The Transformative Language Arts Network announces the hiring of Hanne Weedon as our new Managing Director. Hanne comes to TLAN with over 20 years of leadership and program development experience in not-for-profit and government-funded organizations. A longtime community, arts and social justice advocate, she resonates with the goals and values of the TLA Network, as she explains:

We are at such an interesting and challenging moment, with all that is happening in our families, our communities, and on our planet. There is much important work to be done to shift the trajectory, and there are exciting opportunities to have real and significant impact on what comes next. Artists have always played crucial roles in times of social transformation, and I feel truly honored and  lucky to have been invited to play a leadership role around supporting, empowering and engaging with storytellers dedicated to using their art to further social justice issues!

Hanne is committed to working collaboratively with TLAN members to expand the organization’s reach. Her previous experience bears this out: She co-founded Women Creating CommUNITY Landsdowne, a start-up community-based arts program, headed up a government-funded arts-and-economic development initiative in her town, helped build a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting working families, and has worked with a variety of large and small nonprofits as a fund raiser. In an earlier iteration, she also worked as a labor organizer, ran a small side business making wedding dresses, and made a living as a bike messenger.

As a community member and deeply engaged parent, Hanne built a flourishing neighborhood association of 1000+ neighbors, created a diverse and vibrant parent-led play group and preschool in her town, and has led peer counseling workshops, trainings and classes for young people and adults alike. A first-generation American, Hanne’s ties to family and friends overseas run deep, and her appreciation for, understanding of and dedication to building representative, inclusive and diverse communities is a core aspect in all her work. To say her name (it’s Norwegian): Hah-nah. 

“Hanne brings us deep experience in board development, non-profit management, marketing, fundraising, and administration to reach many new communities at a time when finding, amplifying, and witnessing our individual and collective stories is crucial,” says Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, one of the founders of the TLA Network.

Hanne is now available for your TLA Network questions at director@TLANetwork.org.