Creative Director

Tracy Lee Glenn, 34, program director, International House of Blues Foundation, Cleveland, tglenn@hob.com

The Low-Down | Glenn taught for the Cleveland City Schools for three years and was a manager for a nonprofit literacy organization before joining International House of Blues Foundation in November 2004. Fun Gig | Last year, Glenn hosted more than 2,000 5th- through 12th-graders at the House of Blues for a variety of educational programs centered on cultural understanding and creative expression. The field trips include a folk art tour around the House of Blues and a live musical performance. Literary Buff | Five years ago, after she was diagnosed with cancer, Glenn was inspired to write a children’s book as a means of explaining the disease to the children she taught. Currently, Glenn is searching for a publisher for My Third Grade Teacher’s Bald: A Story for Children About Cancer. Call to Service | Glenn volunteers at the Renee Jones Empowerment Center in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood.

How does your job reflect your personality? I have a lot of passion for providing kids with experiences that they may not otherwise have.

How do you stay energized? I'm a little hyper and I don't sleep.

Are you artistically inclined? I'm more of a writer than a visual artist.

Favorite folk artist? Jimmy Lee Sudduth. He is 85 years old and he's still creating artwork. He paints with mud. According to him, he can create 35 shades of color. And he uses his fingers. His art has been displayed at the Smithsonian.

If you could go anywhere, where would you go? The Great Wall of China. The immensity of it, it's just something I've always wanted to see.

What makes you happy? Seeing kids smile while they learn.

Favorite music to listen to? I'm a huge U2 fan, and Barenaked Ladies.

Best show you've seen at House of Blues? Bo Diddley was one of the best. I got to watch him from behind the stage.

Something on your wish list? A Jag convertible. [Working] in the nonprofit world, I don't know if that's going to happen.

Last time you lost your cool? When one of my performers didn't show up on time.

If you weren't doing this ... [I'd] be on Broadway as a performer.

Where do you go to escape? I like to take drives, absolutely anywhere.

Something people tell you all the time? That I'm always smiling and I talk too fast.

What are you reading? One [book] I reread is All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, because I think it reminds you of the simple rules in life and that as adults we make it so much more complicated.

Best life lesson you've passed on? Definitely an appreciation for the arts and how the arts give a voice to people.