Heather Hartley

A native of Boone, North Carolina, Hartley earned a BFA in dance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and an MA degree in interdisciplinary arts from Columbia College Chicago. As a dance/theatre artist in Chicago, Heather Hartley performed in more than 35 productions and directed more than 10 original works. More recently, Hartley served as executive director of the non-profit service organization, See Chicago Dance, for seven years. Prior to that, she was a senior staff member for two of Chicago’s most respected performing arts organizations - Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago - and she directed the Chicago Dancemakers Forum from 2007 to 2011. For four consecutive years, Newcity magazine named Hartley one of the “Top 50 Players” leading Chicago’s cultural scene.