PBT - Key Persons
Adam W. McKinney has a diverse and accomplished background in arts leadership across the globe, having served as an arts organization director, tenured professor, choreographer, dancer, educator and activist. McKinney was most recently an Associate Professor of Dance in Ballet with tenure in the School for Classical & Contemporary Dance at Texas Christian University. There he taught courses in classical ballet, modern dance and choreography. He was the Co-Director/Co-Founder of DNAWORKS, an arts and service organization committed to healing through the arts and dialogue. Previously, he was the inaugural Dance Department Chair at New Mexico School for the Arts in Santa Fe.
He has danced with some of the world's preeminent dance companies, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Béjart Ballet Lausanne (Switzerland), Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet and Milwaukee Ballet Company.
McKinney has led dance work with diverse populations across the U.S. and North America, and in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. A leader who is committed to making ballet and dance accessible to all, he served as a U.S. Embassy Culture Connect Envoy to South Africa through the U.S. State Department. McKinney has created community social justice and awareness projects including the interactive Fort Worth Lynching Tour: Honoring the Memory of Mr. Fred Rouse and "The Borders Project" at the Mexico/U.S. and Palestine/Israel borders. He was also honored with the NYU President's Service Award for his dance work with populations who struggle with heroin addiction.
McKinney was named one of the most influential African Americans in Milwaukee by St. Vincent DePaul. He holds a BFA in Dance Performance with high honors with a focus on classical ballet from Butler University and an MA in Dance Studies with concentrations in Race and Trauma theories from the Gallatin School at New York University.
Job Titles:
- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
- School Operations Coordinator
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- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
- Production Stage Manager
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- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
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- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
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- Chairman of the Board
- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
- Vice Chair of the Board
- Trustee and Chair of School Committee
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- Associate Director of Development
- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
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- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
- Artistic Administrator
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- Music Director and Conductor
Christine Schwaner started her ballet studies in Brazil, with Maria Clara Salles, where she graduated with honors from the method of Royal Academy of Dance, London. She also received lessons and was coached by Professor Carlos Leite, Mercedes Beltran, Graca Sales and Gustavo Molajoli, among others. At age of 17, she was a finalist at the New York International Ballet Competition, where she also was invited to join former Cleveland Ballet. Ms. Schwaner joined Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre in 2006, where she became a principal dancer, and retired in 2014. She is married to Alexandre Silva, retired soloist of PBT. In 2015, Ms. Schwaner became certified in progressing Ballet Technique, an innovating method developed in Australia for the assistance and strengthening of the muscles used in classical ballet, also serving as injury prevention. For Ms. Schwaner, teaching is a validation that all her hard work as a ballet student, and her 20+ year career as a professional dancer, can be used to help and inspire new generations of ballet students.
Job Titles:
- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
Pittsburgh native David Hammond comes to Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre from Austin, Texas, where he has served that community as Director of Development at KMFA 89.5, Austin's classical radio station. Since 2013, David has led a team of volunteers and professionals in raising over $22 million to support KMFA's daily mission and a $10.5 million capital campaign to build its new home. David joined KMFA after a decade of fundraising experience with Conspirare, Austin Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, and the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. He is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and received his bachelor's degree in music business from PennWest Clarion.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
- Board Immediate past Chair
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- Treasurer
- Vice Chair of the Board
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- Chairman of the Equity Project Transformation Team Kathryn L. Gigler
Dr. Kathryn Gigler: Chair of the Equity Project Transformation Team Kathryn L. Gigler has over a decade of experience as an institutional advocate and educator and a career-long commitment to equity and inclusivity. Following completion of her undergraduate degree at Wake Forest University, she obtained her doctorate in psychology, focusing on cognitive neuroscience, from Northwestern University. Dr. Gigler served as executive director of the Women's Center at Elizabeth City State University and was integral in the formation of the first LGBTQ+ community organization in the region. She has worked with organizations in multiple states around violence prevention and response, including Pittsburgh Action Against Rape, Albemarle Hopeline in Elizabeth City, NC, and the YWCA of Greater Chicago. She has also dedicated her time to arts and cultural organizations throughout the Pittsburgh region, including Attack Theatre and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Prior to stepping into the role of acting executive director, Dr. Gigler served as PBT's Director of Education and Community Engagement. Key accomplishments at PBT include her leadership of the Equity Project Transformation Team, which engages with leaders and staff across the organization in developing comprehensive IDEA strategies. In addition, Kathryn Gigler has also played a central role in leading the engagement team's pivot to digital programming during the pandemic. Her projects include the highly successful "Dance the Story at Home!" program and creation of a suite of over 35 engagement opportunities around PBT's award-winning Fireside Nutcracker.
