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HSDC Artistic Director
TEACHING: Ballet, Horton

Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell is the Artistic Director of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Linda-Denise ascended to this role in 2021, after an extraordinary career as a professional dance artist and educator.

Linda-Denise was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and began her dance training at the Baltimore School for the Arts under the guidance of Sylvester Campbell and Stephanie Powell. She was an apprentice with the Capitol Ballet in Washington D.C. and a full fellowship student at The Ailey School. While a student at The Juilliard School, she was invited by Hubbard Street founder Lou Conte to join the main company at the age of 19, thus beginning her professional dance career.

After three seasons with Hubbard Street, Linda-Denise became a Principal Dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, under the direction of Judith Jamison. During her 13-year tenure with the company, Linda-Denise performed all over the world and was featured in the works of Alvin Ailey, Robert Battle, Talley Beatty, Ron K. Brown, John Butler, Donald Byrd, Ulysses Dove, George Faison, Rennie Harris, Geoffrey Holder, Judith Jamison, Louis Johnson, Alonzo King, Lar Lubovitch, Donald McKayle, Elisa Monte, Jennifer Muller, David Parsons, and Dwight Rhoden.

Linda-Denise was invited to give a number of special performances throughout her career, including the White House State Dinner in honor of the President of Kenya, Mwai Kibaki, and the 12th Annual Kennedy Center Gala with Nancy Wilson and Liza Minelli.

Linda-Denise has led a distinguished career as a dance educator in her hometown of Baltimore where, since 2005, she has been a Professor of Dance at Towson University and has served on the faculty of the Baltimore School for the Arts. Her research and scholarship in continuing the Ailey legacy within the Towson University and Greater Baltimore community has resulted in the Ailey II residencies from 2011-2019 hosted by Towson University and the establishment of AileyCamp Baltimore at Towson University in 2014 where she served as Director. Ms. Fisher-Harrell holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree in dance from Hollins University and is an ABT® Certified Teacher. As a scholar, her entry "Alvin Ailey" has been published by the Routledge Encyclopedia of Modernism

Summer Intensives Program Director & HSDC Rehearsal Director
TEACHING: Ballet, HSDC Repertoire, Jazz


Jonathan E. Alsberry from Normal, IL is a dance educator, creator and coach focused on inspiring excellence and joy in the study of Ballet, Jazz, and Modern techniques with a constant dedication to the exploration of artistry and the creative process. Currently the Rehearsal Director with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Jonathan began dancing with his mother Lyndetta and went on to graduate from The Chicago Academy for the Arts where he has since been a guest faculty member. In 2006 he received his BFA from The Juilliard School where he met Aszure Barton. Jonathan a.k.a “Jojo” is now dancer, rehearsal director, and creative collaborator with Aszure Barton & Artists and has assisted Mrs. Barton in over a dozen creations including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Bayerische Staatsballett and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. In 2007 Jonathan also joined the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company and is currently a performer, rehearsal director and teaching artist with the company. He has shared two tours with Mikhail Baryshnikov’s “Hell’s Kitchen Dance” as well as “Evolution” with Alessandra Ferri and Herman Cornejo. Other credits include The Chase Brock Experience, Daniel Gwirtzman Dance Company, Luna Negra Dance Theater, Nilas Martins Dance Company, and Eisenhower Dance Ensemble. Since 2007, Jonathan has been teaching, coaching and creating work at various educational institutions including Arts Umbrella, Harvard University, University of California at Irvine, Springboard Danse Montreal, Ballet Hispánico and University of Southern California

HSDC Manager of Training Operations
TEACHING: Hip Hop

Krista graduated from the University of Iowa with a BBA in Business Management, Dance Minor, and a Performing Arts Entrepreneurship Certificate.  Following graduation, Krista moved to Chicago to pursue a professional career in Arts Administration. She has been employed at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago since 2011, and currently serves as the Manager of Training Operations. 

