NIYA NICHOLSON

EXECUTIVE Director

Niya Nicholson is a justice driven, creatively inclined nonprofit arts leader with 9 years of advancement expertise–namely, business strategy, fundraising, DEI, marketing, and Board & program development. A native New Yorker raised in Harlem, Niya studied dance at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, obtained her B.A. in 2014 from Vassar College with concentrations in Psychology, Africana Studies, and Educational Studies, and was awarded Vassar’s inaugural ALANA Exemplary Commitment to the Arts Award.

Niya’s arts administration and advocacy career began in 2015, simultaneously supporting both emerging and established nonprofits and artists with fundraising and business development plans. Prior to the public launch of MOVE|NYC| in 2015, Niya served the organization as its sole volunteer administrator and was promoted in 2023 as its Executive Director who is responsible for the nonprofit’s growth, including the acquisition of its nonprofit status in 2020, establishment of now 15 Board of Directors, and rising from a $25K to $1M operating budget with 7 tuition-free and highly subsidized programs in NYC and DC. Niya's prior leadership positions include Director of Development of the José Limón Dance Foundation (establishing a Reserve) and Development Manager at Gibney, resulting in 6 new studios and an elevator at 280 Broadway.

Niya is Board Chair & Chair of the Development Committee of MICHIYAYA Dance. Niya is an inaugural and 5th year member of Dance/NYC’s Symposium Programming Committee and has been featured at the Symposium as a 2-time SMART Bar Consultant and 2018 session speaker. She was the Co-Chair for the 2017-18 Dance/NYC Junior Committee—founded its Mentorship Program & implemented annual Anti-Racism Trainings. Today, Niya serves as Dance/NYC’s Program Consultant for the 4th iteration of the Dance Advancement Fund, where she develops and makes grant recommendations for dance makers and nonprofits. In 2018, Niya made grant recommendations for the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs’ FY19 Cultural Development Fund, distributing $1.4M to nonprofit cultural organizations. Niya's leadership honors include being a 2023 New York Foundation for the Arts' Incubator for Executive Leaders of Color member and a 2018-19 Dance/USA Institute for Leadership Training mentee. Niya was a panel facilitator and audition adjudicator for the 2024 International Association of Blacks in Dance Conference; a featured speaker at the 2019 Dance/USA Conference addressing DEI; and additional speaking engagements include American Express, Gibney, Vassar College, and S.U.N.Y. Purchase.

Niya's other interests include travel, exotic animal care, voiceover work, and screenwriting.