As CEO of United Arts Collier and drawing on over two decades of experience working in the arts at world-class institutions, Elysia Dawn measurably demonstrates her arts advocacy with business acumen and artistry. Elysia obtained her Nonprofit Management master’s degree from Columbia University and has worked for organizations including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Florence Dance Festival at the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, the Frick Collection, and GALLIM. As a professional ballet dancer, she has performed with companies such as Boston Ballet and Complexions Contemporary Ballet and had the privilege to perform with Mikhail Baryshnikov.
At The Met, she created, spearheaded, and curated their dance initiative, helped annually produce hundreds of events for MetLiveArts, more than tripled their audience in the hundreds of thousands, and increased their funding by over a third of their annual budget. Receiving multiple King’s Crown Leadership Awards as well as a community service award from Columbia University, Elysia was recognized for serving the Columbia Ballet Collaborative as their Artistic Director and founder of both their Outreach Program and the Ivy Ballet Exchange. Prior to receiving her master’s degree from Columbia, she received her bachelor’s degree from the university with a major in Art History and a minor in Business Management. She’s since been a featured speaker at Columbia and served on the board of its General Studies Alumni Association.
In 2024, Elysia was honored to be appointed by then Senate President Kathleen Passidomo to the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, a 15-member advisory council appointed to advise the Secretary of State regarding cultural grant funding and on matters pertaining to arts and culture in Florida. In 2025, she gratefully accepted invitations to serve on Florida Gulf Coast University’s Regional Economic Research Institute (RERI) Advisory Council and on the All Ivy+ local alumni events committee. She is a frequently requested public speaker on the arts and her dedicated leadership has met with numerous accolades including being inducted into Leadership Collier, recognized in Marquis Who’s Who for excellence in the arts, featured as a “Defender of the Gulf” in Gulfshore Life, and named in Naples Illustrated’s “Naples 100” recognizing Collier County’s most influential business leaders.
Elysia is committed to making a positive difference in the lives of individuals and the communities we constitute. She greatly values devoting her passion and professionalism toward strengthening the arts in order to improve the conditions of the world we live in. A Naples native, Elysia enjoys spending her free time dancing, dining, teaching Pilates, and being with family and friends, especially around our beautiful beaches and great outdoors.
