The Sarasota Ballet Names 2018 – 2019 Season Board of Directors
Sarasota, FL (May 18, 2018) – The 2018 - 2019 Officers for The Sarasota Ballet Board are: Richard Johnson, Chair; Patricia Golemme, Vice Chair; Pat Kenny, Treasurer; Jonathan Coleman, Secretary; Rich Segall, Governance Officer; Hillary Steele, Honorary Chair Emerita; Jean Weidner Goldstein, Founder & Chair Emeritus; and Sydney Goldstein, Chair Emerita. The Sarasota Ballet Board welcomes new Trustees, Isabel Anchin Becker, Micki Sellman and Michael Zuckerberg. Trustees also include Lynda Doery, Sean Keenan, Frank Martucci, Teresa Masterson, Peter Miller, Audrey Robbins, Maureen Steiner, Jean Weiller, Richard March (Chair of the Friends of The Sarasota Ballet), Mark Famiglio (Honorary) and Dr. Bart Price (Honorary).
Having served on the Board for over 15 years and as Board Chair for the past 8 Seasons, Hillary Steele has been a stalwart and beloved member of The Sarasota Ballet. “I am so honored to have been Board Chair of The Sarasota Ballet,” enthuses Steele. “I watched this beloved Company grow from season to season and it has been a privilege to champion The Sarasota Ballet in our community and provide guidance and leadership to our Board.” As she transitions from Board Chair to a member of the Trustees, her legacy of hard work, dedication and passion for The Sarasota Ballet will continue on. “Words cannot fully express the depth of gratitude and love I have for Hillary,” explains Iain Webb, Director of The Sarasota Ballet. “She has played such a vital role in our success and her leadership and commitment to The Sarasota Ballet has helped me continue forward with my vision for this Company.”
Following Steele as Board Chair is Richard Johnson, who joined the Board in April 2015 and has since held the role as Board Secretary and been a member of the Company’s Strategic Planning Committee, Finance Committee and Governance Committee. “I am truly humbled by the Board’s decision to elect me to succeed Hillary as Board Chair,” says Johnson. “Over the past several years, both as a Board member and later as Chair, Hillary ensured the Board’s support of Iain Webb’s efforts to take the Company to new, outstanding levels. I only hope I can continue to provide such leadership. I am so grateful that Hillary will continue to be a member of our Board of Trustees as I know that her guidance and wisdom will be greatly valued.”
Johnson’s background includes a distinguished 33-year career in Asia managing the Asian subsidiaries of U.S. multinational consumer products companies and consulting to companies interested in the Asian market. During that time Johnson also served as director of the American Chamber of Commerce of Japan and in various roles in the World Federation of Direct Selling Companies. Following his retirement, Johnson has served and continues to serve on numerous boards both in Sarasota and Pennsylvania, currently serving on the Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation and the Buck Hill Falls Foxhowe Association. He had previously served as the President of the Royal St. Andrew Condominium Association and as a member of the board of the Buck Hill Falls/Skytop Music Festival.
The Sarasota Ballet’s 2018 – 2019 Season carries on the Company’s dedication and commitment to the art of ballet, with this Season forming tributes to many of the great stars of the ballet world, including George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Sir Frederick Ashton and Dame Margot Fonteyn. “Personally, I am honored to be working with such a remarkable organization, from our committed Board Members to our extraordinary dancers.” says Joseph Volpe, Executive Director of The Sarasota Ballet. “This jewel of Sarasota continues to capture my imagination and we are all greatly excited for this upcoming Season.”
About The Sarasota Ballet
Since 1990, the mission of The Sarasota Ballet has been enriching lives, captivating emotions and strengthening the community through the art of dance. Under the leadership of Director Iain Webb, Executive Director Joseph Volpe and Assistant Director Margaret Barbieri, The Sarasota Ballet has received national and international recognition for its diverse repertoire of rarely performed ballets, as well as the integrity and artistry of its performances. The Company’s expanded repertoire includes works by world-renowned choreographers such as Sir Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, Sir Matthew Bourne, Dame Ninette de Valois, Michel Fokine, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Rudolf Nureyev, Jerome Robbins, Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, Antony Tudor and Christopher Wheeldon. During Webb’s tenure, The Sarasota Ballet has been invited to perform twice at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and twice at the Fall for Dance Festival at New York City Center, as well as week-long residencies at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and the Joyce Theater in New York. In May 2017 The Sarasota Ballet performed at the inaugural National Choreographic Festival in Salt Lake City and in August of 2018 will return to the Joyce Theater for another week-long residency.
