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About Us

Empowered Solutions Collective begins each of our projects using a cross-disciplinary approach. People need to see and experience things as tangible, especially when you are asking them to change and grow. That’s why our projects bring together arts, science, sustainability and social action or engagement. 

 

Get to know about our individual backgrounds and strengths with a little biographical background on our founders:

Tamara Marcus

Dr. Tamara Marcus (they/she) works across disciplines including science and collaborative social justice. Their research has included studying the microbial role in mediating carbon emissions in arctic lakes. While this work is based on academic research models, Dr. Marcus works with historically marginalized communities to make climate research accessible and applicable with a focus on empowerment. Their work helps to bridge the seemingly vast divide between Western research and Indigenous communities, resulting in the collaborative application of research outcomes to everyday life.

 

In their most recent role as Linn County Sustainability Director, Dr. Marcus led efforts to make sustainability accessible to everyday citizens. With a focus on increasing resiliency in neighborhoods, Dr. Marcus demonstrated their ability to think outside of the box, making high-impact sustainability programs fun, engaging, and impactful. 

 

Dr. Marcus is the founding president of the Cedar Rapids-based Black Liberation group, Advocates for Social Justice. Formerly, Dr. Marcus has been a Fulbright-Nehru fellow, a NASA New Hampshire Space Grant fellow, and a National Center for Atmospheric Research fellow and completed her B.S. in biochemistry and English from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. 

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Awards: 

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Publications: 

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Sarah Blais

Sarah Blais (she/her) is a passionate community leader and collaborator with a focus on engaging community members in creative business and educational growth through the arts. With a degree in Art History and Anthropology from Grinnell University, Blais went on to earn a Masters in Museum Studies from Georgetown University and an Arts BusinessCertificate at Sotheby’s Institute in London. 

 

At the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library Blais oversaw the Department of Outreach and Innovation, in which she facilitated multiple projects, including an outdoor public art installation for which she raised $80,000. Her work has focused on creating participatory museum design and experience, converting event and museum attendees from observers to participants. 

 

Her work in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City corridor has blended business or workforce development with creative output. As the Senior Director of Market Operations, Sarah oversees Market fundraising, staffing, operations, and community partnerships. The Market empowers artists, restauranteurs, and entrepreneurs to launch small businesses in a supportive environment. 

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Experiences: 

 

  • National Endowment for the Arts - intern 

  • Supreme Court of the United States - intern

  • MOMA - created the curatorial model for Robert Gober’s first retrospective, “The Heart is Not a Metaphor.”

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Awards: 

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