Administrative Team

  • Andrea Thomas, MSAT, LPC-IT

    Executive Director

    Andi was born and raised in Wauwatosa, WI. Andrea Thomas received a BS in Marketing and Management from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, a BA in Interior Design and Architecture from Mount Mary University and a Master of Science in Art Therapy from Mount Mary University. She has gained experience in a wide range of art therapy settings including behavioral health hospitals, clinics and schools and served as a DLAC board member. In addition to her current role at DLAC she is an adjunct faculty member at Alverno College in the School of Visual Arts.

    Her passion for fusing art, community and accessibility for all has allowed her to find her perfect fit at DLAC.

    In her current position as Executive Director of Donna Lexa Art Centers, Andrea is responsible for organizational operations, including fund development, financial planning, marketing, and organizational leadership.

    She currently spends her time between Oconomowoc and Wauwatosa with her husband, bonus daughter and their three tuxedo cats.

  • Maggie Watson, MSAT

    Program Manager

    Maggie was born and raised in Milwaukee. She received a bachelor’s degree in both studio art and art therapy, and then continued her career path with a master’s degree in art therapy. Maggie realized early on that combining her love for art and helping others was a necessity for her future adventures. Within the last 12 years, she’s worked mostly with populations involving different abilities like memory care facilities, alternative and transitional schools, and community centers with varying populations. Donna Lexa Art Centers has always been in Maggie’s peripherals, but it wasn’t until November 2022, that she officially began her career here. The drive and passion that is so deeply embedded in DLAC was a huge motivator to become a member of such an amazing team. 

    As the program manager, Maggie hopes to continue to support the creative passions of the students and staff, but also help drive the growth and progress in future opportunities within the community.

    After all, no matter what our abilities, art is a language that we can all speak. 

  • Susanna Borowski

    Business Manager + Executive Assistant

    Bio coming soon…

Meet the Team

  • Sarah

    Art Therapist, MSAT, LPC-IT

  • Erin

    Art Therapist, ATR-BC, LPC

  • Liala

    Art Instructor & Artist

  • Rose

    Art Instructor + Artist

  • Maddie

    Art Instructor + Artist

  • Keighley

    Art Instructor + Artist

  • Jodi

    Art Instructor + Artist

  • Marissa

    Art Aide

  • Art Aide

    SALES MANAGER

Erin Hein, Art Therapist, ATR-BC, LPC

Erin is a board-certified Art Therapist and a licensed professional Counselor.  She graduated from Mount Mary University with her master’s degree in 2012.  

Erin believes that art has the power to get into our soul and reveal hidden truths about whom we are.  When we take part in the creation of art, we learn more about ourselves, while also establishing an identity of being an artist. 

 In her own time, Erin creates art through painting, quilting, photography, and mixed media pieces. 

Rose Lange, Art Instructor

Rose Lange is a professional artist and educator living, teaching and creating in her home town, of Waukesha, Wisconsin. Rose earned a BA in Art Education from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 1987 and has added continuing education classes at several Wisconsin institutions of higher learning since then. 

Rose has been teaching art  for over 30 years to students ranging from kindergarten through adult in Wisconsin and Illinois.  In 2014, while teaching art  at Waukesha Catholic, Rose was one of 100 teachers in Wisconsin to be awarded the Herb Kohl Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching. Rose is currently working with mixed media, creating whimsical mosaics, and figurative sculptures using up-cycled chip bags, sells and exhibits her work at the Almont gallery in Waukesha, and is an active member of the Waukesha West End Artists Association. 

Sarah Schelble, MSAT, LPC-IT

Sarah joined DLAC in 2021. She is a former applied arts teacher, where she taught students from 1st-8th grade skills in fibers arts and textiles. Currently, Sarah is a graduate student in Mount Mary University’s Art Therapy Program, where she will graduate in May 2022. Through her internship experiences, she has worked with a range of individuals, including adults and seniors with various cognitive and physical disabilities. Sarah was drawn to art therapy because of her experiences as a teacher, where she observed the way art making helped her students regulate their minds and bodies, as well as gave them a way to express themselves. Her ultimate goal when working with any student, is providing opportunities for success in order to build feelings self-worth and accomplishment. Sarah personally enjoys knitting, crocheting, and sewing, as well as painting and drawing. She loves getting to know her students, and sharing skills and ideas with them.

Liala Amin, Art Instructor

Liala (Lay-la)  Amin is an artist and educator from Milwaukee. She graduated with her Bachelors of Fine Arts in Fibers from UW-Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts in 2014 and will be pursuing her Bachelors in Art Therapy at Alverno College starting in 2021. Liala has been with the DLAC team since April 2021 as an art instructor. Through her experience as a teaching artist, Liala has always emphasized the healing nature of art and the self-discovery it opens. She is an advocate for accessible and equal opportunity within the arts and it is a lifelong passion of hers to share creativity. Liala also maintains a studio practice in Walker’s Point and is a resident artist at Var West Gallery and Studios. Since age 5 she always knew she wanted to be an Artist and is grateful everyday she is able to live out her dream.