In 2012 Krista joined BOOM CRACK! Dance Company (BCDC), under the Artistic Direction of Trae Turner. She serves as the Artistic Director of BANG BANG! Dance Company, an affiliate training company of BOOM CRACK! Dance Company. She is also a faculty member at Extensions Dance Studio and teaches annually for Hubbard Street’s Summer Intensives. She has taught master classes throughout the Midwest, and had the opportunity to guest choreograph for Hubbard Street’s Professional Program (HSPro), Whitney Young High School, St. Ignatius Orchesis, and Dreyfoos School of the Arts. Additionally, Krista has choreographed for the Chicago Luvaballs Dance Team. 

Krista has performed at many local and regional showcases including: Dance Chicago, Urbanite, Chicago Carnival, Culture Shock International Showcase, Mad Expressions Showcase in Atlanta, and World of Dance Live in Universal City, CA. She has also competed at WOD Dallas, New York, and Chicago, Prelude Midwest, and Hip Hop International Championships in Las Vegas, NV.

TEACHING: Contemporary, Forsythe, HSDC Repertoire, Improv 

Alyssa Allen is from Los Angeles where she attended the Orange County School of the Arts. She then graduated in 2019 as a member of the inaugural class at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance under the direction of William Forsythe and Jodie Gates. She has performed works by choreographers Crystal Pite, Jiří Kylián, Johannes Wieland, George Balanchine, William Forsythe and Aszure Barton, to name a few. Alyssa has attended intensives such as Nederlands Dans Theatre, Springboard Danse Montréal, and Orsolina28 in Italy. She has performed at the Music & More SummerFest in Bosnia, the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and the Joyce Theatre. Additional credits include dancing in music videos for Billie Eilish and Emmit Fenn, and performing at the Country Music Awards. This is her third season with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.

TEACHING: Ballet, HSDC Repertoire

Alexandria Best is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina in which she began her dance training  and love for its expressive art form. In her formal training years, Best acquired knowledge from various instructors across programs such as American Ballet Theatre, Arts Umbrella, Carolina Ballet, French Académie of Ballet, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. She has had the great opportunity to perform various works by choreographers such as Rena Butler, Alexandra Damiani, Jessica Hendricks,  Jiří Kylián, Florian Lochner and Alice Klock (also known as “FLOCK”), and Crystal Pite. Best is most recently a graduate of Pace Univeristy, where she received her BFA in Dance, and she is in her first season with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.

TEACHING: Ballet, HSDC Repertoire, IMAGE TECH for Dancers

Craig D. Black Jr. began dancing at South Bay Dance Center at the age of ten. The
California native was captain of his San Jose high school’s nationally ranked dance
team. In 2011 Craig received his BFA from The Juilliard School where he was awarded the 2010 Princess Grace Award in Dance. He has received additional training at summer programs such as Springboard Danse Montréal, Nederlands Dans Theater Summer Intensive, and The School at Jacob’s Pillow where he was given the 2011 Lorna Strassler Award for Student Excellence. Craig joined Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in the fall of 2017 after finishing six seasons with the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. He has had the pleasure of dancing works by Kyle Abraham, Aszure Barton, Jirí Kylián, Jorma Elo, Cayetano Soto Ramirez, William Forsythe, Alejandro Cerrudo, Ohad Naharin, Crystal Pite, Robyn Mineko Williams, Nacho Duato, and Peter Chu along with many others. On top of his professional dance career, Craig is a passionate teacher. He has taught and choreographed for many schools and studios throughout the United States as well as co-choreographed and rehearsal directed for Cardi B and Offset’s 2019 BET Awards performance. In addition, Craig is certified to teach IMAGE TECH for Dancers™ introductory level through advanced level and serves as guest faculty for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago main company, Hubbard Street Professional Program, Steps on Broadway, Peridance Center, The Joffrey Academy, New York City Dance Alliance, and Dupree Dance.

TEACHING: BalleX Cross-training

Ms. Brictson grew up dancing and training in both Elgin and Chicago. A graduate from Larkin High School’s Performing Arts program, Hanna accepted a company position with River North Dance Chicago in 2004. Within her 12 years dancing at RNDC, Ms. Brictson choreographed on the company, worked as Rehearsal Assistant, and performed all over the world.

