Our Board
Paul Keoni Chun
Founder and President
Paul Keoni Chun started Keoni Movement Arts out of his own passion for doing yoga, dance, and gymnastics and from a deep desire to share these activities with others, particularly those with least access to them. He has acted, danced, sung, and tumbled professionally in Off-Broadway, Regional, and international Theatres. Stage credits include: The King and I and La Cage Aux Folles at The Carousel Dinner Theatre, M. Butterfly at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Seattle Rep, Aloha, Las Vegas and Shogun Macbeth with Pan Asian Repertory Theatre, and FantAsia, Japan Tour. Television credits include One Life to Live, All My Children and As The World Turns. He danced in concert performances for the modern and jazz choreographers Eleo Pomare, Flower Hujer, and Ehud Krauss. He has choreographed and staged modern dance pieces that combine yoga, dance, and gymnastics for the last 8 Keoni Movement Arts annual performances. He is a member of Actors Equity and SAG-AFTRA, and is an Experienced—Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance with over 20 years of experience teaching yoga to all ages (3 - 80+) and ability levels. He holds a B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University, where he competed on the Varsity Gymnastics Team. A native of Hawaii, he has made Manhattan his home for the last 37 years.
Ellen Potenza
Secretary - Treasurer
Originally from Albany, NY, Ellen Potenza brings her experience in nonprofit fundraising to KMA’s board. Ellen worked in development for the Ballet Tech Foundation helping to support a $3 million budget. After five years at Ballet Tech, she moved into the media industry and currently works as a podcast project manager at Spotify. Ellen graduated from Barnard College with a degree in English and spent a year in Paris with Columbia University’s study abroad program. She practices yoga regularly and also enjoys dance, film, politics and travel. Ellen firmly believes in the many benefits of studying the movement arts, particularly at a young age. She lives in the Yorkville neighborhood of Manhattan and adores living in New York City. With her many skills, talents, and passions, Ellen is a great fit to help guide KMA as a director and is thrilled to see its mission grow.
Katie Kohlbeck
Katie first joined Keoni Movement Arts as a volunteer class assistant in 2018 and quickly fell in love with the mission and community. In her 15+ years of working in the nonprofit sector, Katie has cultivated rich experience in marketing, communications, and development that she is excited to share with KMA. As a dedicated yogi, Katie is passionate about making all forms of movement accessible and available to underserved populations. She is 200-Hour Yoga Teacher with a specialty in teaching adaptive yoga to those living with disabilities and who have experienced trauma or loss. In her spare time, Katie is usually tinkering with creative projects, reading, or exploring NYC with her husband and two mini-dachshunds.