Daniel Bigham, Program Coordinator
daniel@neutral-zone.org
Daniel Bigham is an Ann Arbor native and Pioneer high school alum. Bigham has been involved with Neutral Zone since their humble beginnings at their former location on Main street, just a couple of blocks away from the “Big House”. Bigham was involved with many Neutral Zone programs as a youth such as the Volume Youth Poetry project. He also earned a spot on the 2005 Ann Arbor Youth Poetry Slam Team that competed in the Brave New Voices competition that placed 5th nationally.
Currently, Bigham serves as the Education Coordinator for Neutral Zone and has held that position since the fall of 2016. Daniel loves martial arts, table tennis and trading card games. When he’s not making his famous mac and cheese for young people after school he is a husband to his lovely wife Lizzy and a devoted father to his two daughters Ayla and Naomi.
Clay Conley, Live Sound Engineer & B-Side Program Advisor
cconley@neutral-zone.org
Clay is the live sound audio engineer and B-Side program advisor at the Neutral Zone. Outside of Neutral Zone, they work as a live sound engineer at several Ann Arbor-Detroit venues. When not mixing shows, Clay is a PhD candidate in ethnomusicology at the University of Michigan.
Claudia Hicks, Studio Engineer and Weekend Events Facilitator
Claudia serves as the live sound engineer at the B-Side, as well as one of the studio engineers for the Orpheum. Claudia has ten years of live sound experience, a certificate in Audio Engineering and Production from Washtenaw Community College, and Pro Tools Level One Certification. When not at the Neutral Zone, you might find Claudia mixing at the Blind Pig or another one of the many venues in the Ann Arbor/Detroit area.
Nick Lacy, Program Manager
nickl@neutral-zone.org
Nick Lacy has had a varied professional career. He taught social studies in St. Louis in the early 2000s, was a Co-Director of Camp Al-Gon-Quian for two years, jumped into real estate for nine years where he was an Associate Broker, manager and president of Ann Arbor Area Board of Realtors. He worked as a fundraiser for the Ann Arbor YMCA and Washtenaw literacy. Before coming to the Neutral Zone he spent three years at Skyline HS and was most recently the College and Career Coordinator. He is a certified High School teacher, but prefers a collaborative environment that elevates youth voices.
He is married and has 2 children, 2 dogs (Toby and Moose) and 2 cats (Storm and Willow). He has been at the Neutral Zone since 2024.
Amy Milligan, Development Director
amy@neutral-zone.org
Amy Milligan (any pronouns) serves as the Development Director at Neutral Zone where she has provided leadership throughout the organization’s many changes and growth since 2008. Amy came to Neutral Zone with a background in nonprofit marketing, development and event management as well as a history dedicated to volunteer work with LGBTQIA youth.
In her current capacity, she leads Neutral Zone’s efforts in developing relationships with donors in our community as well as leads marketing efforts and information management.
Megan Mueller Johnson, YDS Manager
megan@neutral-zone.org
Megan Mueller Johnson (she/her) serves as a Youth Driven Spaces Manager and has worked with young people for over a decade throughout the Midwest. Much of Megan’s experience as a youth worker has been coordinating Youth Advisory Boards, both citywide and organization- based, and afterschool program evaluation cycles. Prior to joining Neutral Zone, Megan was involved in several capacity building projects destigmatizing HIV prevention and treatment and trained healthcare providers in patient-facing approaches to care.
At Neutral Zone Megan’s role connects capacity building and community engagement through her work as a Restorative Practices and Youth Driven Spaces trainer, IGNITE! Next Gen Leaders and the Youth Driven Spaces Conference Adult Advisor, and YDS organizational coach.
Megan was transformed by her experiences participating in youth-led spaces as a young adult, and aims to center youth voice, community building practices, creative expression, and shared growth in all that she does.
Lori Roddy, Executive Director
lori@neutral-zone.org
Lori Roddy (she/her) serves as the Neutral Zone’s Executive Director. Lori has been an integral part of the NZ community starting as an intern in 2003 and then leading programs for over a decade before stepping into leadership in 2015. Lori’s practice and teaching are focused on youth organizing, positive youth development, youth-driven practices, and adaptive and organizational leadership. In addition to providing organizational vision and strategic leadership, Lori has been instrumental in creating the Washtenaw County Youth Commission, launching the Future Corps Program as a ten-year adult transition program, and, most recently, a juvenile diversion program. Lori has a master’s in social work from the University of Michigan.
