Jodee Nimerichter’s journey with the American Dance Festival (ADF) has spanned more than 30 years. Beginning as an intern in 1991, she became Director in 2012 and has devoted much of her career to helping ADF grow, evolve, and remain a vital part of the dance community.

During her tenure, she has expanded ADF’s educational and performance programming, built meaningful collaborative partnerships, and led multiple successful large-scale fundraising campaigns. Among them was Shall We Dance, which made it possible for ADF to purchase its first dance studios. She has also helped extend ADF’s mission beyond its summer festival by creating year-round community programs, including the Parkinson’s Movement Initiative.

Jodee’s commitment to dance extends to television. She was an Associate Producer with ADF’s production team for the Emmy Award-winning Free to Dance, a three-hour documentary exploring the African American presence in modern dance, for which she was nominated for a “Research” Emmy. She also served as a co-producer for Great Performances: Dance in America at Thirteen/WNET New York.

A graduate of New York University, Jodee worked on the first Gallatin Arts Festival while a student. Throughout her career, she has served on numerous boards and has been invited to work as a guest curator. She recently received Triangle Business Journal’s Community Champion Award.

At the heart of Jodee’s career are the people, artists, colleagues, and communities who have made the work meaningful. She is especially grateful to her longtime mentors, Charles and Stephanie Reinhart, whose vision, generosity, and belief in the power of dance have profoundly influenced her life and work. For Jodee, ADF has been not simply a career, but a community and a lifelong source of inspiration.

Photo: Mehmet Demirci