Job Titles:
- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
- Registrar and Enrollment Manager
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- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
- School Music Coordinator
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- Head of Curriculum and Student Division
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- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
- Associate Production and Rentals Manager
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- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
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- Chairman of the School Committee
Jamie Murphy: Chair of the School committee Jamie Erin Murphy is a Pittsburgh based choreographer, dancer and educator who is passionate about exploring the human body through movement. She graduated from Point Park University in 2007 with a BA in dance. Jamie's professional company work includes Shana Simmons Dance, Attack Theatre, Staycee Pearl Dance Project, Texture Contemporary Ballet, Xpressions Contemporary Dance Company, The Pillow Project, Knot Dance, Zany Umbrella Circus and she was co-director of Murphy/Smith Dance Collective. As a choreographer, she works with diverse groups of dancers and is interested in making dance that discusses the human experience. In 2014 she completed a choreographic mentorship with Doug Varone and Dancers (NYC) and presented work at the historical 92nd Street Y as part of the CHIN Project. Jamie has an extensive teaching career and has been with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School for nearly 15 years. She is currently a full-time faculty member of PBTS where she teaches modern, jazz, choreography, Community Division, Dance for Parkinson's, adaptive dance and creative movement through elementary school residencies. In recent years she has developed and mentors the Student Choreographic Workshop, and coordinates The Pittsburgh Connection Class Series that helps connect local and diverse dance artists and PBT students. Jamie is a certified Functional Awareness Movement Educator and is excited to share her passion of teaching anatomy through movement to her students. She has had the honor of being nominated three times for The Carol R. Brown Creative Achievement Award and was named one of Pittsburgh Magazines 40 Under 40 in 2018. Jamie is very proud to be helping to make PBT more inclusive through her work in the school and community. She loves being a part of the Pittsburgh dance community and will strive to continue her mission to make art and dance accessible for everyone.
Job Titles:
- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
- Head of Children 's Division
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- Director of Education
- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
- ABT Certified Instructor
- Assistant Director of Education and Community Engagement
- Director of Education and Community Engagement
Kerra Alexander-Sullivan has over a decade of experience inspiring and impassioning the community as a dance educator, adjunct professor, choreographer, and performing artist. She has made a career-long commitment to making dance accessible to Pittsburgh and its surrounding communities. Throughout her tenure at PBT and in various roles, she has established an unprecedented number of new programs and community partnerships and is responsible for the considerable and significant growth of community and accessibility programming over the past 15 years. She is a stakeholder of the Buzzword program, an early literacy collaborative that focuses on parent/child interaction and building vocabulary. She has been instrumental in expanding and facilitating the dance program at Hope Academy of the Arts where children can receive quality and accessible dance education. She originated the Dance the Story program and successfully transitioned it to virtual during the pandemic. She also authored the PBT Creative Movement Curriculum, presented at conferences, and has hosted professional development trainings.
Her extensive dance training began early at the age of 3 at the Anderson Young Ballet Theatre in Anderson, Indiana. Through her dedication and hard work, she was invited to join the pre-professional Young Ballet Company at age 13 where she trained with many renowned instructors and received scholarships through Regional Dance America.