Hanna most recently danced and assistant Rehearsal directed for two seasons with Visceral Dance Chicago. Hanna has danced in works by Frank Chaves, Robert Battle, Danielle Agami, Nick Pupillo, Monica Cervantes, Mauro Astolfi, Ivan Perez, Sidra Bell, Lauri Stallings, Harrison McEldowney, Sherry Zunker, Frank Chaves, Luca Signoretti, Anton Rudakov, Julia Rhodes,and Kevin Iega Jeff. Hanna has also worked with ODC in San Francisco and Northwest Dance Project in Portland. Her choreographic work has been set on Dance Works Chicago (2018), Dance For Life (2018), Chicago Ideas Week (2018), Eisenhower Dance Detroit “New Dances” (2018), Visceral Dance Chicago “WITHIN” (2017,2018), University of Iowa Dance Department (2017), Still Inspired Chicago (2017), Dance In the Parks Chicago (2016,2017), MADCO Dance Company St.Louis (2016), River North Dance Chicago (2015), Kmart National commercials (2016), high school dance teams, and competitive dance studios through out the country. She has taught in Israel, Russia, Germany, and all over the U.S..

Miss Brictson has now turned to creating her own project of work called Hanna Brictson and Dancers. Her company most recently performed in Dance For Life 2018, and Chicago Ideas Week 2018. HBD continues to grow in the Chicago Scene, bringing dance into peoples lives. She also directs, trains and choreographs for her own youth company “ Integrity Dance Company” based in the suburbs of chicago. Miss Brictson has been recognized for her dedication to the dance art form and her career in Dance Magazine on two separate occasions and is also a former Princess Grace Dancer Nominee and also a Princess Grace Choreographic Fellowship Nominee.

TEACHING: Pilates

Nara Carman is a certified Level 5, Romana’s Pilates International. A former apprentice of Rhonda Celenza and Juanita Lopez, Nara has been classically trained in traditional Pilates technique. She has continued her training by attending workshops with Marjorie Oron, Juanita Lopez, and lessons with Janice Dulak. Nara’s connection with Pilates is personal as well as professional. While a professional dancer she suffered a neck and spine injury that hampered her movement and caused her pain for many years. Pilates has restored her body and freed her from the restrictions of her injury.

TEACHING: Cunningham Technique

Paige Cunningham-Caldarella is an Associate Professor in Dance at Columbia College Chicago where she teaches contemporary modern, ballet, dance pedagogy and performance based classes. Caldarella has performed with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, The Seldoms, Colleen Halloran Performance Group, Linda Lehovec, Darrell Jones, Sara Hook, Cynthia Oliver, Timothy Buckley, and Onye Ozuzu among others. Her commitment to innovative ballet and contemporary dance pedagogy was acknowledged and rewarded with a 2015 Teaching Excellence award. She holds a B.F.A. from the Juilliard School and an M.F.A. from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

TEACHING: Tap Dance

Starinah “Star” Dixon is an assistant director, choreographer, and original principal dancer of world renowned tap company, M.A.D.D. Rhythms. She has taught and performed at the most distinguished tap festivals in the country including The L.A. Tap Fest, DC Tap Fest, RIFF Dallas, Chicago Human Rhythm Project’s Rhythm World, and MADD Rhythms own Chicago Tap Summit. She’s performed internationally in Poland, Japan, and Brazil to name a few. Performance venues include Jacob’s Pillow, Kennedy Center, and the Lincoln Center. Outside of M.A.D.D. Rhythms, she’s performed as a guest with such companies as Michelle Dorrance’s Dorrance Dance and Savion Glover’s All Funk’d Up. Star is currently on staff at numerous dance studios in and around Chicago.

 

TEACHING: Ballet, HSDC Repertoire, Modern, Jazz

Michele Dooley is a dance artist and teacher from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She began her dance training at The Institute of the Arts, graduated from The High School for Creative and Performing Arts, and later earned her BFA in Dance from The University of the Arts. Michele has completed programs with Bates Summer intensive, BalletX Summer Program, and DCNS Summer Dance Intensive and has worked with choreographers Gary Jeter, Tommie-Waheed Evans, Dara Meredith-Stevens, Milton Myers, and Nora Gibson. She has had the privilege of working with Eleone Dance Theatre, and Spectrum Dance Theater.

