns, initiate new programs and evaluate existing ones, build community partnerships, and strategize for sustainability.
VIOLA RATCLIFFE
Community Engagement Manager
Viola Ratcliffe is an arts administrator and educator, whose work explores the intersection of art and activism. A native of Montgomery, Alabama; she earned her undergraduate degree in Art History from the University of Alabama and her master’s degree in Art History from Bowling Green State University. Viola’s career in the nonprofit sector spans over ten years and she has worked for several arts and culture institutions including the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, the Troy University Rosa Parks Museum and Minnetrista Museum and Gardens. In 2022 Viola was named interim director of the Birmingham non-profit Bib & Tucker Sew-Op, a position that she held until 2023. In addition to being Create Birmingham’s Community Engagement Manager, Viola is also a facilitator for the CO.STARTERS program.
ANTHONY WALLER
Programs Specialist
Anthony joined Create Birmingham in November 2021, and as Programs Specialist, he plays a key role in program delivery, participant recruitment, and communications efforts. Anthony previously worked in the Mayor’s Office of Customer Service for two years through the Mayor’s Office VISTA Service Opportunity, offering resources and support to a wide variety of Birmingham residents. He is a 2019 graduate of Birmingham-Southern College, where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and a Distinction in Leadership Studies. During his time at BSC, he was a member of the Bonner Leader Program, the African-American Chair for the school’s Cross Cultural Committee, and a Summer VISTA volunteer with Alabama Possible.