PRESENTER BIO:

Theatre Arts Teacher, Millennium Middle School

Edna M. Bland “Miss Edna” is a certified educator, teaching artist and puppeteer who has honed her craft at The Kennedy Center, Shakespeare’s Globe Theater, and Lincoln Center Education’s Juilliard School. As a puppeteer, she was mentored by Carroll Spinney, “Big Bird” of Sesame Street. She was honored to be one of the exhibiting artists for the Ballard Institute and Museum’s Living Objects: Celebration of African American Puppetry at the University of Connecticut. She also had the privilege to be a puppeteer for Jane Henson’s Nativity for two touring seasons. Edna is the creator of the edutainment brands, Lovely Day Creative Arts, and Sock n’ Sew Puppets. In 2021, she was one of the recipients to receive the 400 Distinguished Award by the US Congress commemorating the 400 years of African American History for her work as an educator and teaching artist serving her community. Before becoming an educator, Edna worked in the entertainment industry for such companies as The New York Emmy Awards and Sony Music Entertainment. As an arts advocate she serves as a board member for Florida Association for Theatre Education (FATE) and Puppeteers of America (PofA). Chairs: Florida Jr. Thespian District 2, PofA’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, and FATE Middle Schools. She is PofA’s interim Southeast Regional Director and serves on the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs Grant and The Kennedy Center’s VSA (arts and special needs) Conference Content committees. She has a M.F.A. in Entertainment Creative Writing, M.S. in Entertainment Business, B.S. in Organizational Management and A.A.S. in Music Business. She is currently a theatre arts instructor at a fine arts magnet school in Sanford, Florida where she is credited with having the only puppetry arts elective program in the nation.