CREATE Choreographer

ASHLEY GREEN (Charleston, SC) began her training at Columbia City Jazz, where she found her love for dance. She trained in a variety of styles including ballet, modern, jazz, tap, and hip-hop. In 2020, Ms. Green received her BFA in Dance from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA, under the direction of Garfield Lemonius. There, she performed works by Peter Chu, Aszure Barton, Kyle Abraham, and Darrell Grand Moultrie. After graduation Ms. Green joined Whim W’Him Seattle Contemporary Dance, directed by former Princess Grace winner Olivier Wevers, where she was nominated for the Princess Grace Award. Ms. Green received the Princess Grace Award in 2021 as well as Dance Magazine 'Top 25 to Watch' 2021. Ashley now is a dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater under the direction of Robert Battle.

CREATE Choreographer
TEACHING: Floorwork

Born in Colorado and raised in Oklahoma, James Gregg is now a Los Angeles-based dancer and choreographer. James was the recipient of the 2015 Princess Grace Choreography Fellowship Award. Gregg’s work has been performed by Groundworks Dance Company, Bodytraffic, Whim W’Him, Cirque du Soleil at Sea, Danceworks Chicago, Dark Circles Contemporary Dance, Ballet X, Northwest Dance Project, Springboard Danse Project Montreal, River North Dance Company, and L’Ecole Superieure de Danse de Quebec. James has danced with Rubberband Dance Group, Bodytraffic, BJM Danse, Aszure & Artists, and River North Dance Chicago. He has performed the works of Barak Marshall, Crystal Pite, Mia Michaels, Gustavo Ramirez, Rodrigo Pedernieras, Frank Chaves, Danny Ezralow, Mauro Bigonzetti, Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa, and Cayetano Soto.

TEACHING: Ballet, Contemporary, HSDC Repertoire, Improv

Elliot Hammans began his formal dance training in 2008 with Robert Sher-Machherndl and continued his ballet and modern dance education with Moving People Dance in Santa Fe, NM, under the direction of Curtis Uhlemann. Hammans joined Moving People Dance Company as an apprentice in 2010, trained on full scholarship at the Alonzo King LINES Dance Center in San Francisco, and attended Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s 2011 and 2012 Summer Intensives. Following one season with Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance and studies abroad at Austria’s Tanzzentrum SEAD (Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance), Hammans earned his BFA in Dance in 2014 from Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. Hammans joined Hubbard Street 2 as a full company member in August 2014 and was promoted to Hubbard Street’s main company in August 2016.

TEACHING: Tap Dance

Sterling Harris (he/him), a Chicago native, fell in love with tap at the age of seven and hasn’t stopped dancing since. He began training in tap under Lee Howard and Martin “Tre” Dumas at age 11 and studying jazz theory and improvisation at age 14. While attending Northwestern University, he joined the campus’ premier tap company, Tonik Tap, and went on to lead as the Artistic Director his senior year. Sterling graduated with a B.A. in Neuroscience but was determined to follow his passion for tap dance. He began dancing professionally immediately after undergrad and joined Chicago Tap Theatre, where he is currently the Rehearsal Director as well as a Company Member, choreographer, and performer. Sterling is also a Company Member of M.A.D.D. Rhythms (Making a Difference Dancing Rhythms) and is an alumnus of the Tap Program at The School at Jacob’s Pillow. Off the wood, Sterling is a research study coordinator in the Institute for Public Health and Medicine and looks forward to the day when he can connect his artistic endeavors to scientific knowledge.

CREATE Choreographer
TEACHING: HSDC Repertoire, Horton

Alysia Johnson was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. She first found dance at Dallas Black Dance Theatre and later went on to graduate from Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts where she studied ballet, modern, and composition. A graduate of The Juilliard School and a two-time recipient of Juilliard's Entrepreneurship Grant she has served the Dallas dance community by founding and directing programs that cater to young artists in the DFW metroplex since 2015. Recently, Alysia was awarded the Princess Grace Honoraria Award for dance and is endlessly thankful for the dance community at large for their support and unmatched creativity.