Alexander-Sullivan attended Point Park University to continue her studies and holds a BA in Dance, ballet and modern concentrations. After graduation, she was a founding company member of Staycee Pearl Dance Project and performed commercial work with Diana Rua Media and MadHouse Productions. She later performed for Shana Simmons Dance and Jamie Erin Murphy.
Alexander-Sullivan is an ABT Certified instructor and has taught extensively in the Pittsburgh area for PBT, local dance studios, intensives, and master classes in ballet, contemporary, modern and jazz. She is currently an adjunct faculty member at Seton Hill University where she teaches courses in Dance History and World Dance.
Kristin McLain brings with her a lifetime of sewing experience, having learned from her mom starting in middle school. She began her time at PBT in 2016 with the building of PBT's brand new Giselle. Staying on as a part time stitcher, then full time First Hand, and currently Costume Director, she's work on many of PBT's costumes old and new. Other prior experience includes study in Costume Design and Construction at the University of Pittsburgh, and various freelance design and construction work for a number of companies throughout the city. Additionally, Kristin is a versatile, visual artist and craftsperson, focusing on fiber arts, sculpting and watercolor paintings.
Job Titles:
- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
- School Operations Manager
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- Director of Human Resources
- Chairman of the HR and Operations Committee
Lauren Carlini: Chair of the HR and Operations committee Lauren Carlini (she/her), a Pittsburgh native, is the director of human resources at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. She leads the subcommittee on recruitment, hiring and operations, which is charged with developing equitable and inclusive hiring and recruitment practices as well as internal policies. Lauren's vision for PBT is to create a welcoming space for all team members to thrive in. She believes that teams thrive when ideas are informed by diverse backgrounds and life experiences. Lauren hopes that the arts continue to become more accessible and is proud to work for an organization that has been a leader in this area.
Lauren Carlini (she/her) is a Pittsburgh native with a background in business operations and people management. Lauren is a Duquesne University graduate. Prior to joining the PBT team, Lauren worked for her family's business. She enjoys volunteering her time in her neighborhood, at her son's school and as a board member of the Valley Points YMCA. In addition to overseeing the human resources functions at PBT, Lauren leads the team engagement committee and the Equity Project Transformation Team Subcommittee on Recruitment and Hiring, and is a member of the safety committee. Her favorite thing about working at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre is working alongside the most talented people in Pittsburgh. She says, "Everyone- the admin team, the faculty, the dancers, of course- is so impressive. We have an excellent team and I am so grateful to be a part of it."
Job Titles:
- Public Relations and Media Manager
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- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
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- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
- Associate Director of Education and Accessibility
- Chairman of the Community Engagement Committee
- Manager of Accessibility and Program Development
Lindsey Kaine: Chair of the Community Engagement committee Originally from Maryland, Lindsey Kaine has lived in Pittsburgh for almost 10 years and fully considers it home now. Lindsey was a dancer through college and has worked with dance companies in education, production and artistic administration her whole career. She is constantly inspired by the creativity of the people and company of artists at PBT and hopes to bring that into her work with the Transformation Team. She is thrilled to be a part of this team that is helping to lead change at PBT as well as the dance and ballet field as a whole. It would be incredible for us to be known for our work as the Transformation Team as well as the incredible artistry and talent of our dancers.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Building Accessibility and Inclusivity Committee
Lisa Auel: Chair of the Building Accessibility and Inclusivity committee Lisa Auel has been with PBT's Education Department for 14 years after spending part of her career in public history. She believes that ballet has the power to enrich lives and inspire audiences, and that it also is a living art form capable of embracing diverse ideas, communities and cultures. She is excited to be part of a team working to expand thinking around the art form, from how we understand its history to envisioning a more inclusive future.
