NATS Names Melissa Greenblatt as New Executive Director

The National Association of Teachers of Singing has appointed Melissa Greenblatt as its full-time executive director.

Founded in 1944, the mission of NATS is to advance excellence in singing through teaching, performance, scholarship, and research. The association represents the professional interests of more than 6,500 members in the United States, Canada, and more than 35 other countries.

As executive director, Greenblatt will be responsible for leading a dedicated team of professionals while increasing the value of NATS to its members, donors, sponsors, partners, and other stakeholders. She will lead efforts to refine the association's programs while growing and strengthening its membership base.

Greenblatt brings extensive experience in association management, including strategic planning and a background in marketing and sales. Previously, Greenblatt served as interim executive director of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO), where she supervised a staff of six and oversaw a $1.7 million budget.

Prior to that role, Greenblatt served NDEO as managing director for eight years and as director of marketing and membership for 10 years. Under her leadership, NDEO saw significant increases in revenue and total membership, and the launch and growth of the Online Professional Development Institute (OPDI) featuring over 50 courses that provide continuing education for teachers.

“We are thrilled to welcome Melissa to NATS,” said NATS President Alexis Davis-Hazell. “As an experienced association executive and a passionate advocate for arts education at the national level, she brings a wealth of expertise and vision. Her collaborative spirit, dynamic energy, and attentive management style will serve our community well. With a distinguished career in arts association leadership, Melissa is uniquely positioned to guide NATS into an exciting new era of growth and innovation.”

Randall Umstead, NATS president-elect and chair of the executive director search committee, noted strong parallels between Greenblatt's previous experience and the needs of NATS.

“While NATS was fortunate to have many strong candidates, Melissa thoroughly impressed the search committee from the outset,” Umstead said. “She has years of valuable experience successfully leading a sister arts association to NATS, as NDEO serves academic and independent studio teachers, multi-teacher studio owners, K-12 educators, students preparing to be teachers, college and university professors, and professional artists preparing to enter the teaching profession. Her success in marketing the value of association membership, while ensuring that said membership meets the needs of members, is precisely what we were looking for.”

To ensure a smooth transition, the NATS Board has planned a 30-day overlap with retiring executive director Allen Henderson, who has served the association for more than 18 years. Henderson will continue in an interim capacity until Greenblatt's start date of Jan. 26, and then the 30-day overlap period will begin.

“As someone who has spent many years in arts education leadership roles, I am honored to continue that journey with NATS as its next executive director,” Greenblatt said. “I am impressed with the extraordinary depth of expertise and passion within the NATS community, and I look forward to collaborating with staff, board, members, and other stakeholders to expand its reach and impact across the field.”

The vision of NATS is to transform lives through the power of singing by supporting voice professionals within the studio, classroom, clinic, and performance venue. The search was conducted by Vetted Solutions — specialists in executive search for purpose driven organizations.