F. Lee Merwin

Title: Assistant Lecturer
Dept/Program: School of Dance, Theatre, and Arts Administration
Email: flmerwin@joffreyballetschool.com

Biography

Biography of F. Lee Merwin F. Lee Merwin has served as the Executive Director of the Joffrey Ballet School since September of 2020, having previously served the institution as the Director of Operations and International Programming from 2012 to 2019 and Managing Director from 2005 through 2009. In his time at Joffrey Mr. Merwin has overseen the diversification of the School’s programming into a multitude of genre’s outside the School’s traditional ballet center, while expanding its geographic reach with the development of additional satellite programming throughout the US. He established the School’s first international auditions in 2012 and, over time, building relationships and programming in 22 countries spanning the globe to include Europe, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, Central and South America. In conjunction with the expansion of programming, Mr. Merwin has been instrumental in building the capacity of the School’s administration to match its growth as well as adding dormitory facilities and establishing the School’s residence life department. From April 2010 through August 2011 Mr. Merwin served as the Executive Director of the Gelsey Kirkland Academy in New York, establishing the Academy’s initial programing and building its first campus in Tribeca with founding Artistic Directors Gelsey Kirkland and Misha Chernov. Prior to 2005, Mr. Merwin served as COO (from March, 2003 to February, 2004) of Industrial Candles, Inc, a company that manufactures candles and related accessories. Mr. Merwin began his career (from December 1998 to August 2001) at the ZLM Group, a financial services firm. Outside of his professional career, Mr. Merwin serves on the Board of Directors of several organizations including as the treasurer of For Granted, Inc., a nonprofit organization that redistributes educational supplies to disadvantaged children around the world and Axis Replay, an e-sports company where he also briefly served as interim CFO in 2019 . Mr. Merwin also serves as an Ad Hoc member of the Graduate Faculty at the University of Akron, teaching Arts Administration Policy and Practices to graduate students. Mr. Merwin graduated in 1997 from Gettysburg College with a BA, Honors in political science and management. He received an MBA with honors from Regis University in Denver, Colorado in 2005 and completed the Non-Profit Executive Leadership program at Columbia University Business School in New York City in 2009.