Meet our 2022 Executive Board

Our Executive Board, made up of student leaders, is ready to take on another daunting year as we enter our 27th year of Dance Marathon at Florida State University. Dance Marathon's 27th year will be one to remember, thanks to our executive team. The Executive Board is made up of 21 people who are passionate about this organization. Evalee Mason, our Executive Director, Jessica Burk, our Finance Director, Sabrina Mejia, our External Director, Blake Novack, our Dancer Relations Director, and Kiersan Cue, our Marathon Director, make up our five-person management team. Following the four branches, Finance, External, Dancer Relations, and Marathon, each branch has four additional members who make up the Executive Board as a whole.

The Executive Board includes a Merchandise Chair who is in charge of creating merchandise that is distributed and incentivized to all participants, as well as a Community Marathons Chair who is responsible for overseeing all of the high school mini-marathons that are held throughout the school year. Each member of the Executive Board is in charge of a different aspect of the marathon, as well as all of the activities that take place in the year leading up to it. On their journey to their current position, the members of the Executive Board have made an impact on this organization.

Each person’s journey to this year’s Executive Board is very different. When asking our executive board members about their journey to their new position, Emily Hudson, the Membership Chair shared a lot about her journey. This is her fifth year participating in Dance Marathon. She's served as an Assistant Delegate, a Delegate, a Membership Coordinator, and now as the Membership Chair. “I fell in love with the Membership Team more than two years ago, and I hope to nurture the love and development within our new community of Delegates,” she continues. Our Membership team is in charge of overseeing the delegates, who are in charge of relaying all Dance Marathon details to their respective organizations' participants.

With these new faces and some similar ones, there are new goals. When asking our Executive Board about some of their goals as we enter our 27th year, Jamison Lake, the Engagement Chair, said, “I want more than anything for everyone to be able to find their home within DM the way that I have.” Dance Marathon has an important place in many people’s hearts, and our organization helps so many families.

We wanted to make sure that our “Why” was at the core of our brand as an Executive Board. UF Health Shands Children's Hospital, and the FSU College of Medicine Pediatric Outreach Program both benefit from Dance Marathon, and the money we fundraise. Inside our large organization, each individual has a personal reason for fundraising and assisting in the creation of all of these miracles. The Creative Development Chair, Zakari Kostzer says, “Dance Marathon means giving joy, hope, and a fighting chance to the children and their families. Every action, every dollar raised will impact the life of a child and their family's life.”