People

Carrying on a legacy of excellence with a dose of irrepressible encouragement.

Artwork: Alexa Rose Howell

ALEX DAVIS

Director

Alex Davis regards the arts as a community’s lifeblood, an essential means of bringing people together. Davis served as co-producer and moderator of the James Castle House Inaugural Symposium. As a published author and Board Chair of The Cabin literary center, Davis shared the Morrison Center stage with author Abraham Verghese as part of The Cabin's acclaimed Readings and Conversations series, and served on The Cabin’s Executive and Board Development committees for a decade. She was the co-creator and executive producer of The Ed Sessions with Sir Ken Robinson, Sal Kahn, and Mike Rowe, as well as the writer/director of the televised ID21 Awards that engaged Idahoans from every generation in a statewide showcase of creativity and innovation in education.

Davis brings a background in PBS and NPR, having worked at stations in Atlanta, Georgia, where she met her husband of 25+ years. She's led significant public initiatives, including Boise’s Livable City (LIV Boise) campaign in the Office of Mayor Dave Bieter. Prior to that she served as Creative Director for the Go On, Idaho campaign encouraging the pursuit of post-secondary education, a multi-year project of the Albertson Family Foundation. With a penchant for placemaking and historic preservation, in 2020-2022 Davis served as Managing Director for TRICA through the rebirth of its desecrated cathedral in Hyde Park, ensuring restoration completion, Board and Staff buildout, and the launch of its use by the community.

With inspiration and deep belief, a Think Bigger approach and lifelong commitment to creativity, Davis dares us to perform our work on ever-greater national and world stages.

KENNETH G. HOWELL

Founder

Ken Howell was named a distinguished preservationist by the Idaho State Historic Preservation Council and is the recipient of numerous Orchid Awards from Preservation Idaho for his work preserving many of Downtown Boise's landmark historic buildings. "My late wife, Alexa Rose, brought this electrical engineer to life and and created a home filled with art and whimsy. Alexa was a puppeteer, a poet, a pianist, a linguist, a humorist, a watercolor artist, and so much else. Her connection to and her desire to support Boise Valley’s Art Community and its individual artists was the inspiration for this Foundation. My own work has been renovating and restoring notable architectural properties from Boise’s past. What began simply as an endeavor to support our family has grown to aid an extended family of community artists. Alexa’s vision and her Foundation will hopefully continue for generations to come."

NINA LEARY

Program Manager

Nina Leary is a catalyst for talent, driven to discover people's strengths and guide them toward excellence. She kickstarted her career at North by Northwest Productions, the leading media production house in southern Idaho, where she represented local and regional film and video actors. Later she launched The Talent Pool, Leary's own talent agency addressing an unmet need for onscreen performers in the metro area, as well as a sought-after personal and commercial photography business, NorthEnd Photography, a journey that spanned two decades. With a passion for giving back, Leary dedicated five years to crisis intervention at the Idaho Suicide Intervention Hotline, where she recruited, trained, and managed hundreds of volunteer phone responders and conducted training sessions across the state. Beyond her professional pursuits, Nina is an avid falconer and an accomplished visual artist, known for her award-winning Classic Realism oil portraiture.

FOUNDATION EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Alex Davis
Terri Schorzman
Michael Cullen
Jane Williamson
Nina Leary

In Acknowledgment of Brilliant Hearts and Minds

Through inspired thinking by some of our region's most skilled creative professionals, the Alexa Rose Foundation got an extraordinarily strong start. Due in large part to their belief in the mission and the generous-hearted work of dedicated staff, board volunteers, artistic advisors, trustees, and selection panelists, beginning in 2014 over half a million in private dollars were wisely invested in artists and public art that will shape our community for decades to come. Thank you!

PEOPLE