Board OF DIRECTORS
Niya Nicholson, Board CHAIR
Niya Nicholson is a nonprofit fundraising professional, business development strategist, and creative entrepreneur dedicated to intersectional, equitable, and sustainable social justice work within the arts and cultural sector and beyond. A native New Yorker raised in Harlem, Niya was exposed to the transformative power of the arts at a young age and honed her dance talent at the esteemed Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. In 2014, she obtained her B.A. from Vassar College with concentrations in Psychology, Africana Studies, and Educational Studies, coupled with educational, legal, and performance research in Chicago, Cuba, and South Africa.
For the past six years, Niya has served the arts field as a mission-driven fundraiser and social justice advocate. Niya joined MOVE NYC Foundation Inc. upon organization launch in 2015 first as a volunteer administrator and has since served as Managing Director of the organization, responsible for the nonprofit’s administration, operations, revenue strategies, and strategic planning. Niya is proud to have led MOVE|NYC| to its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and establishment of the organization’s founding Board of Directors. Since 2019, she has served as the Chair of the Development Committee and as a Board Director of MICHIYAYA Dance. Niya's prior development positions include acting as Director of Development for the José Limón Dance Foundation, leading enhanced capitalization strategies for its 73rd Anniversary, and previously as Development Manager for Gibney.
Niya’s commitment to arts advocacy continues to prove impactful as a third year inaugural member of Dance/NYC’s Symposium Programming Committee and Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Harassment. She was previously the Co-Chair for the 2017-18 Dance/NYC Junior Committee—founding its first Mentorship Program with luminaries in the arts field and instituted annual Anti-Racism Trainings for cohort members. With her expertise, Niya provides development consultant services to national and international artists, performing arts and arts education nonprofits and other programs, in addition to racial, environmental, and wellness-based social justice entities.
Rie Schmidt, Treasurer
Rie Schmidt has had over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector–as the president of the New York Flute Club from 1995-98, as the treasurer for Arts in Action Visual Arts Program, as previous treasurer for Flute Force, and as previous treasurer for the New York Flute Club. Rie is a graduate of SUNY Purchase. In 1983, she gave her Carnegie Recital Hall debut as a winner of the Artists International Competition. Ms. Schmidt is a member of the Westchester Philharmonic and the American Symphony and has performed with the New York City Ballet Orchestra, the American Composers Orchestra, and many Broadway shows. She was a featured flutist and dancer in Leonard Bernstein's Mass which was performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. She and her husband, guitarist Benjamin Verdery, concertize as a duo throughout the US and Europe and have recorded two CDs of music for flute and guitar Reverie (Sony) and Enchanted Dawn (GRI). She is a founding member of Flute Force, a flute quartet, which has four CDs Flute Force (CRI), Pastorale (VAI), Eyewitness (innova), and Silver Halo. She teaches at The Bloomingdale School of Music, The Allen-Stevenson School, and The 92nd Street Y in New York City. Her publications include Ravel's Daphnis and Chloé (McGinnis and Marx) arranged for flute quintet, and Barber's Adagio (Schirmer Music).
Michelle Mantia, Secretary
Michelle Mantia is the current Operations Manager of Intrommune Therapeutics. She earned her B.A. in Actuarial Science from Baruch College and has over 6 years of experience working with both corporate and arts non-profit organizations. Having studied saxophone for many years, and coming from a music background, Michelle enjoys sharing her time spent working with both growing arts organizations and innovative biotechnologies. For over three years Michelle served as the Project Manager for the New York Piano Society. She currently serves on MICHIYAYA Dance’s Board of Directors and as the Business Manager for non-profit Every Voice Choirs.
Amber Ohiokpehai, Board member
Amber Ohiokpehai is a data analyst and business strategist with a focus on healthcare and medical systems. Born and raised just outside of Baltimore, Maryland, Amber moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to study at Carnegie Mellon University and received her bachelor’s and master’s degree in Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering. She built her professional career through a variety of roles in disruptive medical devices, a clinical decision support startup, funding health care data innovation, and a nationwide health system. In 2021, she relocated to Geneva, Switzerland with her husband—where she works at a global health organization to provide equitable access to vaccines for individuals in low-income countries and humanitarian settings. Amber has always had a passion for dance, art, and community organizing. These interests crystallized through her involvement in corporate fundraisers and grassroots Pittsburgh organizations involving black lives matter and youth mentorship.
Wendy Shafer, Board Member
Wendy Shafer is a results-driven professional with a diverse background in institutional business development, marketing, and client service within the financial services industry. Her career spans significant roles at firms where she has consistently delivered strategic initiatives and operational excellence. She began her professional career at the University of the Arts, where her love and support for the arts was initially formed working with art students. She then moved to Los Angeles and spent 25 years where she began volunteering in arts and arts education. Wendy relocated to Pittsburgh in 2021 and in 2023 joined the MICHIYAYA board providing support in building their Pittsburgh presence.
Wendy holds a Master of Education in Psychoeducational Processes and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Women’s Studies, both from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.
SIDRA BELL, advisory board member
Sidra's career has spanned for close to 20 years, and she is currently a Master Lecturer at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and a recent artist-in-residence at Harvard University. She has also held Adjunct Professor and Lecturer positions at Ball State University in Indiana, Marymount Manhattan College, Georgian Court University in New Jersey, and Barnard College in New York City.
She has a BA in History from Yale University and an MFA in Choreography from Purchase College Conservatory of Dance. She was a University of Minnesota Theater Arts & Dance Cowles Visiting Artist and an artist in residence at Cornish College of the Arts (Seattle). Her body of work was featured in the Harvard University Theater, Dance & Media course Contemporary Repertory: Dance Authorship in the 21st Century[A dance technique and choreographic repertory class that focused on contemporary traditions and the repertory of three choreographers, engaging in the current discourse of contemporary dance.] Bell was the 2019 Honoree at CPR-Center Performance Research's Gala in New York City. Feature speaking engagements and presentations have included CalArts, The Juillard School, Yale University Master’s Tea (Silliman College), Yale Club of New York, Harvard University, MIT (Hacking Arts New Media Panel), University of Oklahoma, Kinetech Arts San Francisco, The Spence School (A.M. Perspectives), Gibney Dance Center, Ball State University, Cornish College, Yale The Mellon Forum of Life, University of Texas at Austin, Yale Alumni in Dance, Marymount Manhattan College, Studio @ 550 Boston with JCC Newton and University of Colorado at Boulder.