Arts Producing and Management
Master of Fine Arts
University of California, Los Angeles
1994
See all Profiles
Staff
Staff
Denise Saunders Thompson (she/her)
Assistant Dean for Administration
Department/Office
- Office of the Dean, College of Fine Arts
School/College
- College of Fine Arts
Biography
Denise Saunders Thompson has extensive experience in non-profit and for-profit, established or start-up organizations. She has advised organizations on administrative, programmatic and fundraising issues including strategic plans, policy and procedures, communications programs, budgeting and contracts. Denise was presented with the 2021 National Medal of Arts by President Biden during an East Room ceremony at the White House. She received the award on behalf of The International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD).
In August of 2021, Denise returned to Howard University's Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts where she serves as the Assistant Dean for Administration. In addition, she is the former President and Chief Executive Officer (2010-2023) for The International Association of Blacks in Dance, a non-profit service organization, and D.d.Saunders & Associates, Inc., a comprehensive fine arts advisory firm offering artist management/ representation, arts producing, consulting, and production services. From 2015-2018, she held the position of Professorial Lecturer at American University in the Graduate Arts Management Degree Program. In April 2015, Denise completed 17 years of service at Howard University in the capacities of Professor, Theatre Manager/ Producing Artistic Director for the Department of Theatre Arts and Manager of Cramton Auditorium.
In June 2022, Saunders Thompson co-curated Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH), co-founded 53 years ago by visionary Artistic Director Arthur Mitchell, and Karel Shook, and two companies, Ballethnic Dance Company and Collage Dance Collective, founded by former DTH company members that carry his vision forward, for a week of performances at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts entitled “Reframing the Narrative.” The three pillar companies performed together for the first time on the Opera House Stage to highlight the wide spectrum of their work and presence in ballet today and to celebrate what they have been doing for decades.
Denise is Co-Founder of PlayRight Performing Arts Center, Inc., a non-profit arts organization in Atlanta, Georgia, and former Business Manager for The Malone Group, Inc. a non-profit arts organization in Washington, D.C. that co-produced Black Nativity at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for six years. Denise currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Performing Arts Alliance, Friends of Theatre and Dance at Howard University, is a Member of Actors Equity Association (AEA) and Women of Color in the Arts (WOCA).
Freelancing in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and across the nation in production and arts management, Mrs. Thompson has held positions at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Debbie Allen Dance Academy, Alliance Theatre Company, National Black Arts Festival, 1996 Olympic Arts Festival, 1996 Olympics, Lincoln Theatre, Several Dancers Core, the Atlanta Dance Initiative, the Mark Taper Forum, the Shakespeare Theatre at the Folger, Harrah’s Marina Hotel Casino as well as other numerous positions. In addition, she is a grant recipient of the Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African Art, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Montgomery Arts Council, the St. Paul Companies, and numerous others. She holds an M.F.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles in Arts Producing and Management, and a B.F.A. from Howard University in Theatre Arts Administration. Denise is the proud mother of Kellen, stepmom to Darrin, Jr., and happily married to Darrin, Sr.
Education & Expertise
Education
Theatre Arts Administration
Bachelor of Fine Arts
Howard University
1992
Expertise
Fields of Expertise
- Arts Administration
- Dance
- Theatre
- Artist Management and Representation
- Board Governance
- Contract Negotiation
- Event Planning and Management
- Finance and Budgeting
- Fundraising
- Grant Writing
- Marketing and Public Relations
- Non-Profit Management
- Producing
- Production Management
- Stage Management
- Strategic Planning
Key Skills and Core Competencies
- Strategy, Vision & Mission Planning
- Presenting, Programming
- Programs, Services & Products
- Billing, Collections & Cash Management
- Contract Negotiations & Strategic Alliances
- Information Technology
- Government Regulations & Relations
- Finance, Budgeting & Cost Management
- Marketing, Public Relations & Media Affairs
- Policy & Procedure Development
- Human Resources Management
- Team Building & Performance Improvement
Academics
Academics
Courses Taught
- Arts in Experience
- Capstone
- Cultural Leadership
- Cultural Policy and the Arts
- Dance Workshop
- Drama Internship
- Entrepreneurship in the Entertainment Industry
- Fundamentals of Arts Management
- Facility Management
- Fundraising for the Arts
- Master’s Portfolio Seminar
- Performing Arts Management
- Production Management
- Special Event and Volunteer Management
- Stagecraft
- Stage Management
- Tech Production Lab: Costume
- Theatre and Production Management
- Theatre Arts Administration Lab
- (Producing, PR/Marketing, Finance/Budget, Box Office, Front-of-House, Usher)
- Theatre History
- Theatre Management I, II
Accomplishments
Accomplishments
Tour de Force
- Exhibit tireless energy, positive attitude and visionary leadership.
