Board Of Directors
The Foundry Board
The Foundry Board of Directors is a group of Flagstaff locals who are passionate about individual expression and the the performing arts. The Directors hail from a variety of backgrounds and professions, bringing a well-rounded wealth of experience and perspective to the organization. We are all just a little bit quirky, too!
Margarita Cruz
Board Member
Margarita Cruz recently received her MFA in Creative Writing from Northern Arizona University. Former editor-in-chief of Thin Air Magazine, she is currently a columnist for Flagstaff Live! and an assistant editor at Tolsun Books. Her works have been featured in PANK, the New Delta Review, and the Susquehanna Review among others. She’s in love with living and works towards creating dialogue between people about the ways in which we share our art, love, and hopes.
Margarita joined the Foundry as Intern in 2020 and became a board member in 2021.
Becki Zaritsky
Board Member
Becki is a theatre artist from Philly, and has worked in theatre all over the US and the globe. She first came to Flagstaff in 2019 to perform with the Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival, and soon after arriving attended her first Flagstaff Foundry. Immediately, she felt connected to Flagstaff and the arts community here. Previous performances credits include: Indecent (Halina) and As You Like It (Rosalind) with FlagShakes, A Comedy of Tenors (Tatiana Racón u/s) with the Walnut Street Theatre, and The Bremen Town Musicians (Harriet) and Look Up: Tales of the Sky (Stella) with The REV Theatre Company. Favorite stage management credits include: The Polar Express (on a moving train!) and the West Side Story International Tour that toured throughout Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East. Becki is a member of the Foundry’s improv team Chomsky School of Business, one of the “shrews” on the local podcast Untamed Shrews: Women Talk Theatre, and is an aerial artist studying trapeze and pole at Momentum Aerial. Follow along in the adventures at #BeckSideStory and www.beckizaritsky.com.
Nick Jones
Board Member
Nick is a growth and expansion expert from right here in Flagstaff, having previously worked on the early Uber and Lime expansion teams bringing those companies across North America. He came back to Flagstaff indefinitely in 2020 to weather the pandemic with family and community while refocusing and reassessing what he wanted his impact to be. Starting Eat Sleep Launch Repeat in April 2020 he’s focused on bringing his start up experience to small and local businesses where he could help them pivot during the trying times of the pandemic. As a result of life as we know it pausing, in September of 2020 he noticed his close friend Dapper Dre needed to find a venue for his creative talents and decided to revive Freaky Foot Tours and have Dreadful Dre take the lead guiding ghost tours around Flagstaff. Seeing over 1000% growth from previous years they decided to try running tours year round, and now have four guides running tours 7 days a week. He also runs expansion for a climate tech company Sealed, who focus on decarbonizing homes nationally. Nick has always been drawn to creatives whether in his hometown of Flagstaff, on the Playa at Burning Man, or meeting them on a random adventure. After partnering closely with the Foundry in 2021 he was asked to join the board, and can’t wait to learn and grow with the talented people who call the Foundry home.
You can connect with him on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram.
Matthew Windham
Board Member
Matthew Windham is a Private Chef and theatre actor, director, writer and designer. He is the Producing Artistic Director with The Giddy Round Theatre Collective.
Matthew has appeared onstage locally in multiple Flagstaff Shakespeare Festival productions, including playing Antipholus of Ephesus in The Comedy of Errors, Jack in The Importance of Being Earnest, Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, and Claudius/Ghost in Hamlet. He also played the title role in Red Earth Theatre’s Macbeth. Prior to moving to Flagstaff in 2020, he created theatre with numerous companies in PA, NJ, UT & MT.
Matthew’s family has had a longstanding connection to the Flagstaff area. His grandmother Geraldine attended NAU, and so did his father Michael. Matthew was born in Flagstaff, but moved away when he was 4, and visited as frequently as possible. He and his partner Essie and their 3 cats moved to Flagstaff at the end of 2020.
You can learn more about Matthew’s Private Chef business at windhamchef.com.
Alexis Garcia-Moss
Secretary
Alexis is originally from Florida but has been happy to call Flagstaff home for the past three years. When she’s not at the Foundry, she can be found hiking, playing with her dogs, or taking a nap. To her, all things are possible with a little positivity and creativity, which is why she loves the Foundry!