New Jersey Performing Arts Center

Newark, NJ

Jennifer Tsukayama is the Vice President of Arts Education at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC). She leads one of the largest arts education departments in the state that serves nearly 112,000 families and students annually in grades Pre-K-12. Programs include on-campus and in-school performances, residencies, as well as afterschool and summer arts training and professional development for teachers. 

Prior to joining NJPAC, Tsukayama was the Director of Strategic Partnerships and the Director of Performing Arts for the Arizona Commission on the Arts (ACA). There she managed the agency’s $2M grant portfolio, provided statewide technical assistance to the grantees, and developed partnerships and programs across government and community sectors. This included the areas of government and public affairs, local arts advancement, and private sector relations. Tsukayama’s successful philanthropic initiatives include Artist Research and Development Grant, Artspace Initiative, Honoring Our Service Members, and Rural Presenters Consortium. 

Tsukayama was also an Associate Professor at Arizona State University’s Department of Dance, where she received numerous awards for her research and teaching and chaired the Academic Policy and Standards Committee for the College of Fine Arts. She has been invited to present papers on her creative research at Counseil Internacional de la Dance of the United Nation’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Congress on Research in Dance, and National Education Dance Organization. 

Tsukayama’s artistic work includes the direction of three dance companies and the creation of over 40 original dance works. Her repertory ranges in projects that integrate dance and technology to site-specific and community works. She is an active member and mentor for the national Women of Color in the Arts. Currently, she serves on the Board of the Newark Trust for Education, Art-ed NJ Steering Committee, and the Leadership Council for Arts Ed-Newark, which is dedicated to advancing arts education in the city of Newark where she also co-chairs its evaluation committee. She was a panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Association for Latino Arts and Culture, ArtPlace America, and many state arts councils.