JENNI LILLEDAHL BIO

As mentioned, Jenni spent eight successful years in the field of public relations, and the skills she gained there are put to test daily in her role as Director of the Brave New Institute (BNI), the BNW's school for improvisation and acting. In her vision to share improvisation with as many people as possible, Jenni leads the BNI with grace and ever-growing success. In fact, since 1997, when Jenni and John bought the Brave New Workshop from founder Dudley Riggs, Jenni has grown the Brave New Institute from 7 students to more than 250 students weekly, making it one of the world's leading schools for the study of improvisation. Not surprisingly, as one of the most experienced improv instructors in the Midwest, Jenni has led workshops at the prestigious Chicago Improv Festival, the Big Stinkin' Improv Festival (Austin, TX), and numerous colleges and universities. In addition, she supervises more than 15 instructors teaching over 20 classes, community programs and student troupes each week and she herself teaches improvisation through outreach classes at several schools and social service organizations in the Twin Cities. Like her husband John, Jenni was also named to the "40 under 40" to watch by CityBusiness, a well-known Minneapolis business publication.

Jenni's understanding of the corporate culture, her experience in sharing improv throughout the country, and her unmatched passion for improv training have combined to inspire thousands. Her belief that people from all walks of life can embrace the philosophies of improvisation and find within themselves a more creative, innovative, and confident individual have made Jenni invaluable not only to the BNW, BNI, and Twin Cities improv community, but to improvisation as an art form nationwide.