MEET THE TEAM

Meet the Presenting Denver Team

We’re committed to connecting artists, audiences and
amplifying the voice of our dance community

PRESENTING DENVER LEADERSHIP

Marisa Hollingsworth

Executive + Artistic Director
Director
View Profile

Elizabeth Hioe

Board Chair
board chair
View Profile

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Joanna Jackson

Treasurer
Treasurer
View Profile

Julia Rhine

Secretary
secretary
View Profile

ALANNA HARDING

Board Member
View Profile

rhetta shead

Board Member
View Profile

Kimberly Chmielewski

Board Member
View Profile

Rya Merschat

Board Member
View Profile

Jennifer Howard

Board Member
View Profile

Such Charles

Board Member
View Profile

ambassadors

Emma Harding

Ambassador Jr. Writer

Jamie Kraus

Ambassador Photographer

Courtney Ellis

Dance Events Committee

amanda tipton

Ambassador Photographer

Jennifer Jordan

Ambassador Videographer

Patrice Harris

Ambassador Writer

Martha Wirth

Ambassador Photographer

Tiffany Ogburn

Programs Coordinator | Social Media Manager | Marketing Manager

Jenifer Sher

Website Design and Build

Breegan Kearney

Ambassador Writer

Hanna Ghadessi

Ambassador Writer

Emma Kimball

Dance Events Committee Member

Rya Merschat

Ambassador Writer | Dance Events Committee Member

Sandra Parks

Outreach Co-ordinator
View Profile

BECKY PETERSON

Membership Co-ordinator

Aubrey Fearns

PD Costume Closet

Caroline Butcher

Ambasador Writer

MARISA HOLLINGSWORTH

Marisa Hollingsworth is from Detroit, Michigan where she began her dance training. She later graduated from Spelman College located in Atlanta Georgia, with a Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in Dance. Her summers were spent in New York City at the Dance Theater of Harlem. After college, she danced five seasons with Ballethnic Dance Company in Atlanta, Georgia and later joined the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble for four seasons in Denver, Colorado. After Cleo, she danced with 7Dancers and then joined the Hannah Kahn Dance Company for eight seasons. She has also performed with Nu-World Contemporary Dance Theatre, New Breed Dance and Chadash Contemporary Dance Movement. She has taught all forms of dance throughout the Denver area as well as been a judge for the Ms. Colorado Pagent and the Denver Bronco Cheerleaders. Her board service includes The Children’s Museum of Denver, Davis Contemporary Dance Company, Presenting Denver and Advisor for New England Foundation for the Arts (nefa) for dance. Marisa has recently been appointed to serve on the Denver Commission on Cultural Affairs for Denver Arts and Venues for the next 3 years. She is currently the Executive and Artistic Director of Presenting Denver since 2020. She is a wife and a mother of two.

Elizabeth Hioe

Elizabeth Hioe specializes in matching talent strategy with corporate strategy in a variety of operating environments and industries. Most recently, Elizabeth served as the Chief Administrative Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer at Standard Industries, a privately held, global industrial company. Prior to that she spent 12 years at McKinsey & Company, where she was a leader in McKinsey’s Global Organization Practice.
Elizabeth brings a life-long passion for dance, instilled in her early years as a student of Houston Ballet Academy and cultivated over many subsequent years as an avid attendee of dance performances. She is relatively new to Denver and is excited to join Presenting Denver and support the local Dance community and expand dance’s reach across Denver. 

Joanna Jackson

Joanna Jackson is the Vice President and Corporate Controller for Liberty Media Corporation. Joanna has been with Liberty since May of 2008, when she was hired as a Director of Accounting. Joanna graduated from the University of Colorado, and began her career at Price Waterhouse. Joanna serves as President of the Debbie Jackson & Darrell Pridemore Memorial Scholarship Foundation, which raises money through an annual golf tournament to provide college scholarships for high school seniors in Douglas County. The Foundation, which has provided over $200,000 in college scholarships, seeks to assist students who have overcome adversity in their lives.

Julia Rhine

Julia Rhine is a shareholder at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP, where she specializes in natural resource, land use and energy law. With notable experience in regulatory and environmental issues in the aggregate, real estate and oil and gas industries, Julia helps private and public companies find solutions to complex problems. She has successfully represented clients in litigation concerning oil and gas preemption, hazardous waste decommissioning, enforcement of oil and gas regulations, and zoning and development disputes. Prior to joining Brownstein, Julia was a federal judicial clerk first to the Honorable John L. Kane and then to the late Honorable Richard P. Matsch.

Julia believes that dance is for everyone and that Presenting Denver, through its outreach programs, lives that belief. She is thrilled to be a part of Presenting Denver and hopes to see you at a show or other event soon.