TEACHING: Horton

Ethan Kirschbaum graduated summa cum laude with departmental honors in Dance Performance from the Ailey School/Fordham University B.F.A. Program. Since then he has danced with Hubbard Street 2, River North Dance Chicago, Lucky Plush Productions, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera, and the Saarlandisches Staatstheater. He has been on faculty at the Ailey School, Joffrey Academy, and Lou Conte Dance Studio and was recently certified by the Ailey School to teach all levels of Horton. In 2020, Kirschbaum founded Chicago Movement Collective; a new home for dancers of all backgrounds to train and grow.

CREATE Choreographer
TEACHING: HSDC Repertoire, Improv

Adam McGaw is a native of Detroit, Michigan, where he received his Bachelors of Fine Arts Degree in Dance at Wayne State University (2015). He has performed works by Crystal Pite, Kyle Abraham, Johannes Weiland, Fernando Melo, Maxine Doyle, and Jonathan Fredrickson amongst many others. Additional training includes Complexions Contemporary Ballet Summer Intensive, Springboard Danse Montreal, b12 Festival (Berlin, Germany) and Gaga Winter Intensive (Tel Aviv, Israel). Adam joined Hubbard Street's main company full time in 2019.

CREATE Choreographer

Kameron N. Saunders (St. Louis, MO) began his dance training at the Center of
Creative Arts, or COCA. Kameron is a graduate of the University of
Missouri-Kansas City with a BFA in Dance. He has worked with renowned artists
such as Alonzo King, Alicia Graf Mack, Antonio & Kirven Douthit-Boyd, Matthew
Rushing, Chloe Arnold, Brent Faiyez, Danielle Polanco, and many others. Kameron
has choreographed for many universities and companies and has presented his works at festivals like APAP in New York City and the Spring to Dance Festival in St.
Louis. He has also choreographed for renowned actor Ken Page for his original
play for dance, Sublime Intimacy. In the summer of 2018 Kameron was one of eight
internationally selected choreographers for the Ann & Weston Hicks Choreography
Fellowship at Jacob’s Pillow in its inaugural year. In 2020 he was named
Associate Artistic Director of Les Ballet Afrik, a dance company that fuses
voguing with traditional African dance, afrobeats, and house dance styles. In
December of 2020 Kameron became a recipient of the Jaquel Knight Foundation
Passion Project Grant which allowed him to co-found The K/P Project in St. Louis,
MO alongside Prince Lyons. Kameron has also done industrial work for Vogue
Magazine and Burberry and most recently in a film alongside stars like Ryan
Reynolds and Will Ferrell set to premiere in 2022.

TEACHING: Ballet, HSDC Repertoire, Improv, Modern, Limon

Kevin J. Shannon is a graduate of the Baltimore School for the Arts. He received additional training from the School of American Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Paul Taylor, and Springboard Danse Montréal. After receiving his BFA from The Juilliard School in 2007, Kevin was invited to join Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. While a dancer with Hubbard Street, he has had the privilege to work under the direction of Jim Vincent, Glenn Edgerton and the current Artistic Director Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell. Kevin is honored to have performed works by Crystal Pite, Kyle Abraham, Jirí Kylián, Aszure Barton, Sharon Eyal, Twyla Tharp, Alejandro Cerrudo, Robyn Mineko Williams, William Forsythe, Peter Chu, Ohad Naharin, among many others over his fourteen years with the company. In 2013 Kevin participated in DanceMotion USA, a cross cultural exchange program between Hubbard Street, BAM and the US State Department, where he taught and performed in North Africa and Spain. As an educator, Kevin has taught dance master classes around the world, led and programmed the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Summer Intensive and is currently a guest teacher for Hubbard Street’s main company. He has served as faculty for The Joffrey Academy, Chicago Movement Collective, and Peridance Center. In addition, Kevin is a certified IMAGE TECH for Dancers™ teacher. 