Lou Castelli comes to Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre with extensive experience in performing arts administration in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. He spent ten years in various roles on the marketing team of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, where he managed the campaign launching Marvin Hamlisch as the orchestra's Principal Pops Conductor. He then became Marketing Director at Pittsburgh Public Theater, where he oversaw the company's move to the O'Reilly Theater. He spent more than 20 years at The Public, and most recently served as the theater's Managing Director from 2018 through 2022. Lou was born and raised in Pittsburgh and has a large extended family. He graduated from Central Catholic High School in Oakland and Allegheny College in Meadville, with a degree in Communication Arts.
Job Titles:
- Digital Marketing Manager
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- Chairman of the Board
- Director
- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
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- Community Member
- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
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- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
- Assistant to the Artistic Director
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- Individual Giving Manager
Nicholas Dragga Is the Executive Director of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. He is a Certified Fund Raising Executive and previously served as the Executive Director of Ballet Lubbock where he focused on program design, development and the branding of the organization. During his tenure Ballet Lubbock's budget has more than quintupled, net assets have grown from $700,000 to over $12 million and the organization moved into its new $10 million facility as part of the $154 million Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences.
Nicholas is energized by collaborations and the creative process and highlights the Ballet Lubbock Company's music and choreographic commissions. Ballet Lubbock has enjoyed transformative financial successes, but Nicholas is most proud of Ballet Lubbock's community and program growth which includes a 400-student academy, community engagement programming that reaches over 600 students each week, and adaptive dance and arts in medicine initiatives that reach all ages and abilities. Nicholas strongly believes there is no excellence without community. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Performance and Composition from Texas Tech University and a Master of Science Degree in Arts Administration from Drexel University.
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- Data Management Specialist
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- Dean
- Dean of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School
- Head of Pre - Professional Division and Summer Programs
Raymond Rodriguez is the Dean of the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School. He began his dance journey at the age of six, attended the High School of Performing Arts in Manhattan and trained in classical ballet at the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) School on a full scholarship. Rodriguez later joined ABT as an apprentice before joining the Cleveland Ballet (Ballet San Jose), where he became a principal dancer and later took on the roles of rehearsal assistant, répétiteur, regisseur, principal ballet master, associate artistic director and managing director.
In 2016, Rodriguez relocated to Chicago to join the Joffrey Ballet as Head of the Studio Company and Ballet Trainee Program. In 2019 he was promoted to Academy Director. Under his leadership, the Joffrey Academy of Dance enjoyed many accomplishments, including the expansion of new studio space and presence in the South Loop neighborhood, a newly created Contemporary Ballet Trainee Program, the launch of Rita Finds Home -a new family-friendly ballet and the creation of the BIPOC Academy Committee (BAC) to help parents and school leaders better support students of color. His tenure saw many Academy students promoted into the Joffrey Ballet Company and others who accepted contracts with ballet companies worldwide.
Throughout his career as a principal dancer, he performed many diverse and challenging roles and successfully staged numerous ballet productions worldwide. He has appeared in various films and television shows and he is a current judge and Master Teacher for the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP). Rodriguez also serves on the advisory board of the national dance publication Pointe Magazine and served as co-chair of Dance/USA's school director's affinity group.
Rodriguez is an ABT-certified teacher and an international guest instructor. In 2018, Rodriguez earned an MFA in Dance from Hollins University. He is the founding co-artistic director of Pointe of Departure, Cleveland's classical ballet company. Some of the awards he has won include an Isadora Duncan Award (Izzie), Crain's Chicago Business Notable LGBTQ Executive and the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture's Outstanding Achievement in the Arts award.
Job Titles:
- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
- Secretary
- Treasurer of the Board
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- Community Member
- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
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- Artistic Director
- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
- American Ballet Theatre Principal
- Premieres Artistic Director
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- Senior Manager, Ticketing & Patron Experience
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- Member of the PBT Transformation Team
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- Company Pianist and Music Administrator