Sharon Gersten Luckman became Executive Director of Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation in 1995 after first joining the organization as Director of Development in 1992. A graduate of The University of Wisconsin, Madison, Ms. Luckman began her career as a dance teacher and went on to direct New York’s 92nd Street YM/WHA Dance Center from 1978-1986. She later became development director and then Executive Director of Twyla Tharp Dance Foundation and for three years was Executive Director of Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts. Additionally, she has taught arts administration courses at New York University’s School of Continuing Education. She has served on the Executive Committees of Columbia University’s Institute for Not-for-Profit Management and the New York City Arts Coalition and on the Board of Trustees of Dance/USA. In 2002, Ms. Luckman received the Arts Management Award for Career Service, and in June 2004, she was awarded the Arts & Business Council’s Encore Award for Arts Management Excellence. Most recently, Ms. Luckman received the 2010 University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education's Alumni Achievement Award in recognition of her leadership in the arts. Her responsibilities at Ailey include the management and oversight of the development, marketing and finance departments as well as the administrative side of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, The Ailey School, The Ailey Extension and Ailey Arts In Education and Community Programs.