Ursula Payne is currently serving as the Interim Associate Provost for Academic Finance, Planning and Strategic Initiatives at Slippery Rock University.  Prior to this role, Payne was a Professor of Dance for 27 years, served as the chairperson for nine years, and director of the Frederick Douglass Institute for five years. Payne is a graduate of The Ohio State University where she received her MFA in Dance with specializations in Performance and Direction from Labanotation Score. Payne formed Mills and Payne dance company with Tiffany Mills and performed in various dance festivals and professional venues in New York City, Toronto-ON, Memphis-TN, Dallas-TX, and Eugene-OR. In addition to her work with Mills and Payne Dance (1995-2000), Payne performed as a dancer with Diane McIntyre in the film "The Beloved" and in McIntyre's evening length work "Love Poems to God" which premièred at BAM. 

Since 2000 Payne has received four Pennsylvania Council for the Arts choreographic fellowships and numerous commissions from universities and dance companies. Payne’s most recent creative commissions include choreography and movement direction for the 2021 Rainbow Serpent film Obi Mbu (The Primordial House).