WHO ARE WE

Neuro-diverse and marginalized students have been denied learning & development opportunities for far too long. As a diverse organization dedicated to an inclusive, evidence-based, evolutionary shift in education, Art Chops believes in providing autonomy to students in how they learn and contribute to society. All students learn differently, and we must work diligently to provide learning solutions for all. 

With razor-focus on supporting neuro-diverse students, and a commitment to accessibility, we envision a world where all have access to support on their way to a bright future via a unique app, a gamified curriculum where gaming is used to teach, free resources, social-good events, and more. 

VISION

​To transform education and propel neuro-diverse and marginalized students into a successful, fruitful, and long-lasting future.

MISSION

To gamify traditional education and launch students into a future of autonomous, financial, and creative freedom both virtually and physically.

VALUES

​TRUST
We trust in eachother, both collectively and individually. We believe that we are always in our best interest, no matter the circumstance, as honesty and faith reign supreme.

PASSION
We are passionate and believe in a cause that is deeply rooted in our values and mission as individuals. We persevere through chaos and remain calm and diligent until peace resumes. We don't fail, we learn and move on. 

LOVE
We share a love of humanity. Every human is worthy of a connection and deserves a chance to live a fulfilling life, and we believe in harnessing the power of love to connect the world after decades of conflict.  

RESPECT
We respect eachother's differences and value systems, embracing them as traits of eachother rather than seeing these traits as an obstruction. 

COMMITMENT
We will not stop until humanity is pivoted to a path of success for all.

FAMILY
We care about eachother and want to see success and prosperity for all humans. This starts with a mentality of sharing instead of borrowing. 

​The ART CHOPS Team

Hannah Thorsen
Chief Executive Officer

Hannah is a formidable woman with a rare ambition to support humanity. After being introduced to Markiplier, a gaming YouTuber, at a very young age, she found her passion of helping people. She has moved over 25+ times in her life and has had over 10+ different jobs, gaining experience and networking, all in pursuit of finding her purpose and making the world a better place.
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Escaping wrongful circumstances, she traveled 27 hours from Sacramento, California to Austin, Texas and became CEO of Art Chops in less than 6 months of joining the team. She believes in recognition for all marginalized communities, considering she is a part of the LGBTQ+ community herself.

Michael Lubker ​
Chief of Operations

Michael has over a decade of experience in the gaming industry, working with publishers, developers and content creators in business development, production, design, event and community management, and QA, to help them bring great games and events to fruition. His last role before Art Chops was Director of Customer Success at Gamerjibe, where he helped develop a successful events metaverse.
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He’s always believed in the greater purpose of those underserved and has a long-term passion for creating a more equitable game industry. Being on the neurodiverse spectrum, he brings a lot of wisdom, passion, and excitement to the mission of Art Chops.

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Beth Cooper
​Chief of Staff

Beth Anne is a bright, reliable, patient woman whose search for her passion has led her to Art Chops. The medical and service industry helped develop a strong work ethic with the ability to adapt to new challenges. Building upon each new adventure she brings learned skills to create a workplace that makes dreams a reality.

The last 16 years in the workforce has taught her that the journey to a goal is just as important as the goal itself. With the COVID-19 shutdown changing the world for everyone she fell in love with Art Chops and joined the team as chief of staff. Change is needed to improve a flawed system so everyone prospers, and Art Chops is the spark to make it happen!
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Alex Shahrestani
Chief Legal Officer

From a bachelor’s degree in philosophy to a zealous pursuit in technology and the law at UTSL, Alex comes with many pieces of guidance and a plethora of passion. He’s quick to spot concerns and problems, carving a path of simple strategies and fast implementation.

Whether it’s identifying emerging issues, promoting the sharing of information without unreasonable constraint, or focusing on the rights of people, he believes in the vision of Art Chops and bringing together everyone for the common good.

River White
Head of Content

River has been working with creative suites like Adobe for almost a decade and has experience with 3D softwares, such as Cinema 4D and Blender. He is a problem solver with a true passion for digital art. That stems from a desire to make things that people can see, admire, and re-use.
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Being an introvert, he doesn’t network often, but believes Art Chops will relieve social anxieties and help many artists connect and learn from each other. He deeply believes in the ‘teach a man to fish’ philosophy. “There is no replacement for hard work but we can certainly make that work easier and I believe Art Chops is the platform to make that happen!”


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