Ray brings more than four decades of experience as a movement artist, educator, and collaborator, grounded in the belief that movement and Dance transforms how we learn, live, and relate—fostering agency, self-knowledge, and collective well-being. “Dance is not an extracurricular supplement, but a core literacy of the body—integral to wellness, identity, resilience, expression, imagination, joy, heart, and soul.” His early movement life included swimming, soccer, running, and musical theater before he transitioned into Dance, graduating from the North Carolina School of the Arts, earning a BFA in Dance and Choreography from Virginia Commonwealth University (with a minor in Religious Studies), and an MFA in Dance from the University of Texas at Austin. Schwartz’s career spans youth and K–12 education, adult and lifelong learning, professional training and performance contexts, higher education, creative arts centers, wellness frameworks, and international cultural exchange initiatives. He co-founded four contemporary dance collectives in the southern United States—Steve’s House Dance Collective, The Zen Monkey Project, Sheep Army/Elsewhere Dance Theater, and THEM—each dedicated to collaborative, community-rooted performance. He has maintained an active creative and scholarly practice, presenting original choreographic work nationally and internationally, publishing peer-reviewed research in Spanish and English, and serving as a guest artist across the U.S., Turkey, Southeast Asia, South America, and Mexico. His teaching has been featured at the American Dance Festival, Bates, MELT, ZMP Summer Dance Intensive, Verano Chilango, Camp_iN, Colorado College, SFADI, and more. From 2006–2022, Schwartz served as Professor of Dance at the Universidad de las Américas Puebla in Mexico, and from 2008–2018 as Director of its Dance Program. During that time, he co-founded Performática, a platform that, for over 13 years, fostered global artistic and educational exchange. He has, since, coordinated the MA in Dance Education at the University of Northern Colorado and taught Somatics in Duke University’s Program in Dance. He has also served for sixteen years as a faculty member, educational consultant, and investigator with the Center for Body Mind Movement A certified practitioner in Body-Mind Centering® and the Feldenkrais Method®, Schwartz teaches Somatics and mobility classes to diverse populations, honoring movement as both a birthright and an essential medicine. He also teaches Dance technique and improvisation in independent studios and community centers, activities that continually reaffirm his belief in Dance as a lifelong practice of connection, resilience, and shared creativity.

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, 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, 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 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 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 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.