OPAC Inaugural Conference 2024 Speakers
Dr. Megan Meier, MD
Megan Meier, MD is a primary care sports medicine physician practicing in Edmond, OK with McBride Orthopedics. She is board certified in family medicine with a certificate of added qualification in sports medicine and completed her medical training at the University of Oklahoma and Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Meier is the company physician and medical director for OKC Ballet, a team physician for the OU Sooners, and takes care of many other athletes and performers at all levels of training. She is also an associate professor with the University of Oklahoma Sports Medicine Fellowship and is an active member in several professional organizations including AMSSM, IADMS, Dance USA and PAMA.
Dr. Emily Love, PT, DPT, OCS
Dr. Emily Love is a physical therapist who holds her Doctor of Physical Therapy from Texas Woman's University in Dallas, TX. She is Board Certified in Orthopedic Physical Therapy (OCS) and specializes in dance medicine. Emily grew up studying ballet, jazz, tap, and modern dance for 15 years with a pre-professional company. She has performed works by Twyla Tharp and Fernando Bujones and furthered her training with the Ailey School, Joffrey, Tulsa Ballet, and Paul Taylor. She owns her own physical therapy practice, Turning Point Physical Therapy and has worked extensively with pre-professional and university-level dancers as well as professional companies and performing artists across the country. She is also the Director of Physical Therapy for Oklahoma City Ballet as well as the Physical Therapist for the University of Oklahoma School of Dance.
Mark Brown, PT, CSCS
Mark is a physical therapist that has been practicing for over 25 years. A two sport athlete in college, he brings his passion for movement and his knowledge in physical therapy to his approach to treating and training both athletes and performers of all ages. While in PT school, Mark had the pleasure of doing internships at the University of Virginia’s Athletic Department as well as with the world-renowned James Andrews MD and his team in Birmingham, AL. He was the physical therapist for the Oklahoma City Ballet for ten years as well as the onsite therapist for both the dance and musical theater departments at the University of Oklahoma for six years. Mark has also worked with dancers and performers from the University of Central Oklahoma as well as Oklahoma City University and local studios. He has a love for teaching and has been part of the faculty at both the DPT program at OUHSC and the PTA program at OCCC in the past.
Tye Love
Tye Love holds a Master of Fine Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet Performance from the University of Oklahoma. At Oklahoma City University, Tye serves as the Assistant Artistic Director and Professor of Dance at the Ann Lacy School of American Dance and Entertainment. Tye currently teaches Ballet, Partnering, Men’s Technical Dance Studies, and Ballet Pedagogy courses. In the Spring of 2020, he received The Excellence in Teaching Award for Full-Time Faculty at Oklahoma City University.
Tye received his dance training from master teachers including John Magnus, Lisa Slagle, Mary Margaret Holt, Ilya Kozadeyev, and Fernando Bujones. As a professional dancer, he had the opportunity to perform works by many dance and choreography legends, including George Balanchine, Agnes De Mille, Antony Tudor, and Gerald Arpino. As a company member with the Oklahoma City Ballet, he originated the role of Hans/Nutcracker Prince in Robert Mills’ The Nutcracker and was a soloist in Robert Mills’ Pushing Pennies and performed in new productions of The Wizard of Oz, The Phantom of the Opera, Paris Rouge, Mozart’s Requiem and all the classical repertoire, including Swan Lake, Coppélia, The Firebird, Napoli Divertissements and The Nutcracker. Additionally, he has been a featured guest artist throughout the United States with Ballet Ensemble of Texas, Springfield Ballet, Victoria Ballet Theatre, Collin County Ballet Theatre, and many other regional dance companies.
During his time at the University of Oklahoma School of Dance, Love had the opportunity of being selected and coached by Miguel Terekhov, Ballet Russe dancer and founder of the OU School of Dance, while performing his versions of The Firebird and La Primavera. Love has been a guest master teacher for Dance Masters of Michigan, Dixie Dance Masters, Ballet Academy of Texas, Joffrey Texas Workshop, and many other dance studios.
He currently serves as a choreographer for Oklahoma City University’s Star Dance Company and previously served as the choreographer for Oklahoma City University’s Opera and Music Theatre Company’s performance of On the Town. Additionally, his choreography has also been performed by Joffrey Texas, Summerwind Youth Ballet, OU Dance Young Choreographers’ Showcase, OU Dance SummerDance, and Alamo City Dance Company.
