Tim Cowart is the Head of Dance at Western Oregon University. He served as Chair of the Dance Department at DeSales University from 2005-2019. He is an advocate for dance and helps to connect dance artists with dance departments and universities across the country through Dance Now's guest artist programming. He also serves as the moderator and host of events for Dance Now's Next Generation. 

As a professional dancer, he toured nationally and internationally with the Bella Lewitzky Dance Company, the Pittsburgh Dance Alloy, and Impact Productions. He has also worked with David Dorfman, Elizabeth Streb/Ringside, Minh Tran and Dancers, Adrienne Clancy, Rob Kitsos, Margo Van Ummersen, Mark Taylor, and Alito Alessi.

He was the first dance professor in the United States to be certified in Kaeja Elevations—Developed by Allen Kaeja, it is a modern dance partnering technique that uses momentum, dynamic tension and gravity to launch people into dynamic partnering lifts. He is also certified in DanceAbility, and STOTT Pilates.He can be found regularly teaching all levels of modern dance, dance partnering, contact improvisation, ballroom dance, kinesiology for dance, and dance on camera.

He earned a B.F.A. in Dance and Choreography from VCU, an M.F.A. in Dance, and an M.S. in Arts Administration from the U of O. He received the 2016 LVAIC Dance Consortium Distinguished Service Award in Dance, and the 2017 Distinguished Alumnus Award in Dance from the University of Oregon. He currently serves on the Board of Directors and as the Dance Advocacy Director for the Oregon Dance Education Organization