Staff & Board

MYB’s staff is well versed in non-profit arts management and the Board of Directors is dedicated to providing the community with an exceptional training program.

Alyce Jenkins

Executive Director

Alyce Jenkins has been a member of the MYB Board of Directors and Executive Director since 2006 when she was brought on to help shepherd the school’s move from Bethesda to Downtown Silver Spring. She was responsible for restructuring the school’s entire administrative operation including staffing, communications, marketing, and fundraising functions. Ms. Jenkins came with a wealth of experience not only in the NYC non-profit dance world but in federal legislative positions in Washington, DC including as a Chief of Staff for a U.S. Senator, the U.S. House of Representatives, and as a lobbyist for a Fortune 500 corporation. She was a professional dancer (decades ago) and a teacher, and is also the mother of two MYB alums. After 30 years of involvement with MYB, she leads with a uniquely robust understanding of the organization.

Pascha Barnwell

Registrar and Programming Coordinator

Amy Neal

Marketing and Development Manager

Debbie Clark

Administrative Operations Manager

Administrative Staff

Simran Kaur

Executive Assistant

Katie Rattell

Administrative Assistant and Boutique Coordinator

Keri Joi Taylor

Administrative and Facility Assistant and Music & Motion Coordinator

Sade Barnwell

Administrative Assistant and JumpStart Assistant

Kia Deyo

Administrative Assistant

Adrianna Hayden

Administrative Assistant

Daniel Ricci

Administrative Assistant

Artistic Staff

Deidre Byrne

Artistic Director and Principal

Harriet Moncure Fellows

JumpStart Initiative Coordinator

Kristin Brown-Maki

Children’s Division Director

Julie Miles

Adult Program Coordinator

Christopher Doyle

Resident Choreographer

Arsen Sumbatyan

Musical Director and Senior Accompanist

Production Staff

Judy Hansen

Costume Designer/Wardrobe Director and Special Events Coordinator

Laurice Chow

Audio Visual and Production Technician

Lynn Joslin

Lighting Design

Michael Watson

Technical Director

Jeri Tidwell

Photographer

Stephen Baranovics

Photographer

Board of Directors

Nancie Marzulla

President

Barbara Mullenex

Vice President

Larry Miller

Interim Treasurer

Doreen Kelly

Secretary

Jacqueline Higgins

Alyce Jenkins

Sandra Kagen

Eve Lilley

Joan McCarthy

Beneva Schulte

Anita Seline

Deidre Byrne Ex Officio

Michelle Lees BoD Emeritus

Charlie Barnett BoD Emeritus

Pascha Barnwell

Pascha Barnwell was born in Fresno, California, but spent most of her childhood overseas in Europe where she received the majority of her dance training. She attended Howard University on a full academic scholarship in a doctoral program but ultimately returned to her dance roots, working in arts administration at Dance Institute of Washington and The Ailey School as well as pursuing her own performing career.

Over the years she has danced with the State Ballet of Rhode Island, Genesis Dance Company, The Seventh Principle, Washington Reflections Dance Company, Gesel Mason Performance Projects, and guested with Dakshina Dance Company.

While Ms. Barnwell is no longer an active performer, she choreographs and teaches Horton technique and ballet in the Washington metropolitan area and is currently the Registrar and Programming Coordinator at MYB.

Amy Neal

Amy Neal brings a broad range of non-profit arts administration, teaching and performing credentials to her role as Marketing and Development Manager and Faculty member at Maryland Youth Ballet.

Ms. Neal received her ballet training at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet (CPYB) studying with renowned teacher Marcia Dale Weary in addition to summer study at The Washington School of Ballet and the Pennsylvania Governor’s School for the Arts. She went on to study with Forrest Gehret and later danced with Harrisburg Ballet under the direction of Richard Hoskinson.

Ms. Neal earned her B.S. degree from Syracuse University, where she also studied dance at the College of Visual and Performing Arts and appeared regularly as a guest artist in several central New York companies. Later moving to the DC area she earned her M.S. degree from the University of Maryland, College Park. Ms. Neal is a certified teacher in the ABT® National Training Curriculum and has received teacher training in the CPYB syllabus.

Administratively, she has experience with both the creative and technical elements of marketing, fundraising, development, programming, and outreach; and has served on several grant review panels in the region. Prior to her current role, she held faculty and administrative positions at CityDance, Metropolitan Ballet Theatre, American Dance Institute, and Fairfax County Public Schools.

Debbie Clark

Debbie Clark a native of Saint Louis, MO studied Ballet and Modern Dance at Texas Christian University under the direction of Fernando Schaffenburg and Jerry Bywaters Cochran. Upon returning to the area, Debbie danced with many local DC area dance companies including Virginia Ballet, DC Dance Theatre, Rincones and Company and Capitol Movement Dance Company (where she also served on the Board of Directors).

Ms. Clark danced professionally for many years with some of the top entertainment companies including Jean Ann Ryan Productions, Greg Thompson Productions, Princess Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines as well as Harrah’s Casinos and Trump Plaza Casinos. In addition, Ms. Clark has been on the faculty of many of the area’s dance studios as well as serving as the Director of Education for Musical Theater Center and Director of Dance for the Bender JCC School of Dance in Rockville.

One of Ms. Clark’s most recent accomplishments is Advanced Certification in IM=X Pilates. Debbie serves as the Administrative Operations Manager for Maryland Youth Ballet and continues to teach dance and pilates for area studios.