Damian Woetzel is the seventh president of The Juilliard School where he is championing an institutional focus on creativity and equity as essential to excellence. Since retiring in 2008 from a 20-year career as a principal dancer with New York City Ballet, Woetzel has taken on multiple roles in arts leadership, including artistic director of the Vail Dance Festival since 2007 and director of the Aspen Institute Arts Program (2011-18).

As an independent director, choreographer, and producer, his recent projects include DEMO at the Kennedy Center; Spaces by Wynton Marsalis for Jazz at Lincoln Center; Kennedy Center Honors tributes to Natalia Makarova, Patricia McBride, and Carmen de Lavallade; an arts salute to Stephen Hawking for the World Science Festival; two Turnaround Arts performances at the White House and the first performance of the White House Dance Series hosted by Michelle Obama.

Creativity, Aspen Ideas, Music, Innovation, Creative Thinking, Inspirational, Policy, Artists, Literary, Leadership, Dance, Performing Arts