The International Association of Blacks In Dance Announces Appointment of Omar Ingram as Executive Director

Omar Ingram will start as IABD'S Executive Director on March 1, 2025
Dr. Natasha Moreland Spears is stepping down as IABD's Co-Executive Director on February 28.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Association of Blacks In Dance (IABD) announced today the promotion of Omar Ingram, current Co-Executive Director of IABD, to Executive Director effective March 1.

Since becoming co-executive of IABD, Ingram has co-lead IABD's growing team of change makers in delivering vital arts programming and support that includes the annual conference and festival, Comprehensive Organizational Health Initiative | Managing Organizational Vitality and Endurance (COHI | MOVE), FRWD, and The Equity Project: Increasing the Presence of Blacks in Ballet. In addition, he serves as board chair for the Performing Arts Alliance, a member of the DC Artistic Advisory Board for MOVE|NYC|, a member of the advisory council for Arts Education Partnership, and represents IABD as a partner with the Intercultural Leadership Institute.      

"As IABD now transitions to a single executive director organizational model, as board chair, I am confident that Omar Ingram will provide the leadership needed to continue to move IABD forward as a sustainable and thriving international arts organization linking IABD's mission to preserve and promote dance by people of African ancestry or origin while being intentional in assisting and increasing opportunities for members," said Ayisha Morgan-Lee, EdD, MAM, Founder, CEO & Artistic Director of Hill Dance Academy Theatre.

Dr. Natasha R. Moreland Spears is stepping down as Co-Executive Director effective February 28, 2025. Spears led strategic initiatives in development, membership, and marketing communications during her tenure to drive organizational growth. Additionally, Spears secured a multi-year unrestricted gift, significantly enhancing financial resources for the organization. Under her leadership, she was elected Co-Chair of the Performing Arts Alliance, reflecting a strong commitment to leadership in the arts community. 

"On behalf of the entire IABD Board, I want to thank Dr. Moreland Spears for her vision and leadership.  During her tenure as Co-ED, with a focus on Development, Dr. Moreland Spears served the organization well in aligning IABD's fundraising needs to support the 2025 Conference and Festival in Pittsburgh, PA. As co-sponsor for the conference, Hill Dance Academy Theatre's (HDAT's) fundraising team and IABD's team, under Dr. Moreland Spears' leadership, created new sponsor partnerships for the 2025 Conference and Festival in Pittsburgh and hopefully for IABD as the flagship arts organization for the artistry of Black Dance," said Ayisha Morgan-Lee, EdD, MAM, Founder, CEO & Artistic Director of Hill Dance Academy Theatre.

"I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve such an iconic organization and to be part of the legacy birthed by five revolutionary women - Joan Myers Brown, Lula Washington, Jeraldyne Blunden, Cleo Parker Robinson, and Ann Williams. Collaborating with this dynamic team, leading alongside my friend and colleague IABD Executive Director Omar Ingram, and engaging with our members—true champions of Black dance and prolific culture bearers—has been a life-changing experience. Over the past 20 months, I have been inspired by the passion, tenacity, and resilience that define Black dance. It has been an honor to serve, and I will continue to support Black dance and IABD in the future," said Dr. Natasha R. Moreland Spears.

Ingram joined IABD in 2017 as Special Assistant of Programs, then Programs Director in 2018, and became Co-Executive Director in 2022. For more than 10 years, Ingram has worked in both the commercial and not-for-profit arts sectors with leading global influencers that include The Public Theater, STOMP/NYC, and Woolly Mammoth Theater Company, to support and unlock new opportunities to advance one of the world's leading arts influences – diversity in the arts.

"Black Dance is American art! At a time when advocacy and allyship among and for the global Black Dance community are so needed, I am excited and humbled by the trust to lead the association in this season of growth. IABD has championed creativity, inclusion, and equity for decades before they were mainstream narratives. Now, IABD is positioned to be the bridge that acknowledges its history and takes those learnings to propel us into a future celebrating and engaging in diversity in performance, equity in artistry, and inclusion of all people. The global lineage that contributes to Black Dance is essential to the American tapestry, and we are fully committed to making and taking up our space," said Omar Ingram, Executive Director of IABD. "I sincerely thank Dr. Natasha R. Moreland Spears for being both my friend and colleague as we worked together and served in championing Black joy, Black resilience, Black people, and Black art through Dance."

Ingram's focus and passion have led to work with living legends, including Debbie Allen, George Faison, and Phylicia Rashad, serving IABD in several capacities and nationally as a consultant, facilitator, and non-profit board member and advisor.

About The International Association of Blacks in Dance

The International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD) preserves and promotes dance by people of African ancestry or origin and assists and increases opportunities for artists in advocacy, audience development, education, funding, networking, performance, philosophical dialogue, and touring. IABD has become the Mecca for Blacks in Dance, such as administrators, artists, choreographers, dance companies, directors, educators, scholars, and those interested in artistry, black dance issues, and performance presentations. The Association, founded in 1991, provides a network, formal newsletters, choreographers directory, and published papers and is the raison d'être for the annual conference. In 2023, IABD received a National Medal of Arts from President Joe Biden for the Association's passionate commitment to the arts. The Association also responds to and initiates dialogue around issues that impact the Black Dance Community and the Dance community at large. IABD has developed national prominence and allowed the Black Dance Community to come together on issues important to them. www.iabdassociation.org

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SOURCE The International Association of Blacks In Dance