Christine Her is the daughter of former Hmong refugee parents from Laos. She pursued her B.A. at Drake University. She’s a Mid-Iowa Health fellow focusing her project on developing diverse and healing-centered texts reflecting authentic stories of individuals who are minoritized and marginalized. She is a part of the Des Moines Performing Arts (DMPA) Equity Diversity Inclusivity (EDI) Community Task Force and a serving board member, a member of the Iowa ACES 360 Steering Committee, Drake University’s Community Engagement Advisory Council and the Business Record newsroom’s Racial Equity Advisory Board. She was named One of 15 people to watch in the State of Iowa for 2021, the recipient of the 2021 American Express Emerging Leader Award through Americans for the Arts, Iowa CASA’s 2021 Trailblazer Award recipient, and part of the Business Records’ Forty under 40 class of 2022. She recently joined the Arts Midwest Board of Directors.
She currently serves as the Executive Director of ArtForce Iowa. Founded in 2012, ArtForce Iowa has a mission to create opportunities for youth to transform through art. She is a cultural architect who is highly motivated to interrupt social and systemic injustices with hope and art while helping others rise in their own power and lean into their purpose.