By Shannon Lukens.

Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp has named Deena Selko has Executive Director. She’ll be working with summer staff and on year-round opportunities for local youth. Selko has been serving as interim director for the past two months.

 

 

Press Release from Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp; Nov. 12, 2025.

The Board of Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp is excited to announce that Deena Selko has been selected to fill the role of Executive Director. Deena has been serving in an interim role for the past two months and has already made great strides in helping us return our focus to our core mission of internationally recognized youth programming in a stunning natural environment. She will be working closely with our long-established summer staff and developing new year-round performance-based opportunities for our local youth. The Perry-Mansfield family would like to extend our warmest welcome to our historic organization!

Personal Statement from Deena Selko
It is with deep gratitude and great excitement that I step into the role of Executive Director of Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp. The history and legacy of this extraordinary institution are alive in every cabin, every trail, and every studio on campus. As I sit in my office overlooking the Steinberg Pavilion and the Louise Horst Studio beyond, I am reminded daily of the generations of artists who have walked these sacred grounds, dreaming, daring, and creating.

To now steward this legacy into the future is an honor I hold with the utmost care and humility.

From the moment I first discovered Perry-Mansfield in the pages of Dance Magazine as a young dancer, I was captivated by the images of artists moving among the aspens and pines. Now, to lead this historic organization into its next chapter is both surreal and profoundly meaningful.

As Executive Director, my greatest joy lies in supporting the organization as a whole, its mission, its people, and its future. I am deeply committed to empowering our exceptional artistic and administrative teams, nurturing collaboration across all disciplines, and ensuring that our students, faculty, and community feel inspired and connected. Together, we will continue to make Perry-Mansfield a place where art and nature meet in transformative ways.

My career has led me across the worlds of dance, theater, circus, and education. Each experience has deepened my belief that the arts are not only a vehicle for self-expression but also for healing, unity, and growth. It feels poetic to return to a place where Portia Mansfield herself once found inspiration in the circus—declaring after watching a parade, “At last! I’ve found something I want to be. I’m going to be a dancer on a horse in the circus.”

A print from Covent Garden depicting a ballerina on horseback now hangs in my office as a daily reminder of that spirit of curiosity, courage, and imagination that defines Perry-Mansfield. I invite you to stop by anytime, to see the print, to share ideas, or simply to say hello.

Evolution is inevitable. Growth can be both challenging and exhilarating. But with trust, creativity, and shared purpose, Perry-Mansfield will continue to thrive, upholding the vision of our founders: to take risks, honor nature, nurture artists, and inspire humanity.

I am deeply thankful to the Board of Directors for the opportunity to lead and to steward this remarkable institution into its next era. What a joy it is to be here.