2021 Creative Team

Sarah Blanchard, Staff, Coordinator of Leadership and Community Engagement

Story Coach; Planning Committee
Sarah has been at UO for nine years; shortly after receiving her bachelor’s degrees in 2017 she was hired on as a staff member at the Holden Center where she coordinated leadership development programming for students on campus. She has been involved with Intertwined for the past three years – as a storyteller, story coach, and member of the planning committee. She highly encourages all students to consider becoming a storyteller for Intertwined, as it is such a transformative and empowering process. Outside of work, Sarah enjoys backpacking, rock climbing, tea drinking, and piano playing. 

Emily Dale, Graduate Student, Nonprofit Management

Story Coach; Planning Committee

Abigail Leeder, Staff, Director of Experiential Prevention Initiatives

Story Coach; Planning Committee
Abigail Leeder serves as the director of experiential prevention initiatives with the Office of the Dean of Students at UO. She is the director of Rehearsals for Life graduate student theatre troupe and loves working with storytelling and interactive theatre as tools for personal growth and social change. Co-creating Intertwined with a group of talented and passionate people is always a highlight of her year. 

Alyssa Leraas, Graduate Student, Public Administration

Planning Committee
Alyssa (she/her) is excited to wrap up her MPA degree at UO in June. Her Minnesota roots instilled a love for summer days on the lake and large family gatherings. In Oregon, she continues to enjoy connecting with friends and family and finding new running routes. Alyssa is interested in education policy and is passionate about education equity and serving students in a holistic, responsive way.

Brittany Mattice, Graduate Student, Nonprofit Management

Story Coach; Planning Committee
Brittany (she/her) is a second-year nonprofit management master’s student also pursuing a certificate in arts management. A born and raised Californian, she moved to Eugene after spending five years in Los Angeles working in the arts nonprofit sector developing programs for trauma survivors. She cares deeply about the intersection of equity, education, and the arts.  

Sarah Stoeckl, Staff, Program Manager with the Office of Sustainability

Story Coach
Sarah Stoeckl works as a program manager at the UO’s Office of Sustainability where she manages the office’s academic and community outreach and engagement programming. She was excited to return to the UO as staff, having done her PhD work here in English Literature. Her research focused on how narratives after the First World War manifested trauma and grief, and she is excited to merge her interest in narratives with her work at UO. 

Cullen Vance, Community Partner

Musician; Video Editor
Cullen is the magician behind the music. He has worked with Intertwined since the beginning, meeting with storytellers to compose unique musical arrangements to support each story. Outside of Intertwined, Cullen is a full time musician and composer for film, theatre, games, and TikTok. Find more of Cullen’s work at CullenVanceCreative.com and find his music on Spotify and most other streaming platforms.