Faculty

Biography

Donna Davenport is teaching Hatha Yoga at the University of Rochester. A certified yoga instructor (RYT-500) and Professor of Dance at Hobart and William Smith Colleges (HWS), Davenport has been increasingly engaged in dialogue about inclusive pedagogy and decolonized curriculum, which has refocused her scholarship around mindfulness, anti-racism, and embodied activism. A prolific choreographer, performer, and writer, Donna received her Doctor and Master of Education from Temple University and undergraduate degrees in dance and psychology from UMASS-Amherst. She has served as Chair of the Dance Department, coordinated Social Justice Studies for ten years, co-directed the former Arts and Education Program, served as Associate Dean of Faculty at HWS, and volunteered for four years as Dean of Faculty for St. Peter's Community Arts Academy in Geneva, receiving the 2023 community award for Extraordinary Support for Music and the Arts. She held the Potter Endowed Professorship from 2013 to 2018 and was honored in 2024 to receive a leadership award in DEI from the National Dance Education Organization.