Meet the Executive Director

For the final segment of the Meet the Executive Board series, our Executive Director, Chloe Milthorpe, sat down and answered some questions about the cause that is so close to her heart.

Explain your position in layman’s terms.

As the Executive Director, I am in charge of overseeing the program in its entirety. I work directly with our Executive board, as well as hospital and school advisors to ensure that Dance Marathon at Florida State University is working to achieve our yearly initiatives and strategic goals.

How were you involved with Dance Marathon in the past?

I first got involved with Dance Marathon my freshman year by dancing with my organization. I walked into the marathon as a wide-eyed dancer and walked out realizing I wanted to Do More. My sophomore year I was lucky enough to be on the CORE team as a Fundraising Coordinator where we created year-long fundraising pushes for our internal and external teams. My junior year I was in CORE again on the Membership team as a Dancer Relations Coordinator. In this position, I worked directly with the delegate program to ensure they had all the resources they needed to encourage their organization’s members to get involved with Dance Marathon. And now in my fourth and final year, I serve as the Executive Director for DM at FSU. This organization has been the highlight of my college career and I am so fortunate to be able to be spending my last year working alongside some of the most selfless and dedicated individuals on our campus.

Since this will be your 4th year of involvement, what advice would you give to freshman year Chloe before her first Dance Marathon?

I would say to myself and to all of the first year dancers participating in Dance Marathon that every dollar you raise is making a difference in the lives of someone at Shands Children’s Miracle Network Hospital and in our Tallahassee community. Without the help from our student body, we would not be where we are today and I can not say thank you enough to our dancers, fundraisers and volunteers for all of their help and dedication to our cause. In regards to the marathon weekend itself, my piece of advice would be to go into the event with an open mind and a positive attitude. The outlook you have on the marathon at the beginning of your dancer shift is going to determine how much you will get out of it. YOU are making a huge difference in the lives of others while being a part of something bigger than yourself. It is Up to Us to be the agents of change in our community and with your help we are making millions of miracles.

What advice would you give to people who want to get involved with DM?

Dance Marathon is an organization for everyone. My personal goal this year is to share with our FSU student body that each and every person on this campus can make the difference in the lives of others, no matter in which capacity they are involved. I encourage everyone to get involved in some way, shape or form and I want to thank every single person that has and is a part of our organization. These selfless individuals are making a difference in the lives of so many in need.

What is your favorite external event?

My favorite external event is FTKolor! It is incredible to see all of our internal and external teams come together for our cause while having a blast. And I mean, who doesn’t love a color run without the running?

If you could add any song to the line dance, what would you choose and why?

If I could add any song to the line dance, it would be (Don’t Fear) the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult because it is in my favorite Saturday Night Live skit and I just think the line dance could use “More Cowbell.”

What is the craziest thing you’ve done for a donation?

I did the Bean-Boozled challenge when I hit $500 last year!

What is your favorite DM related memory?

My favorite DM related memory was and always will be the gong at the Marathon. It is our largest in-event fundraiser and it is so amazing to see all the miracles we are able to make every time the gong is hit. Last year, the gong symbolized “the heartbeat” of our marathon and I was completely amazed by the dancers, fundraisers, volunteers and guests that worked so hard to create more heartbeats for the kids.

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As you can see, through this blog and the ones before it, our Executive Board is a team of dedicated students working around the clock to make miracles happen. But, they can’t do it alone! If you’re looking to get involved with Dance Marathon at FSU check out our social media profiles for news about events and Recruitment Rallies.