TEACHING: Contemporary, Modern, HSDC Repertoire

Simone Stevens earned her BA in Dance and Minor in Anthropology from Kennesaw State University in July 2017. One year post-grad, Stevens moved to Chicago and trained on scholarship at the Lou Conte Dance Studio where she was mentored by Laura Wade, Ethan Kirschbaum, and Kristina Fluty. During that time, Stevens also freelanced throughout the city and performed works choreographed by Alice Klock, Alysia Johnson, Hanna Brictson, LOUD Bodies, and Joshua Peugh among others. Most recently she performed as a company member with Katlin Bourgeois's Ensemble180 and was on faculty with Ethan Kirschbaum’s Chicago Movement Collective before joining Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. In Stevens’s first season as a member of HSDC, she will be performing works choreographed by Jermaine Maurice Spivey, Aszure Barton, Rena Butler, Ohad Naharin, Nacho Duato and others.

TEACHING: Hip Hop

TRAE TURNER is the founder and Artistic Director of BOOM CRACK! Dance Company and BOOM BOX Dance Company, as well as the founder and Creative Director for BANG BANG! Dance Company. He serves as an adjunct Hip Hop Professor at Columbia College, is on faculty at Visceral Dance Chicago, and was a former faculty member at LCDS for over 15 years. He has completed choreography and artist development for recording artists including Kelis, Phenix Phenom, Andre McCray, Jess Godwin, R&B singer Kam, and teen sensation Yemi Marie. Over his 13-year career as a performer he has opened for Ne-Yo, Rod Stuart, Janet Jackson, and many more. Trae continues to change the perception of hip hop dance by pushing its boundaries and showcasing hip hop on professional platforms.

SUMMER INTENSIVE ACCOMPANIST

Colin DeJong is a composer and pianist for dance based in Chicago until the end of summer, then he’s bound for Wisconsin to assume the role of Lead Accompanist at Milwaukee Ballet School & Academy.

He has spent the past 10 years occupied principally as a dance pianist in Chicago, accompanying for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, the Lou Conte Dance Studio, Joffrey Academy of Dance, The Chicago High School For The Arts (“ChiArts,” where he also taught a music class for dance majors), Hyde Park School of Dance, and various incidental engagements with visiting groups such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Miami City Ballet, and Youth America Grand Prix.

Colin trained at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, earning his BM in music composition and his MM in music theory. His piano instructors have been Jean-Louis Haguenauer, Andrea Molina, and Ann Schein.

SUMMER INTENSIVE ACCOMPANIST

Lisa grew up in Wisconsin, where she got a taste for dance accompaniment playing piano for her high school’s musicals.  She was privately taught and accompanies all levels of ballet, using a diverse selection of music for class.  For the past twenty years Lisa has been accompanying classes at studios in the Chicagoland area including Northwest Ballet Academy, Hubbard Street Dance and The Lou Conte Dance Studios, Visceral Dance Chicago, The Joffrey Ballet Academy, and Ballet 5:8.

SUMMER INTENSIVE ACCOMPANIST

From the age of four years old, Jonathan Schang has been devoted to the pursuit and creation of original music. After studying percussion and music theory extensively throughout his education in Oak Park, IL, Jonathan spent his freshman year of college in 2002-2003 at Boston’s illustrious Berklee College of Music. He returned to Chicago to study jazz drumset with Paul Wertico at the Chicago College of Performing Arts, whereupon he graduated with a BA in Jazz Studies in 2005. Shortly thereafter, he founded the world-renowned progressive rock band District 97. Jonathan and his bandmates regularly record and tour the world. In 2016, Jonathan was named one of the Top 5 Prog Rock drummers in the Modern Drummer Magazine Reader's Poll. 

In addition to his activities with District 97, Jonathan is one of Chicago’s busiest and most in-demand Modern and Ballet dance accompanists. He works regularly at Hyde Park School of Dance, Joffrey Ballet, Columbia College Chicago, Chicago Academy for the Arts,  Intuit, and is thrilled to join HSDC for their Summer Intensives.