Dance/NYC Announces New Board Chair

On Thursday, September 26, 2024, Reshma Patel was unanimously elected the Chair of the Board of Dance/NYC, an arts service organization that represents more than 6,000+ dancers and 1,700+ dance entities in the New York City Metropolitan area.

Reshma Patel will be taking the helm from Elissa D. Hecker, who was instrumental in the transition from Dance/NYC's existence as a chapter of Dance/USA to its independence in 2012. She is leaving the position after 12 years of rapid growth and recognition.

"It is an honor to represent the Dance community in New York," said Reshma. "I want to thank Elissa Hecker for her work over the past 12 years, especially during Covid when the dance community was most at risk. I look forward to building on the strong foundation she set in advocating for the dance community."

"I am tremendously proud of the work we have done to represent and give a voice to dancers and dance workers," said Elissa. "Dance/NYC is in strong hands. Reshma is a visionary who really understands the value of community and relationships."

Reshma is a public finance expert with nearly 20 years of experience working on infrastructure financings across the United States. Her professional expertise is complemented by her extensive community leadership. She is the board co-chair of Chhaya Community Development Corporation, which builds housing stability and economic power in the Indo-Caribbean and South Asian communities.

Reshma is also an appointed member of Manhattan Community Board 6 (CB6) where she serves on various committees, including the Budget and Governmental Affairs Committee (previous chair) and the Environment, Parks, Landmarks, and Cultural Affairs Committee.

Reshma is also a District Leader serving New York's 74th Assembly District Part D. As a District Leader, Reshma works with local elected officials to address community issues, leads voter outreach efforts, and votes on the selection of judges in New York County.

"Reshma Patel's transition into the role of Board Chair comes at a crucial time for Dance/NYC as we deepen our advocacy efforts across the dance field. Her wealth of experience in public finance and community leadership uniquely positions her to help the organization create a more just, equitable, and thriving future for dance and dance workers in New York City," says Co-Executive Director, Vicki Capote.

As a co-founder of the theater company AlterEgo Productions, Reshma's passion for the arts motivated her to join the board of Dance/NYC in 2018, where she stewarded a leadership restructuring this past year as co-chair of the Strategic Leadership Committee.

Reshma's commitment to uplifting marginalized communities extends across her volunteer work, leadership fellowships, and international advocacy, where she has consistently championed economic empowerment and equity. As a volunteer for Sakhi, Reshma led the creation of a scholarship program for survivors of domestic violence. In 2016-2017, Reshma was a New American Leaders Fellow. From 2008-2013, she was a Women's World Banking LEADer and, in this capacity, traveled to 6 countries to determine best practices in microfinance. 

Reshma is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and serves as President of the MIT South Asian Alumni Association.

Reshma will assume the role of Board Chair in January 2025.

Dance/NYC

Dance/NYC’s mission is to promote and encourage the knowledge, appreciation, practice, and performance of dance in the metropolitan New York City area. It embeds core values of justice, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of its programs and operations. Dance/NYC remains committed to delivering programs that address disparities in the dance field by continuing to fill gaps in the availability of resources where they are most needed. It believes the dance ecology must itself be just, equitable, and inclusive to meaningfully contribute to social progress and envisions a dance ecology wherein power, funding, opportunities, conduct, and impacts are fair for all artists, cultural workers, and audiences.

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