Omar Ingram is the Executive Director of the International Association of Blacks in Dance (IABD), the leading organization advancing Black artistry, equity, and opportunity across the global dance field. A dedicated arts administrator at heart, Omar’s work has always centered on unlocking opportunities for artists and organizations that are too often overlooked by the mainstream. Today, he draws on his 14+ years of experience working with leading global arts institutions — including The Public Theater, STOMP/NYC, and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company — to help advance one of the arts sector’s most urgent priorities: diversity in the arts. When he’s not leading IABD’s growing team of changemakers through flagship initiatives including The Annual International Conference and Festival of Blacks, the Comprehensive Organizational Health Initiative | Managing Organizational Vitality and Endurance (COHI | MOVE), and the Black Art Fund for Dance, works across the non-profit sphere and personally, building community, helping grow arts and culture organizations, and creating spaces for people to bring their whole selves.
Omar serves as a Board Chair for the Performing Arts Alliance and as Vice President for Richard Allen Young Adult Council (RAYAC) at Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. His past leadership includes serving on the Board of Directors for DC-based percussive dance organization SOLE Defined and consulting for organizations including Dayton Contemporary Dance Company.
A 2019 Dance/USA Institute for Leadership Training (DILT) Fellow, Omar is deeply committed to the meaningful inter-generational exchange at the heart of IABD’s values — a commitment reflected in his career-long connections with living legends of American dance and theater, including Debbie Allen, George Faison, and Phylicia Rashad. Omar is a graduate of Howard University’s College of Arts and Sciences Department of Theatre Arts (now the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts), holding a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre with a minor in Arts Administration.