Kat Steih, Music Production Advisor
kat@neutral-zone.org
Kat Steih, Neutral Zone Music Production Advisor, teaches beat production and young women in music programs. Kat is a songwriter, vocalist, and producer who comes from a country and folk background, however, her mission is to continue elevating this tradition by pushing boundaries and creatively blending with other genres.
Trevor Stone, Program Manager
trevor@neutral-zone.org
Trevor Stone is a Program Manager at the Neutral Zone. He helped start and run the NZ Visual Arts Department from 2004-2012 and has recently returned as a full-time employee. Trevor has been building community through the arts for 20+ years and is currently focusing on building collaborative, community projects between a network of high school teachers, high school student groups, and local non-profits. He has helped produce 70+ art exhibits and 200+ art events.
His educational background is in fine arts and teaching, and he has exhibited in museums and festivals in the United States. To view art and projects by Trevor please visit wedrawtogether.com
John Weiss, Director of Strategic Initiatives
weiss@neutral-zone.org
John Weiss has worked with diverse populations of youth, youth-serving programs, and schools for 25 years. He currently serves as the Director of Strategic Initiatives (DSI) at the Neutral Zone and was its Executive Director from 2005-2014. As DSI he has trained and coached 1000s of adults and youth from across Michigan and other states in both the Youth Driven Spaces framework and in restorative practices.
John served as a teacher in the Ypsilanti Public Schools and Willow Run Community Schools. For 7 years he served as the Director of the Adolescent Division at the High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, now the Weikart Center for Program Quality. In that role he was one of the initial developers of the Youth Program Quality Assessment (YPQA), a research instrument designed to evaluate the quality of youth programs. John also served as a teacher in the Peace Corps in The Gambia, West Africa. John lives in Ypsilanti Michigan, where he has resided with his family since 1995.
Hananiah Wiggins, Program Director
hananiah@neutral-zone.org
Hananiah Wiggins (They, Them, Their) attended Illinois State University where they graduated with a degree in acting and competed for the speech and debate team, securing a national championship. Following graduation, Hananiah moved to Chicago and worked with multiple improv teams and theaters such as the Playground Theater, The Annoyance Theater, and the Bristol Renaissance Faire. Hananiah graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Masters in Interpretation and Performance Studies where they focused on examining justice through the lens of an intergenerational experience. Hananiah has been in Michigan since 2019 and with the Neutral Zone since 2021. They originally came on board as the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Activism Coordinator and have continued to develop deep ties with the community by advising programs like Activism through Art, Riot Youth, the LGBTQIA+ activism and social support program, Theater, and Ignite! Next Gen Leaders, a program for youth learning facilitation and leadership development. They currently serve as a Program Director specializing in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Activism at the Neutral Zone.
Kyler Wilkins: Program Advisor
kyler@neutral-zone.org
Kyler Wilkins serves as program advisor and teaches our music looping and songrwiting programs. Kyler has a BA from Michigan State University. Kyler, or Ki5 as he’s known in the local music scene. Kyler is a folk-pop artist, beatboxer, singer/songwriter, and looping artist. His music sounds like a combo between hiphop and EDM. He’s been featured on NPR’s All Songs Considered, and says it was a natural progression for him to step up in his role at Menlo, which is now famous for its founders “joy-based” software and culture design process for engaging work environments, to combine tech and music.
Danielle Davis, Program Coordinator
danielle@neutral-zone.org
Dani is Program Coordinator, and Curator of the Artist in Residence program at the Neutral Zone as well as a MYDA Educator. For two years Dani has coordinated programs like Beats, Songwriting, Jam Sessions, Poetry, Women of Color, and Drag. Dani is an Ann Arbor native, and Detroit Music award-nominated singer-songwriter, producer, and bandleader (Dani Darling) with a passion for helping youth find their purpose, and embrace their own resilience through the incredible healing power of music.