Jeni Benavides, Assistant to the Executive Director

Jeni Benavides is thrilled to work with the NAPD as their Training Coordinator, and to be embarking on a new career journey utilizing her background in theatre, education, and activism. Most recently, Jeni served as the Education Director at Woodford Theatre in Versailles, Kentucky, where she oversaw arts education programming for school aged students from across central Kentucky. Additionally, she has taught introduction to theatre part time at the University of Kentucky Department of Theatre and Dance. Jeni earned her bachelor’s in theatre performance at the University of South Carolina, and her master’s in theatre at the University of Kentucky. As an artist, Jeni has focused on physical approaches to performance and documentary theatre, which became integral to her work with The Girl Project (TGP). TGP is an arts meets activism program designed to inspire, educate, and empower high school aged students who identify as girls/feminine to challenge the misrepresentation of womxn in American media culture through performing arts education. For the last four years, Jeni has served as a teaching artist, Associate Program Director, and Program Coordinator for TGP. She is currently based in Lexington, KY.