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Meet the Staff

Susan McGreevy-Nichols - Executive Director
Sue has a round face and blue eyes, dark blonde hair streaked with gray and cut in a short-layered style. She is wearing a black coat with embroidered flowers (photo taken in an outdoor setting; Sue is not wearing her usual black rimmed eye glasses).

As a teacher at Roger Williams Middle School in Providence, Rhode Island from 1974-2002, Susan found and developed that institution’s nationally renowned middle school dance program. The program treated dance as a core subject and emphasized the creating, performing and responding processes as they link to the arts and other disciplines. She is the developer of a cutting-edge reading comprehension strategy that uses text as inspiration for original choreography created by children. This literacy-based methodology combines the creative process with reading instruction. In 1995, Susan was honored as the National Dance Teacher of the Year. Susan McGreevy-Nichols is the co-author of five books: Building Dances (1995), Building More Dances (2001), Experiencing Dance (2004), Dance about Anything (2006) and Exploring Dance Forms and Styles (2010). Prior to becoming NDEO Executive Director/CEO in 2012, Susan moved to CA and worked as an independent National Arts Education Consultant. Her consulting work included coaching districts in Los Angeles County as part of the Arts for All initiative and in Northern California in Alameda County as a part of that county’s initiative Revitalizing Classrooms Through Arts Learning: Strategic Plan as well as an adjunct professor at Loyola Marymount University and CSU/DHU. She/Her/Hers.

Melissa Greenblatt - Managing Director
Melissa is smiling. In this photo she has shoulder length blond hair and is wearing a bright orange and purple floral t-shirt.

Melissa's dance journey began at age six in Houston, Texas. She honed her skills taking classes at various local studios, performing in several companies, and participating all four years in her high school's dance program as a student, leader, choreographer, and performer. These experiences fueled her passion for dance and the belief that everyone deserves an opportunity to dance. Melissa earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and Marketing from the University of Texas at Austin and began her corporate career at Procter & Gamble which spanned thirteen successful years, focusing on sales, business development, marketing, and brand management. Amid her corporate accomplishments, Melissa maintained her love of dance taking adults classes when possible. After P&G, she continued to build her marketing and business development skills with several other companies. In 2006, she had the opportunity to study dance full time at the collegiate level at the University of Maryland College Park. It was here that she was introduced to the National Dance Education Organization and realized she could merge her business acumen with her passion for dance. She joined NDEO part-time in 2007 as the first ever NDEO Director of Marketing and Membership. Over the years, as the organization grew, her role expanded to include honor society programs, board initiatives, and online course development. Becoming Managing Director (full-time) in 2017, she now oversees NDEO internal operations of all programs and services. She/Her/Hers.

Vilma Rama - Director of Finance and HR
Vilma is smiling. In this photo, she has dark blonde hair pulled up in a in a bun with chin-length bangs and is wearing a black and white stripes sweater.

Vilma is originally from Albania and came to the US as a young girl. She has always loved dance but hasn't had the chance to pursue it. She worked for six years at Chevy Chase Bank as a Branch Manager. This is where she met Jane Bonbright and started learning more about NDEO. In 2009, she decided to return to school full-time; and was able to join NDEO part-time. After completing her degree in Finance from the University of Maryland, Vilma took over as the Director of Finance for NDEO. Meanwhile, she has decided to also pursue a degree in Accounting while remaining a dancer at heart. She/Her/Hers.

Betsy Loikow - Director of Conferences and Events
Betsy is smiling. In this photo she has shoulder length dark blonde hair and is wearing a blue collared shirt and red lipstick.

Betsy Loikow, CMA, grew up in Washington, D.C., and began studying dance with NDEO founder Rima Faber, performing with The Primary Movers Performance Company as a child. She continued her dance education at the Washington School of Ballet and the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. She continued dancing and choreographing through college and graduated with a B.A. in film and political science from Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY. She has worked on both local and national electoral campaigns in the U.S. and abroad. She joined NDEO in 2009, combining her love of dance with her passion for advocacy. Betsy continues dancing on a daily basis in the D.C. area as a founding member and Co-Artistic Chair of Glade Dance Collective and co-founder and organizer of the NACHMO DC annual regional festival. She/Her/Hers.

