Emily Simoness is an entrepreneur, teacher, facilitator, speaker and the Co-Founder and Executive Director of SPACE on Ryder Farm. Emily founded SPACE in 2011 and under her leadership artists and activists including Clare Barron, Alta Buden, Nia DaCosta, Samuel D. Hunter, Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, Rupi Kaur, Young Jean Lee, Kylie Manning, Antoinette Nwandu, Carmen Perez, Johnny Perez, Adam Rapp, Sarah Ruhl, Arabelle Sicardi, Shaina Taub, Rebecca Traister, Mfoniso Udofia and Hope Wabuke have developed new works. In 2019, Emily’s growing vision for SPACE was instrumental in joining the nonprofit artist residency program with Ryder Farm’s farming operation. A former actress, Emily worked at some of the premier theatrical venues in the nation including The Public Theater and Williamstown Theatre Festival. Additionally, she has developed and taught acting curriculum for NYU and The North Carolina School of the Arts. Outside of her core work in the arts, Emily is a consultant for Bi-Jingo, a management development firm that specializes in communication and leadership skills for executives; she is certified in Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Steps I and II. In 2015 she gave a talk at TEDx Broadway and currently serves on the TEDx Leadership Board. Emily holds a BFA in acting from UNCSA where she was the inaugural Kenan Arts Research Fellow. For eight years, she sat on the Board of Directors for Ryder Farm Incorporated, the family shareholder body that owns and operates Ryder Farm. In 2017, Emily was honored with the Lucille Lortel Visionary Award by the League of Professional Theatre Women. Emily co-founded TieDyen4Biden that helped raise over $165,000 for Democratic candidates during the 2020 election cycle.
