Support from a stellar staff and dedicated, community-focused board ensures that all our programs continue with unwavering high standards.

Gretchen Wollert McLennon

President & CEO

Gretchen Wollert McLennon

Steven McMahon

Artistic Director

Steven McMahon
Gretchen Wollert McLennon

President & CEO

Gretchen Wollert McLennon

Steven McMahon

Artistic Director

Steven McMahon

Steven McMahon was born in Glasgow, Scotland, where he began his dance training at The Dance School of Scotland. In 2001, Steven moved to the United States to continue his studies at the Ailey School in New York City, where he graduated with honors. In 2004, Steven joined Ballet Memphis as a company dancer and, for the next 13 seasons, danced in much of the company's original repertoire by noted choreographers such as Julia Adam, Trey McIntyre, Mark Godden, Matthew Neenan, and Gabrielle Lamb.


In 2005, Steven created his first work, "What Your Soul Sings," for the dancer-produced program Interiorworks. Soon after, Ballet Memphis's Founding Artistic Director, Dorothy Gunther Pugh, named him Choreographic Associate. Since then, Steven has created over 40 original works that show a great range in scale and style. Major full-length productions for Ballet Memphis include Dracula, Peter Pan, Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet, and the Wizard of Oz. Steven continues to expand his repertoire with works such as A Rare and Gentle Thing, which is danced to the music of icon Dolly Parton, and This Form Shall Rest by bluegrass/folk musician Rhiannon Giddens. Steven has collaborated with several Memphis-based artists and musicians, including visual artist Erin Harmon (Flyway), Memphis record Label Unapologetic and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra for his dance film Out of the Blue; his work Confluence was performed at the Joyce Theater in NYC; his works I AM and Being Here with Other People have been seen at the Spring to Dance Festival in St. Louis.


Steven received the Young Scots Achiever Award in 2001. He graduated from the New Memphis Leadership and Development Institute and is a fellow of National Arts Strategies Senior Leadership and the Salzburg Global Seminars Young Cultural Innovators program. Steven is a member of Dance Memphis, which promotes dance in his adopted city. In 2018, he was named Artistic Director of Ballet Memphis, a position he still holds today.

Marie Bonds

Costume Manager, mbonds@balletmemphis.org

Ben Delony

Rehearsal Director, bdelony@balletmemphis.org

Kristen Fisher

Director of Production, kfisher@balletmemphis.org

Eileen Frazer

Community Programs Manager and Teaching Artist, efrazer@balletmemphis.org

Sheric Hull

Facilities Manager and Lighting Designer, shull@balletmemphis.org

Megan McCusker

School Instructor and Rehearsal Assistant, mmccusker@balletmemphis.org

Carol Miraglia

Chief Administrative Officer, cmiraglia@balletmemphis.org

Gabriela Moros Diaz

Costume Director and Resident Designer, gmoros@balletmemphis.org

Julie Marie Niekrasz

Rehearsal Director, jniekrasz@balletmemphis.org

Brandon Ramey

Co-Director of School and Youth Ballet Memphis, bramey@balletmemphis.org

Virginia Pilgrim Ramey

Co-Director of School and Youth Ballet Memphis, vramey@balletmemphis.org

Courtney Sage

School and Company Manager, csage@balletmemphis.org

Rebecca Thomason

Director of Communications, rthomason@balletmemphis.org

Jessie Tretter

Pilates + Wellness Manager, jtretter@balletmemphis.org

Pam VanGilder

Director of Pilates + Wellness, pvangilder@balletmemphis.org

Beckah Waugh

Advancement Associate, bwaugh@balletmemphis.org

Madison Webb

Development Officer, mwebb@balletmemphis.org

Board of Directors

Shelley Shanaman

Chair, Community Volunteer

Nehali Patel

Secretary, Physician, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Maggie Lovell

Treasurer, Community Volunteer

Andrea Bienstock

Immediate Past Chair, General Counsel, Belz Enterprises

Joan Schadt Biddle

Medical Content Writer, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

LeeAnne Cox

Attorney, Burch Porter Johnson

Neil Gibson

Sr. Vice President Customer Experience, FedEx

Judge Ruthie Hagan

U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Tennessee

Monica C. Jones

Sr. Vice President, Credit Risk Director, First Horizon National Corp.

Sue Layman Lightman

Owner & Artist, Sue Layman Designs

Ron Lazarov

President, Kelman-Lazarov Inc.

Eric Mathews

CEO & Founder, Start Co.

Gretchen Wollert McLennon

President & CEO, Ballet Memphis

​Jessica Webb

Writer