Tiffany van der Merwe
Tiffany van der Merwe, a Professor of Dance, holds a Bachelor of Performing Arts in Dance degree from Oklahoma City University and a Master of Science in Educational Leadership Studies in Higher Education from Oklahoma State University. Van der Merwe currently serves as the Artistic Director of the Ann Lacy School of Dance & Entertainment at Oklahoma City University. She directs the OCU Star Dance Company as well as their internal Rep Company, and is a member of the jazz faculty, the pedagogy faculty, and serves on choreography faculty jury. Van der Merwe is currently focusing the bulk of her research efforts towards investigating the current market needs in each of the major cities that employ dancers and entertainers by interviewing casting directors, dance captains, working performers, and alumni in a pursuit to stay current with the industry's expectation of hirable performing artists, teachers, choreographers, and managers.
Curriculum and co-curricular design have been a consistent endeavor throughout her time in higher education. Van der Merwe has piloted a multitude of courses at the master’s and bachelor’s level in attempt to create robust education for future artists. Collaborating with her peers on curriculum design and dynamic student learning is a continual practice as she strives to provide accurate, relevant, and long-term learning processes for the department. Subject matter includes dance pedagogy, choreography development, personal anatomical awareness, somatic integration into dance technique classes, and mental health practices for performers.
Van der Merwe has served as assistant director, choreographer, and master teacher for the Friendship Through Dance Tour: Taipei, Taiwan, as well as a variety of domestic regional tours. She has also served as the director and primary choreographer of the Middlesex Dance Company in Concord, Massachusetts. She founded and directed Camp Broadway for the Hutchinson Recreation Commission for the Reno County youth community.
As a master teacher, she has taught on three continents, as well as throughout the Midwest and Chicagoland area. Van der Merwe’s choreography has been seen at Dance Chicago, aboard the Sovereign of the Seas—Royal Caribbean, Lyric Theatre and Thelma Gaylord Academy, Oklahoma City Philharmonic’s Yuletide Magic, Oklahoma Opera & Music Theater, the Addy Awards, the Awards of Excellence Ball, Governor Fallin’s Holiday Gala, and The American Spirit Dance Company, directed by National Dance Teacher of the Year, Jo Rowan.
As a performer, van der Merwe has toured throughout Europe, Scandinavia, and the Balkan region for LaTour Productions on an extensive USO Tour and has performed for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, The Kinetic Dance Theater, Mystique Productions, and at the original Giordano Jazz Dance Center in Evanston, Illinois.
Dr. Allyson Barnes, PT, DPT
Allyson Barnes is a physical therapist who specializes in hypermobility in Oklahoma City. She graduated with her Doctorate of Physical Therapy from LSU Health New Orleans in 2017. Allyson has published research on how gravity affects joint proprioception as well as worked as an investigator on a NIH grant examining strength versus power training. During her career, she realized that patients with excessive range of motion were not responding to traditional therapy practices and began challenging norms by developing her own manual techniques. During her time in New Orleans, Allyson partnered with Tulane’s Hypermobility and Ehler’s Danlos Clinic to improve patient outcomes. When she’s not in the clinic, Allyson loves cooking and rooting for her LSU Tigers with her husband and baby boy.
Kristina Duty, MA, RD/LDN, CEDS-C
Kristina Duty is a Registered Dietitian in private practice based in the Oklahoma City Metro area. She graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with a degree in marketing and received a Masters of Arts in Dietetics at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center. She is credentialed through the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Oklahoma Medical Licensing Board as a Registered and Licensed Dietitian in the state of Oklahoma.
She has worked with eating disorders for almost 15 years and is licensed through the International Associations of Eating Disorder Professionals as a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and approved Eating Disorder consultant. Over the years Kristina has been an active member of the Oklahoma Eating Disorder Association as Vice President, Treasure, Secretary, and consults with the current board. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to eating disorders, Kristina was honored with the distinguished Bermudez Award in 2019.
She is a co-founder of a premier Peer Consult group for eating disorder professionals and volunteers at her church as part of a ‘Health Counsel.’ She is married to her husband and best friend Josh for 14 years and has 2 spunky girls Emery and Ellie. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family, cooking, being outdoors and exploring the world.
