Board Members and Officers

Officers and Board Members

Officers:

Wendy Cornish, President

Wendy Cornish is a teacher, choreographer, and lighting designer. Wendy devoted her career to the creation and development of the Department of Dance at Western Michigan University. She spearheaded the curricular developments which established the first dance major programs at WMU. During her 37-year tenure as a faculty member, she served as department chair from 1979-1988. Wendy received the College of Fine Arts Outstanding Service Award and the University Alumni Association's Teaching Excellence Award. She was named the Helen Frays Professor of Dance, one of the first four named professorships recognizing teaching excellence at WMU.

Marti Hearron, Vice President

Although she sometimes refers to Chapel Hill, NC as home, she moved here 40+ years ago to work for The Upjohn Company. She spent 32 years in clinical development, including Clinical Data Management. She & Art met in grad school in AA and were soon together in K'zoo. Although they had no biological children, they loved (trying!) to keep up with the "Hearron kids", students who have had one of their endowed scholarships at UM or WMU. Marti was active in professional associations, eg American Statistical Association (Section chair, Board member), Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (instructor, CDM classes). She is a member of the WMU Theatre Guild Board (also past-president), Planned Parenthood of South West Michigan Board and Partner's in Dance Board (incoming VP). To make sure life is balanced, Marti spends time enjoying a number of sports, college & pro.

Dori Kunkle, Treasurer

Dori Kunkle received her BA in Distributive Education and Accounting from Michigan State University. She is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Michigan Association of Certified Public Accountants. Dori currently works as a Partner at the Certified Public Accounting Firm of Fisher Spiegel Kunkle & Gerber, P.L.L.C. She is also serving as the Treasurer for the Kalamazoo Chamber Foundation and Walking Together of Greater Kalamazoo. She currently sits on the Partners in Dancer board, as well as the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo board, and has held many volunteer positions with a number of Kalamazoo-based arts organizations.

Nancy Ehrle, Secretary

The founding president of Partners in Dance. Since her retirement from Pharmacia in 1999 she has become very active in the community. In addition to her service to Partners in Dance, she sits on the boards of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, Kalamazoo in Bloom, Inc., and the Pines Association of Parkview Hills. Mrs. Ehrle is also a member of the WMU Theatre Guild, the Kalamazoo Institute of the Arts and the Friends of WMUK. An avid fan of the arts, Mrs. Ehrle also likes to take time to travel, read and write, practice needlework and hone her gourmet cooking skills.

Nina Nelson, Executive Director

Professor and Department Chair, joined the dance faculty at Western Michigan University in 1982. Prior to that, she was on the faculties of the University of Iowa, the Ashtabula Arts Center (Ohio), and Ballet Western Reserve. She earned her MFA in dance from Case Western Reserve University and an AB in dance from Smith College. Miss Nelson is a Certified Movement Analyst (Laban) and received Dancer SpecificTM Conditioning Certification in 1995. Her choreography has been seen in Peru and throughout the United States and has been recognized by the American College Dance Festival for excellence in choreography and performance. She has served on the board of directors of the American College Dance Festival Association and as an accreditation site visitor for the National Association of Schools of Dance. Her work has been funded by the Ohio Arts Council, The Bread and Butter Series of San Francisco, the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, Western Michigan University and by ArtServe Michigan in conjunction with The Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. Miss Nelson has performed with Kathryn Karipides, Kelly Holt, Wellspring: Cori Terry and Dancers, and Albert Reid, among others.

Martha Dahlinger, Past President

Board Members:

Bill Appel

Patricia Carlin

Deborah Gang

A life-long fan of dance, both as a student when young and now as a patron, Deborah joined the board of Partners in Dance in 2006. She has a Bachelor's degree from Macalester College and a Master's degree in clinical psychology from WMU. She recently left her thirty-year career in mental health and is pleased to have the time and opportunity to be part of PID as well as to resume studying French and creative writing.

Ashley Howard

Denise King

Jo Longnecker

Deb Norton

Debra Norton holds a Bachelor's Degree from Western Michigan University and has been teaching dance in the Kalamazoo area since 1991. Her current teaching credits include Woods Lake Elementary School - A Magnet Center for the Arts, WMU, Ballet Arts, Education for the Arts Aesthetic Education program, Kalamazoo Arts Integration Initiative and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. Debby most recently choreographed Cinderella for the Kalamazoo Civic Theater and choreographed and/or performed with the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra in Spooktacular, Nutcracker and Youth Concert Series. Debby is a member of Cecchetti Council of America and National Dance Education Organization.

Pat Plasko

BFA Western Michigan University 1981, MFA University of Michigan 1989. She began her career as choreographer/ performer/teacher /producer in 1981 as co-founder of Wellspring Dance in Kalamazoo. Ms. Plasko has produced her work in many American cities including Ann Arbor, Detroit, Kalamazoo, Chicago, Hilton Head, Savannah, New Haven, and Toronto. She received the Juror's Choice Award in the 1994 New Dance New Haven festival for the work Construction for 2. For over 20 years Ms. Plasko has taught dance technique, composition, improvisation, and creative movement in many schools, colleges, and studios throughout the country. Since 1997 she has been director of dance for Education for the Arts - Excellence in the Arts program, bringing dance education to high school students in Kalamazoo county.

Megan Slayter

Megan received her Masters of Fine Arts degree in Dance with an emphasis in lighting design for dance from The Ohio State University and a BA in dance from Western Michigan University. As a lighting designer and stage manager she has worked extensively in the Kalamazoo area with Western Michigan University, Wellspring/Cori Terry and Dancers and Chenery Auditorium as well as the Space/Movement Project and Robert Moses’KIN in Chicago, IL. She was the Technical Production Coordinator for The American Dance Festival in 2005. As a dancer, Ms. Slayter has performed in works by Lar Lubovitch, Bebe Miller, Victoria Uris and Cori Terry. An ongoing collaboration with dance historian and notator Jessica Lindberg has resulted in the recreation of dances by modern dance pioneer Loïe Fuller. Fire Dance, originally choreographed in 1896 and restaged in 2003, has been commissioned by Momenta Dance Company in Chicago and most recently at Western Michigan University’s Great Works in Dance and Music Concert at Miller Auditorium. Fire Dance was also featured at the Art Institute of Chicago in conjunction with the Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit. Other Loïe Fuller works include Night and soon The Lilly and Arch Angel. A DVD of the reconstruction process and performance produced by John Mueller is available through The Dance Film Archive. Ms. Slayter has also worked extensively in development and fundraising for the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, OH and The Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.

D. Terry Williams

Dr. D. Terry Williams just retired from the Dept. of Theatre after 23 years as Chair and Professor of Theatre. He has directed over 90 productions for the University Theatre, the University of Northern Iowa, where he was Director of Theatre, University of Texas, Mary Baldwin College, Bradley University, Kalamazoo College and several summer stock theatres. He directs plays for the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre and Whole Art Theatre, where he on the Board of Directors. He is a recipient of a Community Medal of Arts Award, the College of Fine Arts Distinguished Service Award, among others.

JEAN KENZ is an actress with extensive performing experience in drama, music theatre, and commercials, as well as work in print. She received the Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre & Drama from Barat College in Lake Forest, Illinois, and the Master of Arts degree in Communication & Education from Western Michigan University. Jean has served on the boards of the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre, the New Vic Theatre, and for nine years on the Cumberland County Playhouse in Tennessee. Although she studied ballet and tap as a child, she was not able to continue her studies; but her curiosity was piqued. Jean has attended many dance performances and Partners in Dance activities such as bus trips and salons.