Our Board

Our board works to cultivate and sustain an interconnected dance community.

Executive Board

Sonia James Pennington

PRESIDENT
Artistic & Executive Director, That Which Connects and National Dance Showcase
Karen Love

VICE PRESIDENT
Founder/Artistic Director Umoja & Usaama Dance Company
Dance Educator, Hillside High School
Karen Cleighton

SECRETARY
Dance & Musical Theatre Educator, Chartertech High School for the Performing Arts
Sukanya Mahadevan

TREASURER
Founder & Artistic Director, Shishya School of Performing Arts
Kandice N. Point-Du-Jour

PAST PRESIDENT
Dance Educator, South Orange-Maplewood School District
Paul McRae

Assistant Director, New Jersey Ballet

Board of Trustees

Arvin Arjona

Dance Educator, Millburn High School; Adjunct Professor, Rutgers Mason Gross School of The Arts in the Dance Dept.
Michele Byrd-McPhee

Executive Director, Ladies of Hip-Hop
Ronnie D Carney

Newark Board of Education/Arts High School, Dance Educator
Dr. Kim Chandler Vaccaro

Professor Emerita, Rider University
Kathy Costa McKewon

Owner/Director, DanceWorks Studios
Porshia A. Derival

Ladies of Hip-Hop, Co-chair of the Board of Trustees & Director of Marketing and Partner Relationships Director
Beau Hancock

Associate Professor at Stockton University
Bree Jacobs

Founder and Director of Empire Dance Company
Kamille King

Dance Educator, East Orange Campus High School & Montclair High School
Dajhia Maddox

Dance Educator, Irvington Public School
Laurel Mangini

Collaboration Program Manager, ADP
Renaldo Maurice

Principal Dance Artist with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Cynthia O'Dell

Verizon, Senior Director
Crystal Monsanto

Masterfull Movement, Founder
Keisa Parrish

Luebirta & Kaleonani Inc, Founder & CEO
Cristen Pennello

Supervisor and Career Technology Education Co-Supervisor, Union City Board of Education District Performing Arts
Susan Pope

BA Dance Education Coordinator/Adjunct Professor, Montclair State University
Kristine Smith

CEO/Co-Founder, InSpira Performing Arts
Heather Warfel

Director of Dance/Choreography, Hudson County Schools of Technology

25th Anniversary Gala

On National Dance Day, September 21st, 2024, the Dance New Jersey community gathered to celebrate 25 years of sustaining a healthy, connected, diverse, and equitable dance community in our state. Guests enjoyed cocktails, dancing, live performances from our member companies, and our inaugural Community Impact Awards ceremony. Learn about our award recipients here. The evening was hosted by the beautiful Camden Arts Yard in Camden, NJ.