Bio
Deedee’s background and love for the performing arts has brought great meaning to her role at SMTD where she has spent the last 20+ years working directly with students and faculty to identify academic needs and achieve goals that positively impact the SMTD community. She established the Office of Academic and Student Affairs (OASA), overseeing advising/coaching and curricular scheduling, and works to develop academic research that provides guidance on recruitment and retention. As an advisory member of the Council of Departmental Representatives, she collaborates with faculty on building and adapting degree programs and minors that meet the evolving needs of students and the educational landscape, and develops policy related to degree path, course requirements, and academic integrity.
In addition to student and faculty-facing work, Deedee was a founder and long-standing Chair of the SMTD Staff Representatives Committee which brought forward collaborative conversations with faculty, deans, and campus leaders, built community among staff departments, and implemented the Staff Awards. She is also an active member of University committees relating to advising, student affairs, and conflict resolution, and was a recipient of the University of Michigan MLK Staff Spirit Award.
Deedee began dancing, writing, and playing violin at a very young age, and pursued all three passions through adulthood. Prior to arriving at SMTD, she worked professionally throughout Michigan and New Jersey as a contracted dance instructor and choreographer teaching Tap, Jazz, and Ballet to students of all ages from beginner to advanced, and at the competition level. A specific focus throughout her teaching career was bringing high-level training and performance opportunities to community-based programs in underserved and working-class areas.
A first-gen college student, Deedee holds a degree in Writing with an emphasis in Playwriting and Poetry from Western Michigan University and a license in cosmetology from the Aveda Institute.