Steering Committee
Christopher Kaui Morgan
Christopher Kaui Morgan (he/him) is a choreographer, performer, educator, facilitator, curator, and arts administrator whose Native Hawaiian ancestry and wide-ranging international performance career influence all aspects of his work.
As a choreographer, he creates performances that synthesize dance, storytelling, original music, and multimedia design to explore identity, social, and cultural issues. Christopher founded dance company CKM&A, in 2011; the same year Dance Magazine profiled him as one of six breakout choreographers in the United States. His choreography has been performed in 22 countries on 5 continents and received support from Creative Capital, New England Foundation for the Arts, National Performance Network, Dance USA, Native Arts & Cultures Foundation, and Western Arts Alliance. In January of 2024 he was named Artistic Director of Malashock Dance, where he began his performing career in 1995.
Known as a thoughtful advocate for cultural integrity, inclusivity, and diverse representation in the studio and on stage, Christopher's service work across the national performing arts field is extensive. Christopher was nominated by President Joseph R. Biden and confirmed by Congress on March 15, 2022 to be a member of the National Council on the Arts. He regularly serves on grants and awards review panels, provides pro-bono and low cost consulting for independent artists and small arts organization, and is a frequent speaker and host of in person and virtual panels and discussions. He serves on the board of the National Performance Network, the Association of Performing Arts Professionals’ Equitable Partnership Working Group, the Western Arts Alliance's Advancing Indigenous Performance Committee, the Board of AHAS (Archive for Health, Arts and Spirit) , and co-chaired the 2023 and 2024 Association of Performing Arts Professionals’ Annual Conference in New York.
Christopher served as Vice President of Programming at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center from 2022-23, curating dozens of music, dance, and theater performances annually, overseeing the Schaefer International Gallery, and a robust arts education program that serves thousands of Hawai'i youth, adults, and arts educators. From 2017-21 he served as Executive Artistic Director of Dance Place in Washington, D.C. stewarding the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact by maintaining the entire 23 person staff with no layoffs or furloughs and continuing to pay artists and teachers. He oversaw the curation of 35+ weekends of performances and artist-centered projects annually, a school for youth and adults, a 50 person staff & faculty, and Dance Place’s role as a neighborhood community arts center & nationally prominent performing arts presenter.
Since 2006 Christopher has directed Art Omi: Dance, an annual collaborative residency for international choreographers in New York, shaping the program's unique approach to cross cultural collaboration and peer-to-peer mentorship.
Teaching credits include American University (2011-14), the BA and MFA programs at the University of Maryland (2014-17) and residencies at over 20 conservatories and institutions of higher learning in the United States and abroad.
He lives on Kumeyaay land in what is also called San Diego, CA with his husband, opera director Kyle Lang.
Christine Rudy-Reed
Christine Rudy-Reed (MA) is an educator, professional learning leader, dance artist, and advocate dedicated to equity, access and inclusion in arts education. An educator with demonstrated experience in arts administration and education management, Christine is skilled in effective professional learning; standards-based learning and grading; arts curriculum, assessment, instruction and intervention; arts integration and interdisciplinary practice; and teacher coaching and mentoring.
Christine serves educators as Director of the Southern Counties California Arts Project, a regional site of The California Arts Project, at San Diego State University. There, she leads professional learning and teacher leadership development for arts education leaders and teachers at TK-12 districts and schools in Southern California and across the state.
Prior to The California Arts Project, Christine served students and educators in Ohio, Illinois, and California as a dance educator, teaching artist, program director, arts-focused schools specialist, and grant resource teacher. Christine has taught since 2009 in public TK-12 settings; has built new dance programs from the ground up both in Ohio and Illinois; and has guided teachers and education leaders on developing, implementing, and sustaining high-quality arts programming.
She is also active in the arts and arts education non-profit sector. Christine is a PK-12 Mentorship Committee Member for the National Dance Education Organization, a founding board member and former Board Secretary of the Illinois Dance Education Organization, and a founding board member of Prismatic Movement.
Dr. Novien Yarber
Novien Yarber, affectionately known as "Dr. Novi," is a dynamic conscious leadership scholar, educator, and creative artist based in San Diego. His journey began with a B.S. in Accounting from The University of Alabama in 2015, but a profound self-exploration led him to his true calling: helping others and communities reach their highest potential for positive social impact.
Pursuing this passion, Dr. Novi earned a Master's in Higher Education and a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from the University of San Diego's School of Leadership and Education Sciences. His research delved into student engagement, equity, leadership development, and philanthropy, with a particular focus on how leadership and social impact intersect.
Professionally, he has held significant roles, including Director of Leadership, Philanthropy, and Social Impact at USD's Nonprofit Institute. There, he led initiatives like Horizon Leadership, The Black InGenius Initiative (BiGI), and Embodied Leadership for Liberative Artistry.
