Securing its leadership team for a run deep into this decade, Atlanta Ballet has extended the contract of executive director Arturo Jacobus for five years, promoting him to president and CEO.
In his fifth season with the company, which operates with a $9.9 million annual budget, Jacobus has presided over a period of economic stabilization that has spurred artistic growth.
Under his watch, Atlanta Ballet completed a $20.7 million “Choreographing Our Future” capital campaign, the largest fundraising effort in its 85-year history, and moved into West Midtown’s Michael C. Carlos Dance Centre, a renovated 55,000-square-foot former factory.
He also led the ballet to establish an artistic innovation fund that has helped attract top choreographers including Twyla Tharp, Ohad Naharin and Alexei Ratmansky. Additionally, the company brought back the Atlanta Ballet Orchestra, appointed choreographer in residence Helen Pickett and launched the current season at a Beijing dance festival.
Jacobus' extension and promotion further lock in Atlanta Ballet's leadership team, with artistic director John McFall and Centre for Dance Education dean Sharon Story having recently re-signed for three years each.
The administrative leader came to Atlanta from Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle, where he was CEO and executive director. He also served as executive director of San Francisco Ballet and president of Pacific Northwest Ballet.
