About Us
In 2013, The Roots Art Connections was established in Little Rock, Arkansas as a grassroots non-profit organization to advocate for social and environmental justice, art education and access to economic advancement for marginalized groups. In 2020, Walmart Foundation granted our organization $10,000 to implement arts education programming for students with a focus on social emotional learning. From there, Creative Connections was established.
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Our mission at Creative Connections is to provide programming that addresses mental wellness with the purpose of enhancing academic achievement for students and improving productivity and retention for professionals and leaders within various organizations.
MEET THE TEAM
CHRIS JAMES
DIRECTOR OF PROGRAMS
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Chris James is a certified mental health first aid instructor and anger management specialist. He is a well sought out public speaker and author of the book, GET UP, GET OUT & GET SOME HEALING. As the Director and Founder of the organization, Creative Connections he provides instructional training to students and professional across America to address arts education, social emotional learning and mental wellness. Chris James designs unique programs to address mental health crisis responsiveness, cultural responsive teaching and social engagement. He is also a proud 2016 and 2023 TED Talk alum. Chris James is most famously recognized as a nationally award-winning spoken word artist who ranked 2nd place in the world's second largest poetry competition. In 2019, he was invited to be the keynote speaker at the United States Capitol for Congress members. He uses his many talents to accomplish a very specific mission which is to SERVE PEOPLE.
KRISTI SPROWL
DIRECTOR OF STRATEGY & DEVELOPMENT
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Kristi Sprowl is a Los Angeles native, health enthusiast, and Public Health Practitioner through rigorous academic and professional training. Kristi works on a larger scale to perform public health education programs, community outreach campaigns and public awareness initiatives with clinics, schools, and other stakeholders across Georgia. Kristi serves as a Community Impact Director at the American Heart Association, leading and directing health initiatives in the Metro Atlanta region to drive local policy change. Kristi is currently a student in the Doctor of Public Health program at the University of Georgia. In the summer of 2023, she will serve as the Regional Director for the Urban Leaders Fellowship in Atlanta to educate policy fellows on community interventions and advocacy agendas.
