Kerri-Noelle Humphrey
Executive Director
As Executive Director Kerri-Noelle Humphrey is still committed to working as an independent teaching artist in Huntsville City Schools and Birmingham metro public schools. She holds notable recognitions, including National Leaders of Color Fellow (2024), Arts Educator Fellow from the Alabama State Council on the Arts (2022) and the title of 2019-2020 Academy for Academics and Arts Middle School Teacher of the Year.
In 2021, she founded the Evalyn Washington Humphrey Foundation for Arts and Education, showcasing her dedication to advancing arts in education. During the 2022-2023 academic year, Humphrey collaborated with local arts organizations to launch a transformative dance outreach program that reached underserved K-3 students during regular school hours. To date, this program has reached over 5,000 students in north Alabama. This initiative demonstrated her ability to address educational disparities and aligned with the foundation’s mission. Other foundation programs include Dance Lab, a free dance summer camp for middle school students and the Community Dance Showcase, a free concert of local cultural dance group. She is also a founding board member of the state arts education organization, Amp Up Arts, and currently serves as Secretary.
She has been a presenter at the National Dance Education Organization’s annual conference, Foundations of Teaching Artistry, the Alabama Institute for Education in the Arts Summer Institute, Arts Huntsville, and the Alabama State University BFA Dance program.
Her research, “Dancing the Diaspora…,” listed on esteemed platforms such as Dancemagazine.com and DanceTeacher.com, was the catalyst for the annual Dance Africa festival in Huntsville, Alabama. Serving as the festival’s visionary and founder, Humphrey passionately champions inclusivity and cultural representation. This free community dance festival doubles as an educational platform, elucidating the profound connection between West African dance and African American dance forms for students. Her academic achievements include a bachelors in Mathematics from Howard University, a masters from Barry University, and a masters in Dance Education from UNCO Greeley, which seamlessly integrates her diverse education into the arts and culture sector. Possessing an Alabama Professional Educator Certificate in Dance (P-12), she skillfully combines her academic background with her role as a dedicated educator in the dance community.
Rachel Gates
Program Associate
Rachel Gates enjoys engaging in the Alabama dance community in a variety of ways. She has lived and danced in Birmingham, AL since 2011 wearing many costumes. Her interests have led her to complete trainings in Zena Rommett Floor-Barre Technique®, Revolutionary Principles of Movement, Dance for Parkinson’s Disease, and she has been lucky enough to work with the Alabama Dance Council, Alabama Ballet, NS Dance Studio, Beverly’s Dance Unlimited, Magic City Performing Arts, and AROVA Contemporary Ballet. Rachel holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet and a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies.
