Erik Takeshita is passionate about the intersection between art, culture and community development. He is a Senior Program Officer for the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) in the Twin Cities and Principal of the Takeshita Group. He has over 20 years of community development experience including directing an art center in Honolulu, Hawai’i and serving as a Senior Policy Aide to the Mayor of Minneapolis. Mr. Takeshita has taught at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, the University of Hawai'i-Manoa, and for Intermedia Arts’ Creative Community Leadership Institute. Mr. Takeshita is the President of Springboard for the Arts and holds a Masters of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.