Staff & Board
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
Steven McMahon
Artistic Director
President & CEO
Gretchen Wollert McLennon
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 |