​Pilita Simpson - 2022 Women Inspiring Nevada Awardee

Founder and Chief Executive Officer  

The Founder of Ivy Dreamers and Positively Arts (PA), Pilita Simpson currently holds a Masters Degree in Arts in Education from Harvard University. Pilita has worked for such amazing companies as Sesame Workshop and Walt Disney before founding this 501(c)(3) nonprofit. She believes that the best way to instruct young, developing minds is to engage the emotion-center of the brain (the limbic system), thereby attaching an emotional response to new information, making it more easily retained and recalled in the future. Arts integration enhances cognition and provides our youth with the tools for self-expression and confidence building. She is continuing her work to strengthen a child’s education and social-emotional health through her reinvented curriculum and design, woven into all of Positively Arts' programming. 
​Pilita worked as the Director of New Media and Learning Technology for The Public Education Foundation in Las Vegas where she developed a passion for serving children in and through the arts. She uses arts-integration models to enhance learning and raise student achievement, while using the arts to empower, inspire, educate, and heal. Beyond her arts and education background, Pilita is an active member of Actors’ Equity Association for over 20 years, having performed around the world as a vocalist, actress, and emcee for Disney and other professional companies. Pilita is passionate about giving young people the tools and skillsets necessary to become confident and resilient adults who go on to be leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs. She is confident that youth raised in an arts-enriched environment are best set up to succeed in this ever-changing world.