Chinyere E. Oteh is an organizer, an artist, a mother, a doula and a seeker.  She is a St. Louis Native who has also lived and worked in Detroit and Washington D.C. On the creative side, she has examined her own mixed-race identity through autobiographical writing and photographic self-portraiture and has taught photography to the young and old throughout St. Louis.  On the collective side, she is a community matchmaker who founded a time bank in 2010, called Cowry Collective -- a network geared toward forging economic equity and bridging racial divides all the while reminded each of us of our past rich cooperative practices.  On the personal and healing side, she is a fierce and loving protector to her two children birthed at home in 2008 and 2012.  She has practiced transcendental meditation since 2010 and has received her first two attunements in reiki.  Chinyere has formed the basis of her leadership philosophy and style through her training at Community Arts Training Institute, Yeyo Arts Collective, Urban Bush Women Summer Leadership Institute, BLACC – Black Leaders Advancing Community Change and YES! Jams. She has received birthwork training thru Jamaa Birth Village in Ferguson, MO. As she steps more fully into healing and spiritual work she continually strives to balance the demand and joys motherhood, career and self-care.  She also rejoices in synchronicity and serendipity!