Dancing Classrooms Virgin Islands has named MemorieAnne Brown-Callender as its new executive director. She will be leading DCVI as it grows into the future.
Brown-Callender was raised on St. Thomas where she was educated at Peace Corps Elementary School, Saints Peter & Paul Catholic School and then graduated from Antilles School. After several years of living in the continental United States and abroad, she has returned in an effort to give back to the local community. Since she has always been a fan of the arts, she is excited to have this unique opportunity to combine her business acumen with her passion for youth programming, and further grow DCVI’s reach/ impact throughout the community.
MemorieAnne holds a B.S. in Business Economics and Finance from the University of Tampa, a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from the University of Tampa, a Certificate in Volunteer Management from the Non-Profit Leadership Center of Tampa Bay, and a Certificate in Professional Grant Writing and Management from San Diego State University. She is also scheduled to complete her MBA from University of Maryland University College in June 2019.
In addition to this strong preparation in non-profit management, Brown-Callender brings a wide range of experiences in working with nonprofits. For ten years she worked as a director with the Girl Scouts both nationally and internationally and has been responsible for planning and facilitating a variety of programs for children of different age levels.
“Dancing is about connections …to our friends, to our families, to our neighbors. It is one of the most expressive ways we celebrate and communicate our cultures and communities. With Dancing Classrooms, we are able to reach children in existing classroom settings and address fundamental issues of mutual respect and self-esteem – issues that social dance puts into practice. We hope to inspire children through dance to do well, to respect one another, to be proud. This program is about more than dance; it is about teaching children to take a bow.”
