Our Story

Converge was founded in 2016 with a simple idea: art could be used to help our community feel better. We began as Converge Lecture Series, hosting in-person community conversations with fiction writers, poets, and painters about the moral and  transformative power of art. Converge has worked alongside Marie Howe, Richard Blanco, George Saunders, Edwidge Danticat, Karen Russell, Carmen Maria Machado, Anthony Doerr, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Ross Gay, Arista Alanis, Emily Sullivan, Peter Heller, and Aimee Nezhukumatathil to leverage this idea into a therapeutic program designed to introduce students in Colorado to artistic expression and mental health tools. In 2020, we furthered this impulse by focusing programming on art-informed individual therapy and clinical supervision to our community. Staying true to our origin of the transformative power of art, we now offer artistic-therapeutic programming in 14 schools in six counties throughout the state of Colorado.

Meet Our Staff

Sam Stephenson, Executive Director

Sam Stephenson, the founder and Executive Director of Converge, is a licensed clinical social worker, non-profit manager, and community organizer, driven by an interest in creating care for individuals and families in Colorado.

Sam graduated with his B.A from University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and his M.S.W. from Metropolitan State University of Denver.

You can find Sam reading, running, or bopping around the trails with his son, Ezra James, and his partner Kelli.

Em Robinson, Office Manager

Em is the Office Manager of Converge. They attended UCCS and have been a Colorado Springs community member for over a decade, showing up to write and adore poetry in all its forms. Em is determined to create more whimsy and kindness through leaving notes to strangers or engaging in genuine conversation. They believe that any moment has the potential to foster change. 

They can be found appreciating dandelions or enjoying quiet moments reading with their dog Wendell Gary and two cats Marmalade and Sawyer. 

Meet Our Board

  • Jeff Scholes

    President

    Philosophy Department Chair

    University of Colorado at Colorado Springs

  • Tina Horton

    Treasurer

    Juvenile Family Court Facilitator

    Fourth Judicial District

  • David Duguid

    Secretary

    Analyst, Talent Acquisition

    CSAA

  • Virginia Kruckeberg

    Director

    Elementary School Teacher

    Stratton Elementary School

  • Jane Hilberry

    Director

    Professor

    Colorado College

  • Samuel Stephenson

    Executive Director

    Converge Lecture Series