Stellar’s storytelling instructors and coaches combine their expertise in strategic communications, nonprofit and business management, and artistic storytelling to lead dynamic training and coaching programs and custom events. Leveraging extensive experience working with people from diverse backgrounds and identities, Stellar specializes in identifying and amplifying underrepresented or marginalized voices.
Cheryl Hamilton
Founder and Executive Director
Cheryl Hamilton is an innovative program director and communications expert who has devoted her career to advancing more inclusive communities and storytelling. She founded Stellar Story Company after directing programs and external relations for local, national, and global nonprofits for two decades. While employed at the International Institute of New England, she created the popular Suitcase Stories® series that explores global migration through storytelling. She also directed curating and coaching for the national media program Stories from the Stage between 2017-2024. An award-winning story coach, Cheryl has helped over 1,500 people from 80 countries tell meaningful stories. Her personal stories have been featured on national media programs, and she routinely performs on stages throughout the U.S.
Instructors and Coaches
Tae Chong
Instructor / Coach
Tae Chong brings 20 years of experience in economic and workforce development, business counseling, and education for refugees, immigrants, and other communities of color. As an advocate for economic integration, he has authored articles for Maine Biz, Maine Magazine, CEI, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Tae has presented as a key speaker for the Maine Development Foundation, MaineLive, and TEDxDirigo. He especially loves storytelling and has performed on local and national programs. The ICA featured his story In their exhibit on migration in 2019. Tae is the first Asian American elected to the Portland School Committee and to the Portland City Council.
Chris Ko
Instructor / Operations Director
Chris Ko is an expert in operations management and planning. In his time away from Stellar, he is the Public Events Coordinator for the Waltham Museum of Industry and Innovation. His experience includes various positions at the International Institute of New England, Boston College, and Harvard. Chris discovered storytelling through Suitcase Stories, a program Cheryl Hamilton launched at IINE that features stories of refugee and immigrant life. His story on belonging appeared on Stories from the Stage.
Sophia Garcia
Event Coordinator
Sophia Garcia lives in Revere, MA, where she grew up. Her mother was born in Ecuador, and her father is from Puerto Rico. She is currently a student at Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC), studying math. Sophia is interested in a career in computer technology. Outside of
school, she works full-time and manages her nail design business. Sophia discovered spoken-word storytelling in her English classes at BHCC. This is her first performance on stage.
U-Meleni Mhlaba-Adebo
Instructor / Coach
U-Meleni Mhlaba-Adebo is a Zimbabwean-American poet, author, performance artist, storyteller, and educator with an international reach and a transnational lens. For more than two decades, she has taught writing and wellness through the arts across a range of settings including schools, community centers, colleges, hospitals, libraries, and shelters. U-Meleni is the 2021 recipient of the BIPOC Arts Leaders Ripple Grant by the Cultural Equity Learning Community and a graduate of the DEI Workplace Certificate program from the University of South Florida Muma School Of Business. Two of her stories about identity and race have been featured on Stories from the Stage. She is a board member for Mass Poetry and Write on the DOT, as well as a member of the New England Poetry Club and National Writers Union.
Lorena Hernández Leonard
Instructor / Coach
A Colombian native, Lorena Hernández Leonard is a storyteller, writer, and filmmaker whose award-winning animated short film, Demi’s Panic, was an Oscar contender. Lorena is a Latinx culture expert with 20 years of experience in the marketing and communications industry. She’s creator of Gritty Girl, a project that highlights immigrant stories and galvanizes BIPOC women to build resilience and grit. She has appeared on Stories From the Stage and is a Pauline Scheer Fellow at GrubStreet where she is currently working on a memoir about her experiences growing up during the Colombian drug war and migrating to the United States.
Andrew Shelffo
Coach
Andrew Shelffo is a writer, teacher, and storyteller who lives in western Massachusetts. He holds a Ph.D. in contemporary American literature and has been teaching literature and writing in both secondary and higher education for over 30 years. For the past 15 years, he’s been deeply involved in exploring how technology can enhance education. He has told stories on the World Channel’s Stories from the Stage, USA Today’s Storytellers Project, and New England Public Media’s Valley Voices Grand Slam, as well as numerous virtual storytelling events, including ones in Philadelphia, Toronto, and Chicago. He also produces a regular storytelling open mic in his hometown.
