Our Team

Creator, writer, researcher, compiler and editor of the book Borders to Bridges; co-coordinator of the pilot program in the Martha’s Vineyard Public Schools; coordinator other pilot programs

Lynn Ditchfield, Ph.D., C.A.G.S., Ed.M., M.A., has been an educator in a variety of settings from urban to rural schools (including international), pre-school to university). She received the Arts/Learning Award for advocacy, the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award, served as a Fulbright Exchange teacher in Argentina, and has appeared in three editions of Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. She taught high school Spanish and organized numerous international exchanges, and has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in education, arts-in-education, immigration and justice. Her first M.A. was based on the work of Paulo Freire, the Brazilian educator noted for his approach to critical and creative thinking. She received her second Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education focusing on arts-based approaches for at-risk youth. She received her Ph.D. from the European Graduate School Arts, Health and Society Division. Her recent work includes her doctoral dissertation Arts-Based Creativity Approach to Transformative Learning which explores teaching for social justice, the article “Borders to Bridges: Awakening Critical Consciousness,” Borders to Bridges: Arts-Based Curriculum for Social Justice, and the Borders to Bridges Manual for Educators. She served as Founder/Executive Director and Program Director of Adult and Community Education of Martha’s Vineyard (ACE MV), and founded the theater group Nightmares and Dreams/ Immigrant Voices. As a recipient of the MV Vision Fellowship award, she is the creator, writer, compiler, researcher, and editor of the Borders to Bridges materials. Lynn works as a writer, workshop facilitator, and adjunct professor of Education.

Artistic Director of the book Borders to Bridges: Creativity-Based Immigration Curriculum Guidebook K12; co-coordinator of the pilot program in the Martha’s Vineyard public schools.

Janice Frame holds a B.F.A. from Fisk University in Fiber and Textiles and Art Education, and a M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction from Cambridge College. She has been, for the past 35 years, an art educator K -12 on Martha’s Vineyard. Prior to becoming a part of the island community, she taught art in Westfield, MA and in Dekalb County public schools in Atlanta, GA. She also taught weaving as an adjunct professor at Morris Brown College in Atlanta. Janice has been an integral part of the island art community both in the visual arts and theater arts. She managed the Field Gallery in West Tisbury for four seasons. She is the artistic director of the book Borders to Bridges: Arts-Based Curriculum for Social Justice, and co-coordinator of the pilot program in the Martha’s Vineyard Public Schools. Link to artwork website. Link to Style article.

Janice’s entire teaching career has been focused on the importance of standards-based educational practice in visual art. She strongly believes in the creative process. The creative process is meaningful when a student knows and understands what they are creating. Her standards reflect performance, execution, skill development and the understanding of the medium. Lesson planning and curriculum have always been at the core of her visual arts program.

Camila Fernández, J.D. candidate, Website Designer for Focus on Immigration Education and Stories Through the Arts (FIESTA), the original site that featured Borders to Bridges. She is currently studying at Rutgers Law School.

She graduated from Middlebury College in 2015, where she studied International Politics and Economics with a focus in Latin America and a minor in German. She has also taken numerous courses at universities abroad, such as at the Johannes Gutenberg Universitat in Mainz, Germany and at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina in Florianopolis, Brazil. She currently is the Assistant Director of Human Resources at Novatus Energy, a renewable energy company.  Prior to joining Novatus, Camila worked at Milbank Tweed, Hadley & McCloy as a legal assistant in the Global Securities group, where she focused on Latin American transactional deals and pro bono cases. Camila immigrated to the United States from Uruguay when she was 4 years old. Due to her close and personal connection with immigration issues, she has always had a passion for learning about ways in which to help immigrant communities.

Matthew Fisher, MSCIS earned a Master of Science degree from Boston University in Computer Information Systems with a concentration in Data Analytics in 2022. As a 2010 Vision Fellow, he was sponsored by Adult and Community Education of Martha’s Vineyard (ACE MV) under the mentorship of Lynn Ditchfield, where he focused on education and web design, and was exposed to the operational aspects of running the education-focused nonprofit.

After completing his Bachelor of Arts degree at Ithaca College, Matthew worked at a nonprofit organization in upstate New York and has since returned to Martha’s Vineyard. Matthew is a web consultant helping local business owners and nonprofit leaders with their technology challenges. He offers web design, local SEO, and data analytics services through his consulting firm Sound Data Solutions.