Morgan DeFranco was born and raised in Miami in the 1980s. She is an experienced artist, computer technician, art therapist and entrepreneur. Morgan studied art and art history at the Academia Italiana in Florence, Italy and completed her BA with honors in 2003 at The Honors College of FAU in Jupiter, FL. She went on to work in the financial sector (Bankrate, Inc.) and eventually found her way into the non-profit sector. Morgan began her creative journey with Martinez Celaya in one of the first Wynwood gallery spaces. After involvement in a number of startups and community mural projects, she discovered her passion for civic engagement and social justice while working for Women of Tomorrow Mentor and Scholarship Program.
From there, she began her tenure at Apple starting as a part-time Specialist and worked her way up to Lead Genius. Morgan has always been interested in combining art and technology. She completed her graduate work at Naropa University in Boulder, CO and earned her degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a concentration in Transpersonal Art Therapy in 2019. During her time in Colorado, she worked at a non profit shelter serving youth experiencing homelessness, LGBTQ adolescents and those with substance use disorders.
Morgan is driven by her passion for community arts engagement, local government, collaborative projects involving youth and art and her love for Miami. In her time outside of work she has been involved in various mural projects and volunteer efforts. She has a strong dedication to social justice. In her spare time, Morgan is a self taught musician and loves to visit Colorado to hit the snowboard slopes.
During the pandemic, Morgan created H<3ARTS Passion Project: Virtual Art for Seniors, a virtual platform where children created artworks to share with seniors who were isolated from their families. She also co-founded Mood Park Foundation, an art therapy/social justice informed not for profit that provides workshops and services for other purpose driven organizations.
Since leaving Apple in 2022, Morgan now works as an art therapist for Miami Dade County Public schools. She serves the ESE/EBD department (Exceptional Student Education/Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities). Her theoretical orientations that guide her practice are as follows: CBT/DBT/Positive Youth Development, Humanistic, Positive and Jungian Psychologies, and Transpersonal and Neuro-developmental/Trauma Informed.
Some projects and organizations she works with in the Miami area are as follows:
Shake a Leg Miami
Miami Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs
City of Miami (Commission District 2)
Lotus House
PD Life (Parkinson’s Foundation)
H<3ARTS Passion Project: Virtual Art for Seniors paint pal project