Yvonne Mendez
Programming Director
yvonnemendez@dancetheyard.org
 she/her/hers

Yvonne Mendez is an experienced arts administrator, event curator and producer, educator and activist. Yvonne, who holds a Master’s degree in Media Studies from the New School for Social Research (NYC), has curated programs and produced special events that create spaces for diverse interactions and broad learning including interactive conversations, community gatherings, concerts, festivals, master classes, workshops and in-school class visits.

She began her professional career working with New WORLD Theater (NWT) as part of the Senior team that worked to craft a culturally-diverse season showcasing BIPOC and LGBTQ stories, and engaging and empowering diverse communities. The first of its kind, New WORLD Theater showcased the cultural and artistic work of people of color and opened a national space for dialogue, learning and awareness. This experience forged a strong foundation for Yvonne’s work and personal philosophy. During her 22 years at NWT, she fulfilled the roles of Managing Director and Marketing and Outreach Director. 

Yvonne went on to serve as Director of Education & Engagement at the University of Massachusetts Fine Arts Center (FAC), creating engagement programs across the Five College area, while forging many new collaborations and partnerships in the region on and off campus. She curated and produced engagement activities across genres including a Community Sing-Along with Damien Sneed and his Gospel Choir; Police Violence and the Creative Response, a conversation with the members of Philadanco Dance Company; Riffing The Reality: Gender, Women and Jazz featuring Terri Lyne Carrington and students from Berklee’s Jazz and Gender Justice Institute and more. Yvonne’s duties at UMass also included coordinating satellite performing arts programs that included a salon-style engagement program called Valley Jazz Network; Jazz in July, the summer improvisation program started by Billy Taylor and Max Roach; and the acoustic classical guitar series Guitárra.

Yvonne has also worked with a variety of non-profits. She served six years as the chair of the Amherst (MA) Cultural Council; and seven years as the Board chair of the HartBeat Ensemble in Hartford, CT. She taught graphic design and media literacy at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts, where she helped develop an integrated arts and academic curriculum. She is also a graphic designer and a trained digital storytelling facilitator. 

Yvonne’s focus at The Yard draws upon her expertise with community outreach and programming. She has forged many fruitful partnerships and developed meaningful programs across the Island with great success. Under her leadership, over the past year, the Yard has presented programs in every town across the Island and deepened relationships with the various distinct cultural sectors of the Island. Since October 2022 she has served as the Acting Executive Director at The Yard.

Yvonne is an Afro-Latina nerd. She is married and has three super-nerdy adult children, all working in the arts. They are all fixated on anything Star Wars, Star Trek, MARVEL, Harry Potter, Comicon conventions, SYFY, etc. Yvonne is excited to serve the Martha’s Vineyard community and The Yard, and connect more deeply with the theater and dance community.