Dance Alive National Ballet welcomes new staff

Two new staff members joined Dance Alive National Ballet this year. The company is excited to announce the appointment of Brenda Swann as Grants Manager and Donor Database Administrator and Laura Vickery as Marketing Director.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled with the addition of these members to our team,” said Kim Tuttle, Artistic Director, Executive Vice President, and Co-founder of Dance Alive. “I can’t wait to see what they’ll bring to Dance Alive this coming season.”

Learn more about Swann and Vickery:

Brenda Swann

Brenda Swann is the Grants Manager and Donor Database Administrator for Dance Alive National Ballet. She brings 20+ years of experience in nonprofit management and grant writing. She works to provide the funding and tools Dance Alive needs to fulfill and grow its mission to enrich humanity by sustaining a professional ballet company of the highest caliber which strives for excellence in the fields of artistic creativity, performance, education and community leadership.

Since 1996, Brenda has helped numerous arts, culture, and heritage organizations develop strategies, create thriving programs, and increase their revenues. She has held senior management positions in the nonprofit, for-profit, and government sectors. In the past 10 years, she has written 80+ grants that have been awarded to numerous nonprofits. Other areas of expertise include financial management, strategic planning, program development, database administration, and community engagement. In addition to working with Dance Alive, she is the Associate Director of the St. Johns Cultural Council and manages Growing Your Good Work, a nonprofit services and consultancy business catering to arts, culture and heritage organizations.

Brenda’s work has received the Museum Excellence Award from the Florida Association of Museums (2017) and First Place in Education from the National Association of Interior Designers (2018). Early in her career, Brenda worked for the State of Florida where she oversaw the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research. She has co-authored book chapters and published in several scholarly journals, including in American Antiquity related to the Newnan’s Lake Canoe research project east of Gainesville. She earned a Master’s degree in History/Historical Archaeology and a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Science and is a member of the 2013 Jacksonville University Davis College of Business Leadership Matters graduating class.

Laura Vickery

Laura Vickery is the Marketing Director for the Dance Alive National Ballet. In her role, she leads the effort to elevate the reputation of the company. She strives to enrich people’s lives by promoting and raising awareness of Dance Alive and its superior performance experiences, along with its efforts in the fields of artistic creativity, education, and community outreach.

Prior to joining Dance Alive, Laura was the Social Media Manager at the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business for over six years, where she grew the reputation of the College and marketed its graduate programs by building relationships and delivering high-quality, strategic, multimedia content on platforms including TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram, and others.

After her time at Warrington, Laura served as the volunteer social media coordinator for the Writer’s Alliance of Gainesville’s 2022 Sunshine State Book Festival. In her role, she planned and oversaw the strategic social media efforts to promote the festival.

She received her bachelor’s degree in public relations with a concentration in business administration from the University of Florida in 2014.

When she isn’t working, you can often find Laura writing her first novel, enjoying a good cup of coffee and a book, or spending time with her husband Caisson and her friends and family. And if presented the opportunity, Laura jumps at the chance to dance. Though her experience is limited, she dabbles in styles ranging from Lindy Hop to Salsa.