Currently, as the Senior Learning Officer at the Prebys Foundation, Dr. Novi leads the organization's learning strategy by integrating conscious leadership, equity-driven philanthropy, and creative expression. His approach is rooted in fostering a culture of curiosity and reflection, moving beyond traditional compliance-based models to promote continuous learning and systemic change.
Beyond academia, Dr. Yarber's journey in the performing arts began at the age of 16, when he discovered a fervent love for dance that propelled him into a successful career in the commercial industry. His impressive credits include collaborations with major brands and platforms such as Nike, iHeartRadio, Bravo, BET, and Fox's So You Think You Can Dance, as well as performances alongside renowned artists like Boyz II Men, Babyface, Ciara, and Kanye West. Driven by a desire to make a positive impact beyond the stage, he now serves on the board of Culture Shock San Diego, a nonprofit dance organization dedicated to using hip-hop dance to cultivate education, entertainment, and empowerment. In this role, Dr. Yarber continues to blend his artistic talents with his commitment to community development, emphasizing the role of creativity in personal and societal transformation.
Paola Castro
Paola Castro is the CEO & Founder of TodosX, a platform designed to help dance studios grow their business by taking the admin work off their plate. A software engineer since 2013 and lifelong dancer, she built TodosX to support studio owners, directors, and instructors with tools that are simple, effective, and made specifically for the dance world.
TodosX solves common pain points for dance studios, including:
Juggling multiple tools to manage classes, payments, and rosters
Chasing students for payments or handling failed transactions manually
Confusion around subscriptions, team commitments, and cancelations
Lack of visibility into financial performance and student retention
Key services include:
Subscription and team billing management
Automated rosters with cancelation tracking
Secure payment collection (credit/debit/Apple Pay)
Monthly financial reports
Custom onboarding and support tailored to each studio
When Paola’s not improving TodosX or supporting customers, she’s likely out dancing or catching waves.
Emily Miller
Emily Miller is a San Diego-based dancer, dancemaker, teacher, studio owner, director, and space maker specializing in classical ballet, modern, dance-theatre, and contemporary dance forms.
Emily has been dancing and making dances since she could walk. She received her BFA in Dancemaking from Columbia College Chicago, spent time in Chicago dancing for Kate Corby & Dancers and New York working with David Dorfman Dance. Emily has since returned to San Diego armed with a love for community, a fascination with form/function, and a fervent desire to make as much room for and access to the work as possible.
Emily is currently directing, teaching, and choreographing at Performing Arts Workshop (the dance studio she owns specializing in classical ballet with diverse class offerings) and dancing professionally for LITVAKdance under the direction of Sadie Weinberg.
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Jane Blount
Jane Blount, (she/her) is dedicated to the cultivation of community, creativity, and healing through conscious movement and touch. She holds an HHP (Holistic Health Practitioner Certification) in Integrative Somatics from the International School of Professional Bodywork (IPSB) and has studied numerous bodywork modalities throughout her 35+ years providing holistic bodywork. She was a founding member of the San Diego based Lower Left Dance and Performance Collective from 1994 – 2007 and served as Lower Left’s managing director. Jane is grateful to have worked with many amazing choreographers, dance companies, and improvisational collaborators throughout San Diego, Chicago, Cincinnati, Winona, MN, and NYC. Locally, she received two San Diego Dance Alliance “Tommy Awards” for outstanding performance. She currently finds joy and meaningful engagement in her work as a holistically oriented bodyworker, and through the practices of Authentic Movement and Qigong. Jane is honored to serve as DISCO RIOT's board president.
Jennifer Oliver
Jennifer Oliver is Chief Artistic Officer/Teaching Artist of A Step Beyond. She has a B.A. in dance from the University of California, Irvine, M.A. in Expressive Arts Therapy from the European Graduate School. Prior to ASB, Oliver served as the Education Director, Associate Director and Interim Executive Director for Young Audiences of San Diego (Arts for Learning, San Diego)
Founding member of The San Diego Creative Youth Development Network. She is also co-founder of the San Diego Youth Dance Festival.
Natalie Koski-Karell
I am a community planner with experience in long-range planning, land use, and public policy across local and national contexts. With a background in law, I bring a strong understanding of regulatory frameworks, environmental policy, and equitable development.
My work focuses on advancing community-driven planning processes that integrate policy analysis, stakeholder engagement, and place-based knowledge. I have contributed to projects spanning multiple U.S. cities and have experience working across government, nonprofit, and consulting contexts, including federal environmental justice grant review.
I have managed complex projects, conducted research and analysis, and supported partnerships with public agencies, community organizations, and interdisciplinary teams. My areas of focus include environmental planning, equitable development, and walkable urban design.
In addition to my planning work, I maintain an active engagement with the arts, which informs my approach to communication, storytelling, and public-facing work.