Kari Schrade - Program Coordinator (NHSDA and OPDI)
Kari is smiling. In this photo, she has long dark hair and is wearing a dark green high-collared shirt and dark lipstick. In the background is a saltwater marsh.

Kari Schrade, MA, grew up in Virginia and is a part of a very musical family which naturally lead to participating in show choir and other singing and dance groups in her childhood. Kari holds a B.A. in Anthropology with an emphasis on Archaeology from Brigham Young University. While at BYU Kari had the opportunity to embrace her love of dance and take dance classes each semester, ranging from world dance to ballroom to ballet and everything in between. One of Kari’s favorite experiences involving dance was having the opportunity to participate in the BYU Lu’ua, where she was able to perform a Maori dance involving poi balls. Kari received her MFA in Art Gallery and Museum Studies from Manchester University in England. Kari had the opportunity to join NDEO April 2018 as a temporary employee and is excited to become a part of such a wonderful organization. She/Her/Hers.

Kaitlynn Schultz - Program Coordinator (Webinars, Conference, and Scholarships)
Kaitlynn is pictured with a short, light brown pixie-cut hairstyle and glasses with an ocean view behind her.

Kaitlynn is originally from Rochester, NY. As a recent graduate from SUNY Brockport with a degree in Recreation Management, she completed an internship with NDEO during the summer and fall of 2019 wherein she learned the ins and outs of the organization and experienced what it is like to work at a non-profit arts administration organization. While at SUNY Brockport, she coupled her coursework with her long-standing relationship with dance, focusing on Private Sector/Studios with a special interest in Early Childhood and working with students with disabilities. Over the past four years, she taught Strike it Up Artistic Center, a dance studio in Ontario, NY where she’d been training since the age of 11, and she currently teaches in Northern Virginia and Maryland. As a dance teacher herself, she hopes to be able to use her knowledge of the field and her previous experience in customer service to serve the membership. She/Her/Hers.

Shelby Bensinger - Program Coordinator (Awards, Scholarships, Mentorship)
This is a black and white headshot of Shelby.  She is a white woman, with brown hair and bangs who is slightly smiling at the camera.

Shelby is originally from the Metro Detroit area but spent three months in 2017 interning for NDEO in D.C. She attended Wayne State University where she completed her BS in Dance and BA in Sociology with a post grad teaching certification in preK-12 Dance Education. She currently teaches in the independent sector at Spotlight Dance Works and works remotely as a Program Coordinator for NDEO. She focuses on teaching Ballet and Contemporary dance, but is trained and has experienced many different styles. She is also trained in STOTT Pilates and Progressing Ballet Technique. Her love of dance translates into her passion for an organization that does such a wonderful job supporting dance educators like herself. She/Her/Hers.

Tiana Chambers - Communications Coordinator
This is a black and white photo of Tiana smiling with her hands crossed over the seat in front of her. She has long dark hair and is wearing a turtleneck sweater.

Tiana Chambers is originally from Springville, Utah and has trained in a wide variety dance techniques since she was three years old. Tiana graduated with a degree in Dance Education from Southern Utah University in 2015, is a former member of Shifting Velocity Dance Company, and has performed in several dance films. She has worked as a dance instructor, choreographer, and dance integration specialist in studios, public schools, and community centers. Tiana originally joined NDEO as the Director of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA) from 2016-2018 and recently returned to work remotely part-time as the Communications Coordinator while teaching at Rocky Mountain Dance and running her business, TMC Consulting. Tiana is a passionate advocate for arts education and is excited to continue assisting the organization in its work to support dance educators and their students. She/Her/Hers.