Dr. Nadine George‑Graves is a distinguished academic leader and creative visionary whose contributions span higher education, performance scholarship, and artistic practice. Dr. George‑Graves holds the prestigious Naomi Willie Pollard Endowed Chair at Northwestern University, where she serves as a Professor in the Department of Performance Studies and in the Department of Theatre. As Executive Co‑Editor of Dance Research Journal, Dr. George‑Graves leads key editorial innovation and scholarly excellence in dance and performance research.
Dr. George‑Graves is a seasoned institutional leader, previously Acting Associate Dean for Arts & Humanities and Vice Chair in Dance & Theatre at UC San Diego, as well as Department Chair and Professor at The Ohio State University and Northwestern University. As an Academic Leadership Program Fellow, Dr. George-Graves has grown her capacity to shape institutional strategy and faculty mentoring. Her leadership is defined by transforming departments and organizations during cultural and social change. At Ohio State Dance, she co‑organized restorative town halls and launched sustainable programs grounded in inclusive governance. She also guided the Congress on Research in Dance (CORD) as past-president, steering national discourse and practice in the field
She authored The Royalty of Negro Vaudeville and Urban Bush Women, and edited The Oxford Handbook of Dance and Theater—landmark publications that have reshaped discourse in African American history, Women and Gender Studies, and Performance Studies. Her academic articles, chapters, edited collections, and presentations each deepen the scholastic impact of her work and expand the fields that intersect throughout her scholarship. Bridging theory and practice, Dr. George‑Graves has directed and adapted numerous performance pieces—Architectura, Fucking A, Topdog/Underdog, Anansi the Story King—and led digital-humanities initiatives such as Sugar.
Her excellence in research and teaching is evident in her over 20 years as a professor within prestigious institutions like The Ohio State University, the University of California, San Diego, and Yale University. In 2023, she received the “Outstanding Leadership in Higher Education” award from the National Dance Education Organization, celebrating her transformative impact on the arts in academia.
In every role—professor, editor, director, mentor—Dr. George‑Graves exemplifies strategic vision, institutional courage, and a commitment to intersectional excellence. She creates spaces that unite rigorous scholarship, bold creativity, and social justice, shaping performance studies and the broader academy for generations to come.
Education
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL,
Ph.D. in Theatre and Drama (Certificate in Women’s Studies), 1998
Yale University, New Haven, CT,
BA with Honors in Philosophy and Theater Studies,1993