Richard joined the Christos Collective Board in 2021 and has taken on the responsibilities of Vice President.
Richard Niezen, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Music at Colorado Christian University providing instruction in a variety of settings within the School of Music. His dedication to training the 21st Century musician has led work and research with the International Society of Music Educators, where he has recently presented in Brazil. He has published and presented nationally and internationally on transformational learning, phenomenology, and communities of practice.
During Dr. Niezen’s eleven-year tenure as Music Director of the Aurora Symphony Orchestra (ASO) he collaborated with a number of other CCU music faculty members. Upon leaving the ASO in 2012, he was awarded an official proclamation by the Aurora City Council, recognizing his positive impact in the cultural and educational communities of Aurora.
He has also served as a music director and music educator in a number of Colorado communities in the last decade and has been an advocate for the arts in culturally underrepresented areas. In order to further arts advocacy and policy, Dr. Niezen serves on the policy group for the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) and is a member of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) as well as the National Guild for Community Arts Education.

Michael Porter is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Edge of Faith Magazine, an electronic media dedicated to the Arts and Social issues. He is a cradle Christian born to a Lutheran family and now an Anglican. He served on the Vestry (Board) of his church for nine years, the last three as Sr. Warden (Chairman). He curated the art gallery for two years at St George’s Anglican Church. Michael was the founder and President of Anglican Radio for seven years before founding Edge of Faith Magazine.
Michael received his B.S. and M.S. in Biology from West Texas A&M University and has always had a quest for the deeper meanings of life, whether during his education in Biology, which means the study of life, or his faith, interest in philosophy, and the arts. Michael profoundly believes in Christos Collective’s mission and the calling of faithful artists who want to develop their Christian esthetic ethos surrounded by like-minded believing creatives.

Sandy Ceas is the Founder of Christos Collective and sits on the Board of Directors as current President and CEO with a passion for the arts as a motivator for social change.

Sandy was born on the east coast but has lived and traveled the globe seeking cultural immersion and graduate degrees, beginning with an AAS in Apparel Design from FIT NY, a BFA in Sculpture RMCAD CO, a MFA in New Genres from San Francisco Art Institute, and finally a MA in Religious Studies from the University of Denver. Presently Sandy teaches studio art at the Art Students League of Denver and online in the LEAP Master’s Program at Colorado State University for Art Leadership and Cultural Production.

As an artist herself, Sandy, believes that art can transform and renew minds by evoking emotions, telling stories, and questioning the condition of the world. Christos Collective fosters this goal in an effort to revitalize the Christian faith and Sandy believes that a collaborative movement of believing artists can achieve reclaiming God’s Voice in art, A personal call that she received in 2014, to impact the world for the good.

Jessica Jacobson is the current Chairman of the Board of Christos Collective. She is passionate about expanding the impact of visual arts education and communication in her community. Jessica was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana and moved to Tucson, Arizona in 2007, where she received her BFA in Art and Visual Culture Education from the University of Arizona. In addition to her work with the Denver Art Museum as the Events and Group Services Supervisor, she loves engaging with local art galleries and initiatives in Denver. In 2022 Jessica received her MA in Arts Management and Cultural Entrepreneurship from Colorado State University.
Jessica believes Christos Collective is a powerful community of faithful artists, believers, and leaders who are able to use their God-given artistic talents to share the message of Christ in an engaging, thoughtful, and impactful way. She wholeheartedly believes in the power of using art as a catalyst to engage the public in spiritual, charitable, and reviving conversation and she believes Christos Collective seeks this out with passion and sincerity