Alexis is the Principal at STEPS Consulting, an innovative consultancy that specializes in community-based research, engagement and placemaking strategies. She is also the Founding Director of the Sustainable Thinking and Expression on Public Space (STEPS) Initiative, a nonprofit organization that uses art to connect people to places (especially public spaces) through a combination of research, knowledge exchange and capacity building programming. In 2011, Alexis was awarded a DiverseCity Fellowship by the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance for her work leading city-building initiatives. She has also sat on the Advisory Board of the Toronto Arts Council's Neighbourhood Arts Network. Alexis received an MA from the University of Toronto's Department of Geography and Planning and is currently pursuing a PhD in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University, with a particular interest in using art to challenge and change: the ways in which public spaces are currently being used; how citizens communicate on environmental issues; and the role of the artist in community planning. She also holds certificates in Community-Based Research, Capacity Building and Teaching English as a Second Language. When she is not working on the STEPS Initiative projects, Alexis can often be found traveling, being crafty, cooking or playing with Samba Elegua in the streets of Toronto.