RAAD’s three, original co-founders met during the Moonshot Edventures Fellowship in 2018. Initially, they had separate ideas for innovative arts/learning models. As these seeds began to take root, they noticed similarities with arts-based education as culturally sustaining (Paris & Alim, 2017), leading them to partner. Hence, RAAD was born.
RAAD’s academic model developed from empathy interviews and school visioning meetings with students, families, and community. These sessions shaped our initial pilots, leading to the creation of our ABL Design Team. This volunteer-based committee met weekly, after work, to envision, advise, and co-create RAAD’s unique culturally and community responsive ABL model.
In 2022, Co founders Dr. Yuzo Nieto and Kelly Okoye partnered with Denver Public Schools to bring the RAAD model to the district as an ECE-5th grade public school with Innovation status.
In 2024, we designed, launched, and led RAAD’s first arts-based-learning model in a full public school setting, as co-founding Principals/Leaders of Responsive Arts & Steam Academy (RASA), which opened in a brand new state of the art building to offer the RAAD model to ECE-8th grade DPS students. Our combined experiences opening RASA demonstrated a pivotal accomplishment, expanding the RAAD model and impact.
However, to ensure the integrity and necessary autonomy required to implement and scale the RAAD model, the decision was made in 2025 to return to our independent programming roots. This pivot allows RAAD to pursue its mission—one inherently designed to disrupt the status quo—with the agility and freedom necessary to create lasting change outside the confines of the traditional system.
Dr. Yuzo Nieto
Has spent his career serving the Denver community as both a school founder/leader, educator, musician/artist and community activist. He earned his Masters in Educational Psychology from the University of Colorado (CU) & Doctorate in Music Education with a focus in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies from the University of Northern Colorado (UNCO).
His dissertation research focuses on implementing Culturally Sustaining, Community Responsive pedagogical frameworks within Music Education. From there, Yuzo went on to lead and launch Radical Arts Academy Denver (RAAD) as Co-Founding Executive Artistic Director and Responsive Arts & STEAM Academy (RASA) in Denver Public Schools as Co-Founding Principal. Beyond his career in education, Yuzo is a father of two amazing kiddos, as well as the bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, and primary composer for the one and only Xicanxbeat orchestra (Afrobeat / Chicano Hip-Hop / Cumbia) called los Pink Hawks.
Kelly Okoye
Is an educational leader, activist, and entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience transforming learning spaces across public and private schools. Proudly raised in Denver’s Montbello neighborhood, Kelly has dedicated her career to serving students from early childhood through 8th grade in both core academics and the visual arts. Kelly earned her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education and Teaching, with a concentration in English Language Acquisition, from the University of Northern Colorado’s Center for Urban Education. She holds a Master of Arts in Leadership of Educational Organizations from the University of Colorado Denver.
Her credentials include Colorado Initial Principal License, a K-12 Endorsement in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education, and advanced designations in English Learner Professional Development and the Science of Reading/READ Act. Kelly is the Co-Founding Executive Director of Learning of Radical Arts Academy of Denver (RAAD). She also was the co-founding Assistant Principal of Responsive Arts and Steam Academy (RASA) an ECE-8 public school. Beyond her professional work, Kelly is passionate about arts and culture, and finds joy in traveling, spending time with loved ones, painting, and reading. Her lifelong commitment to equity and innovation in education continues to inspire those around her.
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