Elizabeth Yntema is the President & Founder of the Dance Data Project® and a member of the Board of Trustees for WTTW/WFMT. A graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Michigan Law School, where she received the Jane L. Mixer Memorial Award for Social Justice, she has been deeply involved in philanthropy and advocacy, particularly in the arts and social justice. She has served on numerous Chicagoland boards, including the Joffrey Ballet and the Junior League of Chicago, where she was named Volunteer of the Year. Named to The Philanthropy Workshop’s 2018 cohort, she has been recognized with the Top Tier Feminist Giver Award by Philanthropy Women and as a lifetime Honorary Member of Corps De Ballet. She is also part of Chief, a national network of women executives. Yntema and DDP’s work have been featured in Women and Leadership: Journey Toward Equity and Turning Pointe: How A New Generation of Dancers is Saving Ballet From Itself.

About Dance Data Project:
Dance Data Project® was created to examine gender imbalance in artistic and administrative leadership in dance companies, venues, and organizations. By issuing data reports, advocacy, and programming, DDP raises awareness related to gender equality, primarily in areas of leadership and choreographic opportunities. DDP is the only organization doing this vital work to produce metrics-based research clearly outlining issues of equity and transparency in the dance industry.

Dance Data Project® promotes equity in all aspects of classical ballet by providing a metrics-based analysis through the DDP data base while showcasing women led companies, festivals, competitions, venues, special programs and initiatives. DDP focuses on artists of merit: choreographers, photographers, lighting, costume, set designers, and commissioned composers. DDP has published, as of next January 2025, 40 full reports and 16 Data Bytes since the project began in 2019.