was a professional dancer for over 20 years before moving into arts administration. Originally from New Jersey, she studied at the School of American Ballet where she was nominated for the Princess Grace Award. She joined the corps of San Francisco Ballet at age 16 and became a principal dancer with San Francisco Ballet and Pennsylvania Ballet (now Philadelphia Ballet), performing and originating lead roles in classical and contemporary repertoire. She appeared as a guest artist with New York City Ballet and several international touring groups, and participated in a dancer exchange with The Royal Ballet in London. Hench was a private coach and guest teacher for renowned ballet schools across the country, and was appointed to the artistic leadership team at Pennsylvania Ballet. She received Isadora Duncan Awards for her dancing at San Francisco Ballet, and an Association of Alumnae Award for her studies at the University of Pennsylvania. She served as Executive Director of Juneau Dance Theatre (JDT), a non-profit arts organization in Juneau, Alaska, where she facilitated collaborations with local artists and arts groups to enrich the dancers’ experiences, grow audiences, and broaden the organization’s impact. At JDT, Hench helped the organization partner with the Kennedy Center’s “Any Given Child” initiative to expand arts education in Juneau public schools and was honored to stage work for the George Balanchine Trust. Hench has written for various Dance Media publications and was a Contributing Editor at Dance Teacher magazine. She earned a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, graduating summa cum laude, and served as President of the University of Pennsylvania’s Association of Alumnae. She also earned a certificate in Arts and Culture Strategy from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice, in partnership with National Arts Strategies. Hench has been the Executive Director of American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School since 2017.