To Our Community,
It is with immense gratitude and pride that we celebrate the extraordinary leadership of Kellee Edusei, who became Dance/USA’s first Black Executive Director in 2021 and has transformed our organization during one of the most challenging periods in the history of our country and the dance ecosystem.
We are pleased to announce that the Mellon Foundation has awarded Dance/USA a $1 million grant in recognition of Kellee’s visionary leadership. This investment demonstrates the Mellon Foundation’s confidence in Kellee’s direction of Dance/USA during her tenure and signifies a commitment to Dance/USA’s future. The grant was finalized in the Spring, following discussions with Kellee that began last fall.
“We are proud to continue our support of Dance/USA and Kellee Edusei’s dedicated stewardship of the dance ecosystem,” said Stephanie Ybarra, Program Officer of Arts and Culture at the Mellon Foundation. “This investment helps ensure the transformative foundation Kellee built at Dance/USA will continue to create lasting impact for the dance community.”
As Executive Director, Kellee led Dance/USA during the pandemic, when the dance community was rocked by closures and required new ways to stay informed, connected, and creative. She invested in anti-racist trainings and encouraged the development of supportive systems for the dance ecosystem in navigating the psychological impact of xenophobia and the incomprehensible murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, while working through social and political unrest and financial uncertainty. She steered Dance/USA in providing invaluable resources and convenings for members and non-members during these crises.
Through all of this, Kellee developed and deepened relationships with funders, securing investments in Dance/USA and the dance community through regranting programs. She made sure Dance/USA continued the arduous work of advocating at the national level, fighting for sustained governmental funding and other protective rights critical to the sector. And importantly, she also prioritized looking inward, spearheading a Strategic Reframing Process to guide Dance/USA’s evolution as an organization that centers equity and inclusion.
Kellee has done all of this with professionalism, a sense of strong direction, patience, joy, and gratitude.
Kellee’s deep commitment and care for our community was evident from her first days at Dance/USA in 2008. In her prior role as Director of Member Services and Board Liaison, she had countless one-on-one conversations with individual artists, directors of dance organizations, dance educators, arts administrators, artist managers, and more. By staying in conversation, Kellee has cultivated our community through a sharing of truths, challenges, and hope for the future.
Our Strategic Reframing Process has been a guiding light toward Dance/USA’s evolution — shaping future updates to our membership model, core service offerings, value proposition, financial model, operational structure, and the creation of a code of care and accountability. This critical work will move us towards a Dance/USA that cultivates a sense of belonging for all creative workers within the ecosystem.
The Mellon Foundation’s funding ensures continued commitment to the full implementation of the Strategic Reframing Process and supports the organizational evolution that Kellee has so thoughtfully guided.
Thank you, Kellee, for many years of service to the dance ecosystem and the lasting impact of your leadership! Thank you, Mellon Foundation, for this generous investment!
With gratitude,
Abdo Sayegh Rodriguez, Board Chair
and the Dance/USA Board of Trustees
Kellee Edusei’s last day at Dance/USA was August 1, 2025.
Sara Nash stepped in as Interim Executive Director on August 4, 2025.
Published August 27, 2025
