About Us

KIM MOODY – FOUNDER

Kim Moody, Artistic Director and Founding director of Alwun House Foundation non-profit (1971), actively participated in the creation of Garfield Organization, a neighborhood alliance, a nonprofit neighborhood association since 1989. He has served as president of the board several times. An Arizona State University Graduate, Mr. Moody was a founding commissioner on the original Phoenix Arts Commission (early ‘80’s). Mr. Moody served on the Mayor’s Artist Issues Task Force which is responsible for drafting Downtown Arts and Small Business Overlay. This permits artists and creative entrepreneurs to live/work and adaptive reuse structures within its boundaries, among other benefits.

DANA JOHNSON – PRESIDENT

Dana Johnson, Alwun House Foundation President & CEO, managing programs and administrative responsibilities since 1990. Mr. Johnson joined Garfield Organization in 1991 as chair of the Revitalization and Economic Development Committee, and currently serves as President of the Garfield Organization Board of Directors. His leadership works to preserve the neighborhood’s contextual integrity, in collaboration with multiple City of Phoenix departments and private developers still today. In that context Mr. Johnson started serving on the City of Phoenix Central City Village Planning Committee, reviewing planning & zoning development issues in downtown since 1998. Mr. Johnson spent 14 years on the Board of Directors of Trellis, a nonprofit focused on building and lending for affordable housing, and financial education to increase economic stability for their clients.

AIMEE SHATTUCK – VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR

Are you interested in volunteering?

Contact Our Volunteer Coordinator aimee@alwunhouse.org or complete the form below.

NATE BORUM – TREASURER

Nathaniel (Nate) serves as the Treasurer of the Board of Directors for Alwun House. Reared in Bean Town (aka Boston), he loved moving to Phoenix in the ‘80’s, and attended Alwun House Carnivals on top of parking garage tops and has been a patron of Alwun House since. Nate worked behind the scenes as an arts advocate with the Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture in the early 2000s. Nate brings decades of experience in the financial investment and consulting industry to the board. Nathaniel is a proud grandfather of two, spending his best hours spoiling and educating them.

MIACHELLE BREESE

Miachelle Breese is an Army veteran and a career technical writer with a long-standing presence in the Phoenix metro area as a photographer. Her resume includes local media publications, a history of art community engagement, and solo/group exhibitions. She is the unofficial Alwun House historian, and serves on the Board, quite often providing editorial expertise for communications and grants. You may also see her volunteering behind the bar at Alwun House events.

Abraham Bernard James III

Abraham Bernard James III moved to Phoenix (from Dallas, Texas) in mid-October 1986, and the next month Evan Mechan was elected Governor of Arizona. James grew up in a Gullah Geechee community along the coast of Georgia – McIntosh and Liberty counties- between Savannah and Jacksonville, Florida. James has a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and a Master of Real Estate Development from the University of Southern California. Currently, Abraham James is the Chair of the Phoenix Library Advisory Board, Chair of the Greater Green Gables Neighborhood Association; a member of the Board of Directors of Trellis; a member of the Phoenix Board of Adjustment; and a Commissioner of the Phoenix Planning Commission. James has been and continues to be a member of other boards and commissions within the City of Phoenix. Abraham James is a partner in an architectural firm near downtown Phoenix, C & H Associates LLC.

JACOB M.

Jacob is a neighbor of the Alwun House and former board member of the Garfield Organization. Jacob represents the Downtown & Garfield neighbor perspective. Jacob brings IT expertise to the organization and works to keep Alwun House’s operations and digital assets functioning properly. Jacob has been a volunteer at Alwun House for thirteen years helping the organization complete many significant projects and providing general support to the organization’s various strategic initiatives. Jacob is currently the managing director for a private group of service and construction companies where he oversees operations and acquisitions in Arizona and Washington. Jacob is also an event coordinator for several special interest groups in Phoenix, he has hosted and helped create several large events at Alwun House bringing additional revenue and exposure to the organization. 

THOMAS PETTIJOHN

Thomas has lived in the ‘valley of the sunburn’ since he was an infant.  A long-time west valley resident, he is a graduate of Thunderbird High School, Glendale Community College, and Grand Canyon University. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, and has worked various roles in the Information Technology field for over 36 years. He is an avid local music fan, and was the Executive Producer on the debut CD by local Power Pop band Spinning Jenny.   He also once co-owned and operated a west Phoenix Belly Dance studio, and was the co-founder and former vice president of the Arizona chapter of MECDA (Middle Eastern Culture and Dance Association). He has been a long time fan and follower of the Phoenix area Belly Dance and Burlesque communities. He has been an attendee of Alwun House art shows and events since 2001, an Alwun House Patron for many years, and was asked to join the Alwun House board of directors in 2022.