Jill Balch Coon – Teaching Artist/Artist in Residence
Jill has over 17 years of professional experience in the field of arts education as well as in strategic partnerships. Currently, Jill is an Arts Education Consultant living and working in New York City. Her projects include working as a teaching artist throughout the city, and is a program evaluator with V-Girls as well as a curriculum developer and evaluator for college readiness programming.
Through her work at the United Way of New York City she had the unique opportunity to build alliances between community based organizations, funders and the corporate sector as the Director of Strategic Community Partnerships. Additionally, she coordinated the Community Investment department's involvement in citywide events such as the Live United Brooklyn Bridge Walk and ACS Family Fun Day. Prior to her work there, she served as the Director of Education and Programs for Enact, Inc., a major not for profit arts education organization that uses proven creative drama therapy techniques to teach social emotional communication skills to at risk children and their families. Jill oversaw the design and development of Enact’s educational programs that trains 11,000 participants each year. The hands-on workshops and performances address real-life issues such as conflict resolution, peer pressure and violence that too often disrupt a young person’s life.
Jill has taught professional theatre arts with an emphasis on drama, theater, acting and speech at many notable colleges and universities. Her acting credits include performances in Lighten Up!, A View from the Bridge, and To Kill a Mockingbird In addition to her work for Enact, Jill works with theater, television and film actors as a dialect coach with an emphasis on the International Phonetic Alphabet.
Born and raised in Hunstville, Alabama, Jill graduated with a BA degree in English and Theatre from Birmingham-Southern College. She also holds a Masters in Fine Arts from the University of Florida and is currently working on her Masters in Public Administration at Baruch College. Jill is a member of the United Federation of Teachers, Actor’s Equity and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artist. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband, Murray, and is an active yoga practitioner.