ALANNA HARDING

Alanna Harding is a life-long lover of and participant in the arts, having spent many years playing violin, performing in vocal ensembles, and taking the stage in theatrical productions.
Professionally, Alanna Harding is a graduate of The Schreyer Honors College at the Pennsylvania State University, where she received a B.S. in Finance. She began her professional career working in Mergers & Acquisitions at Bank of America in New York. Recently, Alanna transplanted to Denver where she now works in Corporate Development & Investing at Liberty Media. 
Elsewhere in the community, Alanna serves on the Young Professionals Board of Urban Peak and spends her free time playing tennis, biking, and skiing.

RHETTA SHEAD

Rhetta Shead has worked in the Denver Metropolitan area for over 40 years as a Marketing Director, Public Relations and Special Event Consultant. During her career Rhetta has worked in radio, television, special events and for non-profits.
The special events she worked on included Director of Communications for the opening events at Denver International Airport, Director of Ceremonies and Special Events for the 1995 U.S. Olympic Festival and Regional Event Manager for Coke during the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay. For the last ten years Rhetta was the Director of Administration and now VP of Theatre Operations at Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, handling the management of the office and theatre and overseeing production on the Annual Gala and Granny Dances to a Holiday Drum.
Rhetta has also worked with Denver area cultural organizations including the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, The Children’s Museum of Denver, the Denver Botanic Gardens, and The City of Lakewood (Heritage Culture and the Arts). Rhetta served two terms on the Arapahoe County Cultural Council and chaired the Inter Tier Council of the Scientific Cultural Facilities District (SCFD). She has chaired other cultural organizations including the Colorado Dance Alliance and First Night Colorado. She was also on the board of directors for the Cherry Creek Schools Foundation, Co-chair of the Cherry Creek Schools Marketing Committee and a member of the Superintendents Council and Budget Task Force for Cherry Creek Schools. She was also Chair of the Dance/USA Manager’s Council for Organizations 750k-2.9m, which also provided a seat on the Board of Trustees from 2020-2022. Rhetta is also on the board of The Dance Archive (with the University of Denver), Confluence Jazz Inc, The Madge M. & Joseph T. Mohar Charitable Foundation and Innovative Theatre Arts. She is also a member of the Links, Inc. Denver Chapter, since 1987, where she has served as President, VP of Membership, Communications Chair, Arts Facet Chair and co-chaired the Annual Tribute to Black Youth Luncheon and the 60th Anniversary Luncheon.
In 2024, Rhetta was recognized by the Colorado Black Roundtable during Women’s History Month for Service and Commitment to Denver’s Black Community. She also received the Legend of Dance Award from The Dance Archive, which honors individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to dance in our state. As part of being a Legend of Dance, an oral history is recorded with each honoree. Rhetta coached high school cheerleaders and poms for six year and has been a choreographer for over 30 years, Choreographing the Annual Cotillion for Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Beta Rho Sigma Chapter for 20 years, And Jack and Jill of America Incorporated, Denver Chapter Beautillion for over 35 years.

Kimberly Chmielewski

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Kimberly Chmielewski is a working professional dancer, choreographer, and teacher in Denver, CO. For over a decade, Ms. Chmielewski has been cultivating and enriching her artistic voice through multi-disciplinary performances, choreographic creations, and an elevated teaching curriculum.
Currently, Kimberly is the founder and co-artistic director or jk-co and Director of the Conservatory Division at Rocky Mountain Ballet Academy. In Denver, Kimberly has danced for Hannah Kahn Dance Company, New Breed Contemporary Dance, Moraporvida Contemporary Dance, Maureen Breeze Dance Theater, Lemon Sponge Cake Contemporary Ballet, Kim Robards, Nu-World Contemporary Danse Theatre, Apex Dance, and guest with many other companies. She has had the honor of performing and collaborating in works by José Limón, George Balanchine, Alejandro Cerrudo, Alonzo King, David Dorfman, Michael Medcalf, Julie Bour, and Lawrence Pech to name a few. As a teacher, she has won “Outstanding Choreographer” and “Outstanding Teacher” Awards at Youth American Grand Prix (2018, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024), “Outstanding Choreography” and “Outstanding Ensemble” at Universal Ballet Competition (2023, 2024), and “Outstanding Choreographer” at World Ballet Competition (2018). Kimberly received her BFA and Honors in Dance and BA in Sociology from The University of Iowa.

Rya Merschat

Rya Merschat is a Denver-based dance educator, artist, choreographer and dance enthusiast. She received her BFA from Arizona State University in Modern Dance Performance/Choreography. Rya has called Denver home since 1994 and has enjoyed a tenured career performing, teaching and choreographing for professionals and students alike. She is a 500 hour Registered Yoga Teacher and Continuing Education Provider as well as a yoga and dance writer. Rya enjoys spending time in nature and with her family and dog.

