Our Team

teva Dawson

Founder / Director

Teva Dawson began her career path of invention by designing her own major in Environmental Education from Drake University which led to the creation of Des Moines’s first Community Garden Program. Recently she spearheaded Greater Des Moines’ first Water Trails and Greenways Plan. Teva invested 15 years in central Iowa implementing civic engagement and integrated planning with cities and through regional government collaboration around the themes of parks and recreation, transportation systems, resiliency planning and heath in all policies.

Ryan Hanser

Public Relations / Research Design Advisor

Ryan Hanser brings 25 years of public relations experience to Group, including service to governments yielding award-winning projects that influence behavior. His work—especially counsel and strategy for travel and tourism clients—has been nationally recognized, and he has chaired the word of mouth practice group across his firm’s global offices. He is accredited in the practice of public relations by the Public Relations Society of America. Outside the office, Ryan’s volunteerism focuses on art, recreation and natural resources.

Rachel Buse

Creative Strategy

Rachel Buse is a sculptor working in soft materials that can sometimes be played with. Buse has lived in Des Moines since 2008 and is originally from Lincoln, Nebraska. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. In 2015, the Iowa Arts Council awarded Buse an Iowa Artist Fellowship. She’s been an artist in residency at the Children’s Museum in Pittsburgh, Grin City in Grinnell, and Art Farm in Nebraska. Temporary installations by Buse have taken over a bedroom, a library, a factory, a farmers’ market, and a music festival. Her projects range from community-based interaction to wearable works. Buse looks for opportunities to exaggerate shapes and settings with bold, squishy, large-scale surprises

Alex Braidwood

Artistic Director / Graphic Designer

Alex Braidwood is a sound artist, media designer, and educator who maintains a practice exploring issues of sustainability at the intersection of art and science. He has exhibited art, led workshops, lectured on his work, and performed live at a variety of events and venues throughout the US, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Alex is currently Director of the Artist-in-Residence program at Iowa Lakeside Lab biological field research station, Associate Professor in the College of Design and faculty in the Human-Computer Interaction program at IowaState University. He also currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Midwest Society for AcousticEcology and the World Forum for Acoustic Ecology.

Lorin Ditzler

Project Manager

Lorin is a community development expert with 15 years of experience helping communities realize their full potential. Lorin has led the creation of comprehensive plans, strategic plans and special issue plans for communities and organizations. She has worked with city leaders and volunteers to fund and implement hundreds of community improvement projects, taking the process from idea to completion. She holds a Masters in Urban Planning, and certification from the American Institute of Certified Planners, with additional training in grant writing and group facilitation.

Emily KESSINGER

Art Advisor

Emily Kessinger has 10+ years of experience in business communications, marketing, and art advisory services. Emily worked in the art world of Chicago for nonprofits, the auction industry and private collectors before moving to Des Moines in 2016. In 2017, Emily opened Yellow Door Gallery, which she ran until2020. Emily has a BA in English and an MBA in Organizational Development/Marketing from the University of Denver (DU). She joined the Group Creatives team in 2021.