Staff

As one of Life Pieces To Masterpieces’ Co-Founders in 1996, Mary Brown has worked for decades to create meaningful change in the lives of young people and their families locally and nationally. Sister Mary is currently LPTM’s Executive Director, working with the team to advance the critical mission of using artistic expression to develop character and leadership, unlock potential, and prepare Black boys and young men to transform their lives and communities.

Mary was a member of the national faculty at Neighborworks America for 17 years, responsible for the design, facilitation and evaluation of training programs nationwide for youth development workers, community developers and organizers.

Seneca Wells’ innate creative ability is Art!  He was born in the District of Columbia and grew up with his brothers and sister.  From age 4, Seneca had been drawing his own comic book scripts.  Seneca soon moved on to other art mediums and was inspired by Van Gogh and others of the Renaissance era. While in high school at HD Woodson Seneca’s love for art continued to blossom. He enrolled at Life Pieces To Masterpieces and became one of the lead art apprentices of trained artist Larry Quick. Seneca has been with Life Pieces since 2000.  Life Pieces to Masterpieces uses artistic expression to develop character and leadership, unlock potential, and prepare African American boys and young men to transform their lives and communities. After high school, Seneca enrolled at the Corcoran College of Art and Design, The Art Institute, and is a current Graduate of The New York Institute of Photography.

Loretta Curry has been the Director of Programs and Education at Life Pieces To Masterpieces (LPTM) since 2012. She began her journey with LPTM in August of 2005, when she built the early childhood education program at Life Pieces. She worked in Treehouse I and Treehouse II from 2005-2012. A native of New Orleans, Louisiana and a graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana in Business Administration, she ensures the high quality of the programs of our Life Pieces To Masterpieces Apprentices. At Life Pieces To Masterpieces she brings over 30 years of experience in early childhood and education.

Tamba Murray joined Life Pieces to Masterpieces in 2021. He serves as the head of finance, operations, human resources and support services geared to ensure the mission’s objectives are achieved. Tamba has extensive experience in strategic planning, accounting, financial management and reporting, budgeting, grant management and operations working for profit and non profit working in senior strategic management functions in international organizations in United Kingdom and in his home country Sierra Leone. He recently worked in an EBOLA clinical trial study (EBOVAC)as Finance Manager at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (UK). He earned a Bsc (Hons) in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University (UK), Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from University of Wales, Cardiff (UK) and is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA – UK). He has a passion for accountancy and management in non profit and has attended several workshops and short courses in management, leadership, communication and related areas. He enjoys traveling, exploring and experiencing new cultures.

Natalie Bazata, Resource Development Manager, is responsible for the cultivation of LPTM’s institutional partners and individual donors. She began this role in early 2023, but has been connected with LPTM since 2019 when she served as a DC Reads site coordinator at Life Pieces through Georgetown University. She has worked extensively with youth and families in DC Public and Public Charter Schools in Wards 2, 6, 7, and 8 as a literacy tutor and program coordinator, Italian tutor, and elementary summer educator. Natalie holds a Masters of Science in Applied Linguistics and Bachelors of Arts in Linguistics and in Italian from Georgetown University. Her research experience includes program evaluation, language ideologies of multilingual youth, and the development of reading comprehension in a second language. She is passionate about fostering connections with youth, families, and community members to ensure equitable, community-centered access to resources for youth.

Andrew Blickle is an AmeriCorps VISTA alum from Reading, PA. He has been with the organization since completing his VISTA service with LPTM in 2017, currently serving as the Institutional Marketing Manager for Life Pieces To Masterpieces. He graduated Magna cum Laude from American University in 2016, graduating with both a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies and a B.S. in Mathematics and Economics, and is currently in progress of obtaining his Master’s in Public Policy. He has coached baseball at the elementary school level, basketball at the middle school level, and soccer at a collegiate level. He also worked as a UELIP in the DC Public Schools’ Central Office, where he wrote a policy proposal that could transform the DCPS community service graduation requirement into a full service learning program.

Minami has been a part of the LPTM family for over a decade in a number of roles, and currently serves as the arts administrator. Previously, Minami has worked as the Development Coordinator for DC Promise Neighborhood Initiative and as a Writing Tutor for the Corcoran College of Art+Design. In addition to her work in the youth development field, Minami provides free resume coaching and editing services for low- income individuals. She also works as a comic artist and illustrator. She is a published children’s book author, and her own artwork is routinely exhibited throughout the DMV.

Sister Shannon is the Lead Teacher in the Tree House classroom, supporting LPTM’s3-5 year-old students in the afterschool and summer program. She leads Apprentices through daily lessons involving various forms of art, academics, athletics, and character education through LPTM’s Human Development System.

Erick Williams is a vital member of LPTM’s Logistics Team, supporting LPTM with daily operations needs including transportation, sanitation, purchasing groceries and supplies, and serving our daily meal. He joined Life Pieces in October 2020, helping build our outdoor campus during the pandemic and taking responsibility for setting up and breaking down our safe, outdoor space, and sanitizing our tables, chairs, and restrooms. Erick is a native Washingtonian and HD Woodson High School graduate. Erick is an honest, loving, caring team player who brings that to LPTM each and every day.

Sister Kayla, Kings Teacher, is an experienced educator in the arts and STEM, having previously worked in a STEM-focused preschool in Washington, DC. She has a passion for project-based learning and holistic youth development, and works to help Apprentices accomplish projects from start to finish. A Ward 7 native, Sister Kayla is easy to connect with and makes sure every Apprentice knows they are loved. Apprentices love laughing with Sister Kayla, and the rest of the LPTM team loves the creativity she brings to lesson plans, helping Apprentices and staff alike bring out their inner child.