Dr. Anna Kjose, Ph.D., HSP
Anna Kjose, Ph.D. (she/her/hers), is a licensed health service psychologist providing services in Norman, Oklahoma area. She earned her doctorate in Counseling Psychology at University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. Dr. Kjose has in-depth experience providing therapy to adolescents and adults within a multicultural and contextual lens to address struggles related to anxiety, depression, adjustment, identity concerns, stress, trauma, resiliency, and grief.
In addition to being a licensed psychologist, Dr. Kjose was a competitive ballroom dancer, involving years of competitive athletic experience, and is currently in training for sport and performance-based psychology. Dr. Kjose has begun working with performing artists at the collegiate level to address concerns of efficient practice, group dynamics on team sports, anxiety, depression, disordered eating, identity within and outside of athletics, mindset during performance and competition, and recovery from injury.
Reflecting this area of interest, Dr. Kjose is a committee member on Oklahoma Performing Arts Collective to provide increased education about and access to mental health care for performing artists. She is passionate in destigmatizing mental health, increasing access to information, and supporting performing artist in all stages of their performing arts career.
Keri Suffolk
Keri Suffolk is co-founder and co-owner of the prestigious ballet brand Suffolk. She is responsible for running all facets of the wholesale and retail divisions of the company including sales, marketing, and leading the design team for Suffolk apparel and accessories. She has a proven track record of 25 years of entrepreneurial experience. She is a graduate of Texas A&M University in College Station where she majored in Business Management. Keri was a dress buyer for Dillard’s Department Stores and later worked for Liz Claiborne before taking her skills as a merchant and merchandiser to start her own business. Keri’s husband, Mark Suffolk, is co-owner of Suffolk , and oversees design, production, and all operations of the company owned pointe shoe factory. Together, the Suffolks bring an unsurpassed level of knowledge about pointe shoe construction, design, and fitting principles. Suffolk leads the dance industry in classically made pointe shoes that focus on proper placement and the long term health of the dancer. Keri and Mark share 5 children and 2 spoiled dogs.
Dr. Cody Commander, Psy.D., HSP, CMPC
Dr. Cody Commander is a Clinical & Sport Psychologist, and a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) with the Association of Applied Sport Psychology (AASP). He is the owner of an interdisciplinary group private practice, Commander Counseling & Wellness. He is the former Director of Sport Psychology at the University of Oklahoma Athletics department, where he worked for 12 years.
Dr. Commander works with various professional athletes and organizations, Olympic athletes and teams, collegiate athletes and programs, and elite youth athletes. He consulted with the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and was the Mental Health Officer for Team USA for the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. He is a former Board Member of the Oklahoma Psychological Association and continues to serve in leadership positions in various professional organizations and frequently presents at national professional conferences.
Dr. Commander received his doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from Wright State University and completed his doctoral internship at Ball State University Counseling Center. He received his master's degree in counseling psychology and bachelor's degree in psychology at Southeastern Oklahoma State University, where he played collegiate tennis and held leadership positions in several student organizations.
Dr. Wendee Lentz, Ph.D., ATC/L
Dr. Lentz started at Oklahoma City University in 2013 as part of the teaching faculty in the area of Exercise and Sport Science. In 2021 she joined the Physical Therapy program as an adjunct professor and moved into a full-time teaching role in 2022. She is instrumental in teaching foundational courses in the didactic phase of the program as well as serving as the Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) for the university’s athletic department and a coordinator of interprofessional education within the College of Health Professions at OCU.
Dr. Lentz is a Kansas native graduating from Pittsburg State University with a degree in biology as well as experience in athletic training that led to her becoming a certified athletic trainer in 1993. She went on to be a graduate assistant in the athletic department at Oklahoma State University during the mid-90’s where she completed a Master’s degree in health promotions. Just prior to completing her Master’s degree she returned to Pittsburg State to fulfill a full-time role as a certified athletic trainer for the Gorillas. She later developed a desire to continue her education and joined the athletic department at University of Oklahoma where sent spent many years as the athletic trainer for the women’s basketball team as well as overseeing the sports medicine programs for softball and tennis teams. While at OU, Dr. Lentz completed her PhD in Higher Education with an emphasis in program planning and curriculum design.
