Emili Danz is a dance educator, arts leader, and advocate with over 20 years of experience spanning performance, education, and program development across California. She holds a B.A. in Theatre with a minor in Dance from the University of Southern California. Emili began her leadership work in Southern California as the Founder and Executive Director of CITYstage, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding equitable access to high-quality performing arts education for youth in Los Angeles. She later served as Education Director at CLARA in Sacramento, where she developed and led arts education programs reaching over 85,000 students annually across 13 school districts.

As CEO of Better Humans, Emili now focuses on developing standards-aligned performing arts curriculum and leading professional development for educators statewide, with a strong emphasis on dance education and arts integration. She has trained hundreds of teachers, teaching artists, and administrators in implementing high-quality, inclusive arts instruction.

Emili’s work is grounded in a commitment to expanding access, supporting educators, andstrengthening dance education across California.