Meet Our Team

Kim Popa – Executive Director/Co-Founder

Kim has studied dance for over 38 years and graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in theatre and dance from Northern Kentucky University. Kim teaches dance classes at The Carnegie, Springer School and Center, the Children’s Hospital Medical Center; and leads workshops and professional development for the Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services, Governor’s School for the Arts, and throughout the region. Kim has worked internationally at the Sri Lankan Institute for Buddhist Studies, the CrisisArt Festival in Arezzo, Italy, the Sibiu International Theatre Festival in Sibiu, Romania, and performed in multiple mainstage productions and modern dance concerts. In addition to teaching and performing, Kim is the Executive Director, co-founder, and a performing member of Pones. She has choreographed for multiple award-winning productions at NKU, New Edgecliff Theatre, and Know Theatre. She is a member of the National Organization for Arts in Health, a certified trauma-informed teaching artist through the Bartol Foundation, and has a deep passion for movement and volunteerism.

Jackie Smith – Director of Education

Jackie Smith has been involved in dance her entire life, ever since her first dance class at 2 years old. Jackie is a freelance teaching artist with a BA in Theatre, BS in Business Management, and a minor in Arts Management from Miami University. Since 2012, she has been teaching theatre, visual art, and dance around Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. She currently works for Pones, Notre Dame Academy, The Carnegie, and The Playhouse in the Park. 

Jennifer Joplin – Grants Manager

Jennifer can remember clearly, the years of dance classes she took as a child. Ballet,
tap, and modern and her teacher, Ms. Theresa, all made a lasting impression on her and she’s loved working dance and movement into her work as a performer and educator. She graduated with a B.F.A from Wright State University and has enjoyed a 30+ year acting career across the country. Offstage, she has found a real sense of purpose in writing grants for arts organizations. She believes grant writing is just another medium for storytelling, pursuing not only funding but also awareness, partnership, and community connection. In addition to her position with Pones, Jennifer continues her journey as a professional actor, writer and mom in Northside.

Josh Neumeyer – Treasurer

Josh has been a member of the Pones board since its inception in 2008, and has also managed the organization’s finances as treasurer since 2013. His background as an artist is primarily from a stage management perspective, which he has done in a freelance capacity for over 25 years. His work experience includes theatre production and management, higher education, and information technology, and he holds an undergraduate degree in organizational communication as well as graduate degrees in public administration (with a nonprofit management certificate) and business informatics. Although he’s only a dancer in the most social and least technical forms of the word, he believes access to the fun, healing, and community that dance and movement can bring to life is for EVERY body, and is glad to share his time and skills in service of the Pones mission.