Kayla Acton

Kayla Acton is the Executive Director of the Rockford Dance Company, where she leads with the same energy she brings to everything else in her life: equal parts strategy, creativity, and a refusal to be put in a box. With a career spanning nonprofit leadership, live event production, and nationally televised broadcasts, she has a knack for turning big ideas into even bigger moments; she has built a reputation for driving organizational vision, cultivating community partnerships, and delivering exceptional creative experiences. Prior to joining the Rockford Dance Company, Kayla served as Program Director at the Rockford Area Arts Council, where she led year-round youth arts programming, managed grant writing and fundraising initiatives, and developed strategic plans to advance the organization’s long-term mission. Her background also includes work as a Coordinating Producer for the SOAR Awards, Festival Stage Production Consultant for Stroll on State, and Director of Programming and Executive Producer at Heartland — experience that sharpened her skills in budget management, team leadership, and large-scale event production. Earlier in her career, she worked as a Script Specialist on nationally televised productions including the Tony Awards, Lip Sync Battle, and the National Christmas Tree Lighting. She also serves as a Board Member of the Rockford Performing Arts Alliance and Riverfront Museum Park. When she’s not running the Dance Company, Kayla can be found with her nose in a book, plotting the next chapter of the comic book she’s writing, or elbow-deep in the restoration of a 1949 Model A John Deere tractor (yes, really). A true adventurer, she has traveled to over 17 countries — including a chapter of her life spent living in Italy — and brings that same sense of curiosity and fearlessness to her work every single day. Kayla holds a B.A. in Theatre from North Central College, pursued continued studies at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Italy, and holds a Certification in Nonprofit Management from the Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence.