Director of Student Experience

AJ Cermak is a community builder, arts professional, and creative administrator with a career spanning theater, education, nonprofit arts, community engagement, and partnership development.

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With a background rooted in the performing arts, AJ has worked as a theater director, producer, educator, and arts administrator. In her youth, AJ studied dance with Eddie and Kathy Gasper, performed in dozens of local community productions, and has worked with Matt and Lacey Gasper in a variety of capacities for decades. Early in her career, she worked in New York City as a freelance theater and audiobook director and producer while maintaining strong connections to the Fargo-Moorhead arts community. Her work with Gooseberry Park Players (and her father, Jim Cermak) included producing and creatively developing youth theater productions that combined performance with education, cultural exploration, and imaginative storytelling, including years of collaboration with choreographer, Matt Gasper.

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After over 13 years as the Community Coordinator for a top public school in NYC, AJ has returned to her roots to bring her organizational, creative, and relationship-building skills to the arts community that first shaped her. She is part of the student development and enrollment team at Gasper's School of Dance and is involved in the broader FM Ballet community while serving as the administrative specialist for the company.

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Her career reflects a lifelong commitment to the arts, education and to creating opportunities for people to participate, learn, collaborate, and be inspired. She is thrilled to continue her service to the FM arts community through her work with Gasper's and the FM Ballet company.