Sara Nash, Interim Executive Director

Sara Nash (she/her) is a nationally recognized arts leader working in both nonprofit and government sectors as a grantmaker, program director, and producer. With 20 years of proven success leading local, national, and international programs in the performing arts, she was honored to serve as the National Endowment for the Arts’ Dance Director from August 2018 until June 2025 and lead all aspects of the agency’s grantmaking for the dance field.

Sara was the Program Director for Dance at the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) for seven years, where she oversaw NEFA’s dance programs, including the National Dance Project, the development of the New England Dance Fund, and the Regional Dance Development Initiative in Chicago. Prior to working at NEFA, Sara managed Mid Atlantic Arts’ USArtists International grant program, which underwrote fees and travel expenses for U.S. performing artists at international festivals. As Senior Producer at Dance Theater Workshop (now New York Live Arts), she oversaw a busy season of commissioned artists and touring companies, directed the international program, The Suitcase Fund, and developed creative residency and capacity-building programs for artists. Sara’s international experience includes working at Tanec Praha, a contemporary dance festival in Prague, and at the British Council in London.

Throughout her career, Sara has championed artists, access, and equity. She frequently serves as a moderator, guest speaker, and panelist for organizations such as the Association of Performing Arts Professionals, Dance/USA, the Japan Foundation, the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography, and the National Performance Network, among others. Sara has worked as a yoga teacher and as a writer for HealthCentral.com. She earned her BA in theater and dance from Mary Washington College and grew up dancing in her home state of Virginia.