Peter Boal
Artistic Director & Director of PNB School
Peter Boal was raised in Bedford, New York. At the age of nine, he began studying ballet at the School of American Ballet. Peter became a member of New York City Ballet’s corps de ballet in 1983 and a principal dancer in 1989. In 2005, he retired from New York City Ballet to become Artistic Director of PNB. In addition to overseeing all artistic operations, he has staged works of George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and Ulysses Dove for PNB and other companies.
Ellen Walker
Executive Director
Ellen Walker is in her nineteenth season with Pacific Northwest Ballet, and has served as Executive Director for eight years. Ms. Walker oversaw significant audience development initiatives during her tenure as Director of Marketing & Communications for PNB, with an emphasis since 2009 on the cultivation of new audiences. She was named PNB’s Executive Director in July 2014, and now oversees an operating budget of $28 million and a staff of more than 400 full and part-time staff members. Ms. Walker was responsible for managing the relocation of and campaign to fund PNB School’s Eastside location, The Francia Russell Center, which opened in 2017.
Prior to joining PNB, Ms. Walker was a marketing and sponsorship consultant to arts and civic organizations in Seattle, and managed numerous projects for Seattle Center and Seattle Center Foundation. From 1988 to 2000 she was Director of Marketing for Seattle Children’s Theatre, where she managed successful efforts to triple the size of the audience for this renowned regional theatre serving young people and families. Before stepping into her latest role, Ms. Walker also served on the faculty of Seattle University’s MFA Arts Leadership program, teaching arts marketing to a new generation of nonprofit arts leaders.
Ms. Walker serves as Vice President of the Inspire Washington board and is also Secretary and council chair for Dance/USA, the national field service organization. In 2021 she was selected as one of Puget Sound Business Journal’s Women of Influence. Ms. Walker is from Seattle, Washington and attended the University of Washington and Trinity College, Dublin.
Kiyon Ross
Associate Artistic Director
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Kiyon Ross trained at the Baltimore School for the Arts, Pittsburg Ballet Theatre, School of American Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. He joined PNB as a new dancer in 2001. His favorite roles included Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Symphony in Three Movements by George Balanchine; Waiting at the Station, In the Upper Room, and Opus 111 by Twyla Tharp; and Emergence by Crystal Pite. While dancing, he earned his BA in Non-Profit Leadership from Seattle University through the Second Stage program. Kiyon retired as a Soloist in 2015. After retirement, he served on the PNB School faculty, where he taught in the DanceChance program and coordinated the Next Step program. In 2019, he became Director of Company Operations, and in 2022, he was appointed Associate Artistic Director. He has choreographed works for PNB, PNB School, Ballet Arkansas, and Atlanta Ballet and staged works by Twyla Tharp.
Artistic Staff
Emil de Cou, Music Director & Principal Conductor
Anne Dabrowski, Rehearsal Director
Ezra Thomson, Rehearsal Director
Jonathan Porretta, Rehearsal Director
Christina Siemens, Principal Company Pianist
Josh Archibald-Seiffer, Conductor/Company Pianist
Laure Struber, Company Pianist
Rodger Burnett*, Orchestra Personnel Manager
Stephen Barnes*, Jeff Junkinsmith, Emi Oguri, Megan Phillips, Katja Rubin, Shelley Sutton-Bolton, Don Vollema, Annastasia Workman, Company Class Pianists
Mona Butler*, Orchestra Librarian
Sheila Dietrich*, Archivist
Kent Stowell, Founding Artistic Director
Francia Russell, Founding Artistic Director
Production
Reed Nakayama, Resident Lighting Design Coordinator
Sandra Barrack, Production Stage Manager
Jacob Wexler, Stage Manager
Jeffrey Stebbins*, Head Carpenter
Owen Sharp, Assistant Carpenter
Scott Mosco, Head Fly Operator
Kayla Peterson, Assistant Fly Operator
Michael Grogan, Head Electrician
Susan St. John, Production Electrician
Christine Brauch, Assistant Electrician
Leah Harris, Head of Properties
Kevin Krist*, Danielle Mitchell, Properties Assistants
Dominic Iacono, Lighting Technician
Toby Basiliko, Sound
Jordan Whiteley, Projectionist
Jim Austin*, Tammy Martin, Followspot Operators
Brian Foley, Videographer
Costume Shop
Meleta Buckstaff, Costume Shop Manager
Mary C. Woll, Wardrobe Manager
Jennifer Oaster, Wardrobe Assistant
Patrick Stovall*, Wardrobe Assistant and Men’s Cutter
Sarah Nietfeld, Costume Shop Assistant
Olivia Mason, Mark Zappone*, Drapers