JENNIFER HOWARD

Jennifer Howard is a graduate of The Juilliard School, and had an extensive professional dance career, touring and performing as a member of Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project, Twyla Tharp Dance Company, Eliot Feld Ballet, Sarah Michelson, Lucinda Childs Dance Company, Liz Gerring Dance Company, and Lar Lubovitch Dance Company. After her performing career, Jennifer has dedicated herself to teaching, including as Director of Dance at St. Paul’s School, Concord, NH, Director of Summer Programs at Colorado Conservatory of Dance, and as a visiting artist at Dartmouth College, Next Generation Ballet, Tampa, FL, and Denver School of the Arts. While still in New York, Jennifer began teaching with Jacques d’Amboise National Dance Institute, then with Kansas City Ballet’s Reach Out and Dance, and once she moved to Colorado, with Celebrate the Beat. Working with elementary school children, and often exposing them to dance for the first time, became a passion for Jennifer. Most recently Jennifer took on the role of Managing Director of Celebrate the Beat.

As a board member of Presenting Denver, Jennifer brings over 25 years of experience in the arts as a performer and 13 years in arts education. Jennifer was recently named Managing Director of Celebrate the Beat, a Denver based nonprofit which provides, often in marginalized communities, dance programs for children to improve their physical health and well-being, inspire them to believe in themselves, and establish a standard of excellence that impacts all aspects of their lives. Jennifer’s husband, Erik Langner, has worked in public media for nearly twenty years and is currently the CEO of Information Equity Initiative, a nonprofit that delivers high quality educational resources to families that lack access to broadband. Jennifer and Erik are longtime supporters of the arts in Denver, as well as Colorado Public Radio, Rocky Mountain PBS and KUVO.

Such Charles

Music is a universal language, and for SUCH (pronounced ‘such’), it is the language of her soul. Growing up the daughter of Haitian immigrants, her life was centered around faith and family. Singing in her father’s church planted the seeds for a music career that is on the rise and touching the world. Following an appearance on American Idol, which took her to Hollywood, Such wrote and recorded ‘Trial and Error’, spawning a hit single, ‘Sugar Maple.’ Her music found a solid following in the UK, where she spent several consecutive weeks atop the Soul charts, and in Africa where she won the All Africa Music Award, continental Africa’s equivalent of a Grammy. Such also discovered a passion for acting and played Celie, the lead character in the stage adaption of The Color Purple, earning Broadway World Best Actress and Best Acting Debut Awards. Her latest single ‘Before Dark‘, a top 40 Urban Adult Contemporary hit oozes with the growing self-confidence of a woman who knows what she wants, and how and when she wants it. “I’ve been on this road to discovering who I am as a Black woman and someone who is a little more comfortable in her skin.” Such shares this journey with her new album, ‘WIDE NOSE, FULL LIPS. Inspired by challenges such as police brutality and a desire to flip the mainstream standards of beauty, WIDE NOSE, FULL LIPS is an unapologetic love letter to blackness. Such is currently touring and looks forward to creating unforgettable bonds and memories with music lovers everywhere.

Sarah Parks

Sandra Shih Parks is an accomplished choreographer, educator, and advocate for female leadership in the arts. She currently serves as the Executive and Artistic Director of Colorado Conservatory of Dance, following distinguished leadership appointments as Director of Dance Programs at Drexel University and Louisiana State University.
Sandra is the founder and Executive Director of Women in Dance, a nonprofit organization committed to promoting female leadership in the field through education, performance, and discourse. Her visionary work includes curating an international biennial leadership conference, hosted in cities such as Baton Rouge, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and Philadelphia.
Originally from Taipei, Taiwan, Sandra began her career as a soloist with Four Seasons Ballet and Wu-I Dance Company, and toured internationally with the Broadway production of The King and I. In New York City, she produced and directed original works, choreographed over 80 live performances, and performed with acclaimed companies including Bosoma Dance Company, The Dance Collective, and Impulse Dance Company in Boston.
Sandra’s choreography has been presented in major U.S. cities—including Atlanta, Boston, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, New York City, and Philadelphia—and internationally in Beijing and Taipei. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance from New York University and a Master of Fine Arts in Dance and Choreography from Smith College.
In addition to her creative achievements, Sandra has taught at prestigious institutions such as Boston University, Smith College, Kennesaw State University, Regis College, Bridgewater State College, and the Colleges of the Fenway. She has also led master classes and workshops in China, France, and Taiwan, advancing her mission to inspire, empower, and educate the next generation of dancers and arts leaders.