Washington, DC
Kahina Haynes, Executive Director of Dance Institute of Washington, is a passionate arts activist and the visionary architect behind DIW’s strategic revitalization following the significant loss of its Founder/Artistic Director, Fabian Barnes. Prior to her appointment by the Board, Kahina worked in program and process evaluation for a number of philanthropic and nonprofit organizations, including the United Nations (Bureau for Development Policy at UNDP), the Annie E. Casey Foundation, SafeKids Worldwide, and the World Bank Group. Kahina holds a B.A. from Princeton University with a Minor in African American Studies and a concentration in Dance; as well as a Master’s Degree from Oxford University in Evidence Based Social Intervention.
A Washington, DC native, Kahina has always been connected to the arts. She began training in ballet at the age of three under the tutelage of her grandmother and went on to train at the Maryland Youth Ballet and School of American Ballet. At DIW, Kahina’s goal is to uphold the organization’s mission; namely, to increase the inclusive and diverse representation at every level of the professional ballet and dance industries in Washington, DC, and through that exemplary effort, to impact racial and economic equity in dance nationally and globally.