Rob Newton, Pauline Smith*, First Hands
Wyly Astley, Dyer/Craftsperson
Shelby Rogers, Head of Specialty Makeup and Wigs
Executive Office
Terrie Flaming, Director of Human Resources
Jason Darland, IT Manager
Kristen Ramer Liang, Executive Assistant to Ellen Walker & Board Liaison
Sarah Lakey, Company Manager
Finance
David Thorpe, Chief Financial Officer
Kaleriya Maslyak, Accounting/Payroll Associate
Operations
Brian Zenk, Maintenance Supervisor
Lauren Kirchner, Office Manager & Covid Supervisor
Marketing & Advancement
Lia Chiarelli, Chief Marketing & Advancement Officer
Liza Madison, Director of Development/Donor Engagement
Carrie Mood Okada, Director of Development/Individual & Planned Giving
Gary Tucker, Director of Communications
Jen Shealy*, Tessitura Database Manager
Development
Sarah Kolat, Institutional Giving Manager and I.D.E.A Co-Lead
Christine Mamer, Special Events Manager
Nickolas Clark, Donor Data Coordinator
Adam Tuero, Senior Major Gifts Officer
Elizabeth Henderson, Major Gifts Officer
Eloise Wukmir, Gift Officer
Marketing & Communications
Lindsay Thomas, Videographer
Noel Pederson, Director of Marketing
Cassandra Lea, Senior Manager of Digital Experience
Maris Antolin, Marketing Manager
Zoe Meadows-Sahr, Marketing Assistant
Kate Farwell, Manager of Amusements
Patron Services
Max Frauel, Audience Experience Manager
Amanda Mulvihill, Audiences Services, Engagement and Group Sales Manager
Emma Paulini, Audience Services Lead
Gustavo Amaya, Sienna Axe, Tekhia Jones, Maddie Miller, Audience Services Representatives
Pacific Northwest Ballet School
Peter Boal, Director
Lauri-Michelle Houk, Managing Director
Marisa Albee*, School Principal
Deborah Kenner, Assistant Principal
Wendy Casper*, Assistant to the Managing Director
Mandy Dray, School Supervisor
Naomi Glass, Director of Access Programs
Kurt Froman, PNB School Men’s Division Coordinator
Eva Stone, NEXT STEP Program Coordinator
David Jensen*, Summer Residence Director
Kristen Carder, Registrar
Rachel Henderson, Administrative Assistant/Front Desk Coordinator
Lindsay Merz, FRC Coordinator
Allison Larson, Open Program & Conditioning Coordinator
Katherine Straight, Assistant Registrar
Florence Boots, Elsa Goodmon, Sam Maifeld, Erin Rolseth, Administrative Assistants
School Faculty
Marisa Albee*, Peter Boal, Nancy Crowley, Rachel Foster, Kurt Froman, Ikolo Griffin, Dana Hanson, Lauri-Michelle Houk, Carrie Imler, James Yoichi Moore, Eva Stone, Jennifer Turner, Le Yin
Claudia Araston, Margarita Armas, Emily Berry, Emily Branch, DaeZhane Day, Olivia Evans, Naomi Glass, Bethany Goodwin, Susan Gorter, Mark Haim, Akoiya Harris, Kimberly Holloway, Yuka Iino, Deborah Kenner, Isadora Kolmorgan, Miriam Landis, Ayumi Matsuda, Dina McDermott, Elise Meiners, Kaori Nakamura, Laurie McKarns Perrault, Kiyon Ross, Alexandra Roumanis, Abbie Siegel*, Suzanne Singla, Melanie Skinner, Price Suddarth, Marjorie Thompson, Heather Toda, Malia Vassar
PNB Company dancers, Guest Faculty
School Accompanists
Don Vollema, Music Staff Coordinator
Jessica Andrews, Daniel Arthur, David Barela, Stephen Barnes, Grace Brylinski, Evan Captain, Rey Chen, David Close, Tatyana Dadayeva, Eva Huentelman, Youngjin Joo, Jeff Junkinsmith, Luda Lee, Vincent Newton, Emi Oguri, Michael Owcharuk, Gary Palmer, Angela Rinaldi-Gribas, Paul Stovall, Annastasia Workman, Marina Yeremeyeva, Josh Zimmerman
PNBConditioning Staff
Allison Larson, Open and Conditioning Coordinator
Melissa Brown, Carol Elsner, Teresa Hanawalt, Deborah Kenner, Dina McDermott, Kayoko Price, Suzanne Singla, Tara F. Stepenberg, Marjorie Thompson, Jennifer Turner
Community Education
Shannon Barnes, Director & Teaching Artist
Ann Marie Caldwell, Programs Manager & Teaching Artist
Olivia Evans, Programs Coordinator & Teaching Artist
Isadora Kolmorgan, Engagement Coordinator & Teaching Artist
Miranda Chantelois, Ciara McCormack Greenwalt, Ikolo Griffin, Marika Lang, Elsa Ayumi Matsuda, Robbi A. Moore, Sabian Pleasant, Suzanne Singla, Adriana Wright, Teaching Artists
Devin Bews, Evan Captain, Joe Eck, Nick Helgeson, Max Holmberg, Josh Zimmerman, Accompanists
Therapy
Steven Anderson, MD, Consulting Physician
Betsy Rigsbee, PT, DPT, COMT, Lead Physical Therapist
Boyd Bender, Consulting Physical Therapist
Amanda Rixey, PT, DPT, Physical Therapist
Era Terry, PT, DPT, Physical Therapist
Stephen Panteleakos, MS, LAT, ATC, CES, Athletic Trainer
Theresa Benkman, Massage Therapist
Christopher Kagen, Massage Therapist
Josh Spell, MSW, LICSW, Mental Health Therapist
Consultants
Henry Lu, P.T., A.T.C., Physical Therapist
Josh Spell, M.S.W., LSWAIC, Therapist
Monica Van Winkle, MS, RD, Preferred Provider, Nutrition
Special Counsel
Perkins Coie, Employment Law
MacDonald Hoague & Bayless, Immigration Law
Moss Adams LLP, Auditors