Dr. Lentz brings over 20 years of collegiate sports medicine experience to our program working with thousands of athletes in various Division I and Division II sports. She spent many years in her career working directly with multiple Hall of Fame coaches such as Sherri Coale and Patty Gasso. In addition to working with elite level athletes and coaches, she had the privilege of teaching and participating in various research projects related to collegiate athletics. Throughout her career she has always been passionate about education. As a healthcare provider, Dr. Lentz felt as it was important to not only offer the best medical attention to all her student-athletes but to provide them a thorough understanding of their injury or illness to keep them invested in their return to optimal health.
Alongside her passion for sports medicine, Dr. Lentz has been involved in multiple organization at both the state and area levels. She is the former president of the Oklahoma Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, and spent time working the Oklahoma Endeavor Games as well as multiple Special Olympics events. She was the local medical coordinator for the prestigious Women’s College World Series along with Big XII Softball and Basketball tournaments for many years. She was also instrumental in teaching merit badge class for her son who achieved his Boy Scout Eagle rank. Dr. Lentz is currently completing her training to be the Oklahoma FUNFitness coordinator for Special Olympics throughout the state. Her favorite pastime is attending her children’s sporting events whether they be at the high school or club level. Needless to say, she is a sports enthusiast and is passionate about health, engagement, and the well-being of those around her.
Dr. Kimberly Veirs, MTC, Ph.D., ATC
Dr. Veirs joined Oklahoma City University (OCU) in 2021 as a full-time core faculty member in the Department of Physical Therapy. She is a licensed physical therapist, certified athletic trainer, and certified Polestar Pilates Rehabilitation Specialist with over 25 years of clinical experience working with patients with Musculoskeletal disorders and specializing in dance and sports medicine. Dr. Veirs leads the OCU Healthy Dancer Initiative collaboration between the Department of Physical Therapy and the Ann Lacy School of Dance and Entertainment, which focuses on developing strategies for injury risk reduction through annual pre-participation dance screens, injury surveillance of university dancers, and physical therapy intervention for those injured in performance. This mutually beneficial partnership serves as an experiential learning experience for students in the OCU DPT Program, where they learn the unique culture of dance, how to properly care for performing artists’ needs, and gain real-world experience working with a highly competitive patient population. Dr. Veirs’ well-defined, ongoing scholarly agenda aims to develop strategies for injury prevention and physical therapy intervention for those injured in performance. She has published numerous research findings in peer-reviewed journals and presents them at annual international, national, and regional conferences. Active in several professional organizations, Dr. Veirs serves on the research committee for the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA), the education committee of the Performing Arts Athletic Trainers' Society (PAATS), the OPAC Board, and is a past member of the Nominating Committee of the Performing Arts Special Interest Group (PASIG) of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).
Courtney Connor Jones
Mrs. Courtney Connor Jones was born in Huntington Beach, California, but grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. She began her training at the young age of three at Southland Ballet Academy. After moving to North Carolina at age five, she began training at the North Carolina Dance Theatre and Charlotte City Ballet before graduating from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
Connor Jones began her professional career at the Cincinnati Ballet where she danced for 11 seasons. During that time, she spent a summer in Russia where she performed in Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Carmen, and Swan Lake. She joined Oklahoma City Ballet as a principal in 2017.
Throughout her career, she has performed feature roles in many ballets, and some of her most treasured are Juliet in Robert Mills’ Romeo & Juliet, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Margarette in Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias, Purple/Pas Girl in Jerome Robbin’s Fancy Free, Aurora in Ryan Jolicoeur-Nye's The Sleeping Beauty, Mina Harker in Michael Pink’s Dracula, The Sylph in La Sylphide, The Chosen One in Adam Hougland’s Rite of Spring, The Eaglet in Septime Webre’s ALICE (in wonderland), and Jumping Girl in George Balanchine’s Who Cares? Her repertoire also includes works by Jiří Kylián, Jessica Lang, George Balanchine, Val Caniparoli, Cayatano Soto, Helen Pickett, Robert Bondara, Ihsan Rustem, James Kudelka, Rena Butler, Alexander Ekman and more.
Connor Jones and her husband, former company dancer Sam Jones, have a young son and daughter; two of her all-time favorite roles! In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, creating custom jewelry, and educating others on healthy eating and lifestyle habits.