- Delivered revenue growth for a nonprofit service organization, in a 4-year timespan, from $80,000 to $6.5 million.
- Presented first ever analytical report, The Black Report, on the financial and organizational health of the Black dance sector.
- Push for constant growth among management team and general staff.
Denise Saunders Thompson receives 2021 National Medal of Arts from President Biden
WASHINGTON – Denise Saunders Thompson, associate dean of administration in the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, was presented with the 2021 National Medal of Arts by President Biden during an East Room ceremony at the White House held Tuesday. Thompson received the award on behalf of the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD).
“Receiving this National Medal of Arts award is a significant milestone in the history of this organization. It acknowledges the work, years of dedication by so many and endless contributions of Black people in Dance,” said Thompson. “This award from President Biden and the National Endowment for the Arts is so incredibly gratifying. It gives me more encouragement, hope and drive to continue the journey of moving forward. I am so honored!”
Competitive Grants and Major Philanthropic Gifts
2022
Grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts for the American Rescue Plan Grant to support existing jobs, new jobs, or to restore jobs in the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts that were furloughed or eliminated due to the pandemic ($150,000)
2021
Grant awarded by a Donor Advised Fund, MacKenzie Scott for General Operating Support of The International Association of Blacks in Dance ($3,000,000)
Grant awarded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Ford Foundation for Phase II of the Comprehensive Organizational Health Initiative, designed to strengthen the organizational health of small and mid-size arts institutions through comprehensive financial analysis and capacity building financial support. ($4,538,500)
Grant awarded by Maryland State Arts Council for General Operating Support of The International Association of Blacks in Dance ($22,502)
Grant awarded by the Harkness Foundation for Dance for General Operating Support of The International Association of Blacks in Dance ($10,000)
2020
Grants awarded by Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Ford Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts for the IABD Emergency Fund and General Operating Support. ($250,000)
Grant awarded by National Endowment for the Arts for the 2021 EVOLVE, regional dance summit. ($50,000)
Grant awarded by National Endowment for the Arts for the 2020 32nd Annual International Conference and Festival of Blacks in Dance. ($40,000)
Grant awarded by the Council on Library and Information Resources for the establishment of the IABD Black Dance Archive project, “Preserving the Legacy of Black Dance in America.” ($53,000)
Grant awarded by the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County for General Operating Support of The International Association of Blacks in Dance ($85,000)
Grant awarded by Alternate Roots for General Operating Support of The International Association of Blacks in Dance ($20,000)
Grant awarded by the Harkness Foundation for Dance for General Operating Support of The International Association of Blacks in Dance ($5,000)
Related Articles
Reframing The Narrative at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Producing a ballet extravaganza at the Kennedy Center was enthusiastically supported by diverse, multicultural audiences of all ages.
“Reframing the Narrative” took the history of Black ballet and compressed it into a week of workshops and performances. An on-screen scroll of 460 names called “Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet (MOB)” preceded staged performances. That list honored excellence from Black and brown ballet dancers, past and present.
“Reframing the Narrative” was designed to stimulate conversations about ballet, where darker hue dancers have been and are going. Curators for “Narrative” were Denise Saunders Thompson, president and CEO of the International Association of Blacks in Dance, and Theresa Ruth Howard, founder of Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet.
https://www.washingtoninformer.com/black-and-brown-ballet-dancers-finally-get-their-due/
https://thedig.howard.edu/all-stories/reframing-narrative-live-kennedy-center-june-14-19
Preserving, Promoting and Expanding Black Dance
An Interview with Denise Saunders Thompson
BY EMMALY WIEDERHOLT
The International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD) was founded with the mission of preserving and promoting dance by people of African ancestry or origin and assisting and increasing opportunities for Black Artists through advocacy, audience development, education, funding, networking, performance, philosophical dialogue, and touring. President and CEO Denise Saunders Thompson shares why the association was started and how it’s grown, as well as some of the challenges facing Black Dance institutions.
http://stanceondance.com/2019/02/14/preserving-promoting-and-expanding-black-dance/
International Association Of Blacks In Dance President Denise Saunders Thompson Speaks — Black Lives Matter
Picture This Post (PTP) talks with Denise Saunders Thompson (DST), President and Chief Executive Officer of The International Association of Blacks in Dance. Recently, she completed 17 years of service at Howard University in both academia and administration. Thompson began her work with IABD as first a consultant, then Executive Director/Chairperson, and finally, was appointed IABD’s first President/CEO in 2017. As an international dance service organization, IABD reaches across continents with members from all over the world. The Annual International Conference and Festival of Blacks in Dance, organized by IABD, seeks to grow the audience for Black dancers. In January 2020, their Conference and Festival in Philadelphia filled the 1800-seat Merriam Theater each night. In this interview, she shares her thoughts on the Black Lives Matter movement and her organization’s campaign Can You Hear Me Now? — an open letter to the White American dance community.