Northern Michigan University alumnus Matthew Bizoe is among the 16 individuals selected by the Michigan Arts and Culture Council for its 2022-23 cohort of Rising Leaders. He is the marketing manager for Krasl Art Center in Saint Joseph, Mich. Bizoe is responsible for developing marketing strategies for exhibitions, education, development and events, including the nationally recognized Krasl Art Fair on the Bluff.
Over a six-month period, Bizoe and the other Rising Leaders will engage in a series of activities that include three intensives focusing on the following: self-management and self-awareness; mutual influence; and gaining tools to create communities and a state where everybody can express creativity.
A big part of that is by working together with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as the Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion Working Group, to ensure that everybody has the opportunity to enjoy what places like Krasl Art Center have to offer.
The 2014 NMU graduate earned a bachelor's degree with a double major in graphic design and public relations, Bizoe gained related experience as a student through internships with NMU's DeVos Art Museum, for which he created interpretation materials, and the Marquette Area Blues Society, doing graphic design for fundraising events. He said Northern helped him get to where he is today.
“One of the things that I could do at Northern that I couldn't in a bigger college is to step into these leadership roles--especially being so young--and be able to make such a big impact on the people there. It was also nice to have a one-on-one connection with a lot of my teachers. I still follow some of my professors on Instagram, and, if I had gone to a bigger college, I may not have had those connections.”
To read the full story on Bizoe's Rising Leader selection, click here.