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How did you stay involved on campus?

The Dance Department was my home at Goucher. I was completely absorbed in that vibrant community. Beyond performing with Chorégraphie Antique under Chrystelle Bond’s visionary direction, I wrote for the dance newsletter, documenting and celebrating the artistic work happening around me. My deep connection to Goucher brought me back in Spring 1997 as a dance faculty member, a role I remained in for five years before departing in 2002 to establish a dance program at Lock Haven University as an assistant professor.

What accomplishments are you most proud of since graduating?

Since graduating from Goucher, my journey has been one of continuous growth as an artist, educator, and advocate for the transformative power of the arts. After earning my master of fine arts degree from the University of Utah, I embarked on a career that has spanned 28 years and four continents.

As a performer, I danced with Tandy Beal Dance Company in Tokyo, with the Pennsylvania Dance Theatre in State College, and as an independent artist. As a choreographer, I’ve created over 50 original works, including commissioned pieces for universities and professional companies such as Ririe-Woodbury Dance in Salt Lake City and Momentum Dance Company in Panama. I’ve taught in residence at the Riverside International School in Prague, with Artists for Africa in Nairobi, Kenya, and at the Young Theatre Festival in Bale, Croatia.

My path in higher education has taken me through three different public and private institutions, where I’ve accumulated more than 25 years of experience in student success and academic leadership. I founded and directed the Lewisburg Dance Conservatory in Pennsylvania, served as professor and head of the dance program at Lock Haven University, and held faculty positions at Goucher College and Carver Center for Arts and Technology in Towson, MD, from 1996 to 2002. At East Carolina University, I served as producer and artistic director of the Loessin Playhouse, a major arts hub for eastern North Carolina, and later as director of the School of Theatre and Dance, where I led strategic planning as senior academic officer responsible for curriculum, human resources, and fiscal operations.

As a STEAM educator and arts integration specialist, I co-coordinate “Eco-Librium,” an annual professional development conference in Tradate, Italy, through T.E.A.C.H. (Transcontinental Educators and Artists for the Collective Humanity), bringing together scientists, artists, educators, and activists to increase enviro-literacy and climate action.

Now, as dean of the School of the Arts at the College of Charleston, I continue work that has become my life’s calling: cultivating artistry, championing inclusive practices, fostering global citizenship, and advocating tenaciously for student success. I have the privilege of supporting talented faculty and students in one of America’s most culturally rich and historic cities. In this role, I work to foster creativity, advance artistic excellence, and ensure that the arts remain vital to our community and our students’ lives. 

What originally drew you to Goucher?

The exceptional dance program under Chrystelle Bond’s visionary leadership drew me to Goucher. I was seeking a place that would honor both the rigor of artistic training and the depth of academic inquiry, and Goucher delivered precisely that—a program where technical excellence and intellectual curiosity flourished together on a beautiful campus near a vibrant city. It was the ideal environment for an emerging artist.

Share a favorite Goucher memory.

My most cherished memories are inseparable from the dance studios themselves—those countless hours in class and rehearsal, the discipline and discovery of daily practice, and the exhilaration of performing in Kraushaar. 

Who (faculty, staff, peers) had a lasting influence on your journey?

Chrystelle Bond profoundly shaped my artistic journey, but I was blessed with an extraordinary constellation of mentors: Juliet Forrest, Elizabeth Ahearn, Amanda Thom Woodson, Jane Ward Murray, Laura Dolid, and Kathy Ferguson. Each possessed a unique artistic perspective and generosity of spirit. Learning from them—witnessing their different approaches to movement, choreography, and teaching—gave me not just technique but a philosophy of artistry that has guided me throughout my career. 

How has your Goucher education empowered you to make a difference in your community, field, or the world? 

My Goucher education instilled in me a fundamental belief that the arts are not ornamental but essential—vital to how we understand ourselves, connect across differences, and imagine new possibilities. I’ve dedicated my career to demonstrating that dance and the arts are not luxuries but necessities for a thriving society. 

Share an example of how you are driving change, big or small.

The change I’m driving operates on multiple levels. I work to create environments where emerging artists discover their voices and recognize their capacity to shape culture.

How do you see yourself as a “global changemaker”?

As dean for the School of the Arts at the College of Charleston, I champion diverse artistic voices, forge cross-disciplinary collaborations, and mentor students to become influential global cultural leaders.

What advice would you give to prospective students considering Goucher and current students preparing for life after college?

For prospective students: Ask yourself what you’re hungry for. If you want to be told exactly what to do and how to think, Goucher is not your place. But if you want to be trusted with your own becoming, if you want faculty who see you as a collaborator in your education rather than a vessel to be filled, then pay attention to what Goucher offers. This is an environment that respects both rigor and experimentation, that understands excellence requires discipline and imagination in equal measure. You will work harder than you expect. You will discover capabilities you didn’t know you had. And you will leave knowing that your creative voice is not a frivolous add-on to your life but the most authentic expression of who you are.

For current students: You are standing at a threshold, and I know it can feel uncertain, but here’s what I have learned from three decades on the other side of graduation: Everything you’re doing right now matters more than you realize. Those hours in the studio? You’re not just learning choreography—you’re learning how to be disciplined, how to revise, how to collaborate, how to make something meaningful from raw impulse. Those academic classes? You’re learning how to think critically, conduct thorough research, and articulate your ideas clearly. These capacities will serve you in ways you cannot yet predict.

My path has taken me from performing in Tokyo to building a conservatory in rural Pennsylvania to leading a School of the Arts in Charleston, SC. All of that was possible because Goucher taught me to trust my creative instincts, to see connections others missed, and to believe that my voice was worth cultivating. As you prepare for what’s next, stay open, stay curious, and stay connected to what makes you come alive. The world has a place for you. More than that, the world needs you. Goucher has prepared you well, so step forward with confidence. You are ready.

How has staying connected with Goucher enriched your life?

Staying connected with Goucher has been less about maintaining ties than recognizing that certain bonds never actually loosen. I have never lost touch with my Goucher friends and faculty; they remain woven into the fabric of my life, not as a nostalgic memory but as a living presence. These are the people who knew me when I was becoming, who witnessed my first attempts at finding my artistic voice, who celebrated my breakthroughs and steadied me through doubt. That kind of connection doesn’t fade with geography or time.

What has enriched my life most is the continuity of those relationships. Former classmates are now colleagues, collaborators, and cherished friends whose work I follow and whose wisdom I still seek. Faculty members who once challenged me in the studio or the classroom have become mentors and peers. We share a language forged in those intense years at Goucher—a vocabulary of shared references, aesthetic values, and fundamental beliefs about what art can do in the world. That common ground has been a source of sustenance throughout my career.

Anything else you’d like to share?

One of the great joys of my life has been sharing this journey with my husband, Andrew, whom I dated throughout my time at Goucher and married the summer I graduated. He has been my partner through every chapter, from those intense years in the dance studios to performances across continents to the beautiful chaos of building careers and raising our three wonderful children: Tanner, Talia, and Jack. My career has taken me around the world, but my family has been my constant support and my inspiration. They have taught me about resilience, joy, and the art of balancing ambition with presence. I’m grateful to Goucher for shaping who I became as an artist and educator, and I’m equally grateful for the family who reminds me daily why that work matters