About Us
Who we are
Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.
Our Values
Hard Work
Creativity
Basic Kindness
Aiming for Greatness
Long-term Community Investment
Our Leadership
Sara Sturtevant
she/they
Executive Director, Board Member
Sunny Crego
they/them
EAC Out Loud Program Co-Director, Board Member
Noah Pratt
they/them
EAC Out Loud Program Co-Director, Board Member
Kirsten Cantrell
she/her
Board Secretary
Holly Zink
they/her
Board Member
Maria Crowell
she/her
Board Member
Our Founders
Empire Arts Collective was founded in 2015 by Emily Perez and Jessilee Windhaus
Emily Perez (she/her)
Emily is a local creative with seventeen years of experience in marketing in the private, public and nonprofit sectors, and an M.A. in Spanish from Sacramento State. She trained as a music teacher at Sacramento City College Vocal/Choral Program and the Sara Harris Piano Studio. She is passionate about supporting adults in developing their musical skills and does so as a vocal coach and piano teacher through her private music studio Macondo Music.
Sacramento Pop Choir (formerly Empire Pop Choir) is our first incubated project to make the transition to become a fully independent organization. Under the direction of Empire Co-Founder Emily Perez and Heather Waid, Empire Pop Choir was launched through Empire Arts Collective’s incubation program in 2019. Since then, it has partnered with hundreds of singers of all experience levels to put on unique performances which helped raise funds to incubate future projects.
Jessilee Windhaus (she/they)
Jessilee is an improviser, actor, producer, instructor, and entrepreneur born and raised in Sacramento. Jessilee holds a BA in Theatre and Dance from Sacramento State University and founded That Plus Chips live sketch and improv comedy ensemble. She has toured with the world-renowned Missoula Children’s Theatre and was a mainstage performer at Sacramento Comedy Spot and ComedySportz Sacramento where she served as the Director of the High School League program, both adults and youth.
In 2022, under Jessilee’s direction, EAC’s improv program was launched through Empire Arts Collective’s incubation initiative. With wild success, two years later, the program made the transition to a fully independent organization under the name Windhaus Improv, LLC , where Jessilee now spends all her time.
DEIA Public Statement
Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) is part of our core principles. Our organization recognizes the reality that cultural biases and systemic racism impact communities of color in the Sacramento area, and beyond, and it is part of our ongoing goals to dismantle those systems through racially-equitable practices.
We look for creative ways to rethink systems and policies to better serve and support communities of color whenever possible and are in an ongoing process of examining and questioning the practices that have been traditionally deemed “professional,” which have been part of the oppression of marginalized communities, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).
As we create our events, programs, and collective projects, we continuously strive to provide an inclusive, accessible environment with a low barrier to entry for anyone interested in experiencing the beauty and joy of the performing arts.
We hope to continue and expand our focus on creating works that are open and welcoming to adults of every age, ethnicity, race, color, religious background, nationality, ability, gender identity, and sexual identity.
Let’s get creative.
