LEADERSHIP
Lauren Hernandez
chief executive officer
Lauren Hernandez recently returned to The Tallahassee Ballet (TTB) in 2022 and quickly rose to the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). This reflects Hernandez's outstanding contributions and dedication to The Tallahassee Ballet and her unwavering commitment to the arts. As CEO, Hernandez works closely with the Board of Directors, artistic faculty, and staff. She actively works to strengthen the presence of the Company in the Tallahassee community and has nurtured the support of TTB’s many supporters and sponsors.​
She began her initial dance training at the age of four, and after completing high school at Virginia School of the Arts, a pre-professional high school for dance, she pursued her professional ballet career and became a trainee with the Richmond Ballet.
Hernandez received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance from Florida State University in 2011 and was a soloist with TTB company for 8+ years. Throughout her 15 years of performing, she has had numerous lead roles in mainstage productions, performed as a Corps de Ballet member for a world-renowned ballet company, and danced in several pieces choreographed by successful professors and instructors.
Over the years, Hernandez's versatility and dedication have led her to take on various pivotal roles within TTB. Hernandez has held positions of faculty member, school director, ballet mistress, and artistic associate for the organization. Hernandez’s choreographic achievements include Spanish, Arabian, and the Battle Scene from TTB’s The Nutcracker and pieces from 2014-2016 performances of An Evening of Music and Dance. Hernandez was the Director of Ballet at North Georgia Dance Arts (NGDA) and Director/Choreographer for the 2017-2019 productions of NGDA’s The Nutcracker. In 2019 Hernandez became an adjunct faculty member at Young Harris College (YHC); for three years, she taught a variety of dance styles for their Musical Theater department. Hernandez is also an ABT® Certified Teacher who successfully completed the entire ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 7 and Partnering of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.
Hernandez began her career in Higher-Ed Development in the fall of 2019 after becoming Advancement Coordinator for the Office of Advancement at Young Harris College. In 2021 Hernandez was promoted to Director of Development and Leadership Giving at YHC, where she raised more than $200,000 in unrestricted giving and exceeded expectations in her donor relations and management role. Returning to Tallahassee in 2022, she served as Development Director for TTB where she has expanded fundraising efforts for the ballet, including TTB’s first-ever Giving Day, which raised over $13,000 in 24 hours. With her outstanding leadership skills, strategic vision, and an innate understanding of the ballet's mission and values. Hernandez is excited to assume broader responsibilities and drive TTB forward on its artistic journey.
Meagan Helman
artistic director
Meagan Helman has been with The Tallahassee Ballet (TTB) since 2015, first serving as a faculty member and later as School Director, Company Teacher, Ballet Mistress, and now as Artistic Director. She has a diverse array of professional experiences as a dancer and educator. Helman is an adjunct faculty member at Florida State University’s (FSU) School of Dance, where she has taught all levels of Ballet and Dance Technology courses, choreographed, and served as a rehearsal director. She performed professionally for over ten years as a principal dancer with Ballet Theatre of Maryland (BTM), where her repertoire included Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Coppélia, Cinderella, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Firebird, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Nutcracker, Carmen, and The Scarlet Letter, among other classical and contemporary works.
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Helman served as the Ballet Mistress for BTM from 2009-2014, where she also choreographed and taught for the company and school. Her choreography has been performed by BTM, TTB, FSU, Delaware Dance Company, Goucher College, and the American College Dance Association. Helman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in dance from Goucher College and a Master of Arts degree in Dance from FSU. She also serves as the photographer for FSU’s School of Dance and the performance photographer for TTB. Her photographs have been published in Dance Magazine, Dance Studio Life, and Dance Teacher Magazine. She has served on the FSU Friends of Dance Leadership Council since 2017.
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Helman is an American Ballet Theatre® Certified Teacher who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.
advisor
Janet Pichard
business manager
Janet Pichard was the Chief Executive Officer of The Tallahassee Ballet from January 2007 until July 2024. She continues to support TTB as an advisor to the team. Combining a lifelong passion for dance with professional experience in ballet instruction and administration, business marketing, and advertising, she is uniquely qualified to balance the many opportunities of a growing semi-professional ballet company and school with the fine art of dance.
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Janet has held multiple professional positions in business marketing and advertising, including co-owner of P&G Marketing Group, advertising manager of The Tallahassee Ballet, and advertising representative for Rowland Publishing. She was also a member of the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce Leadership Tallahassee Class 26, which worked to raise support for Tallahassee’s Cascades Park.
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With more than three decades of experience in teaching ballet and managing studios, Janet is the former owner of the Dancer’s Image Studio, previously worked with the Sharon Davis School of Dance, and also served as a member of The Tallahassee Ballet Board of Directors.​ Janet holds a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree from the College of Education at Florida State University.
administrative & creative team
Kara Griffin
education director
Kara Griffin was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. From the age of four, she trained at a number of studios and in many styles, including ballet, contemporary/lyrical, jazz, tap, and Martha Graham technique modern. In 2016, she began training under Drey Herron and Adina Tarca in the RAD and Vaganova methods of ballet that shaped her into the dancer and instructor she is today. Master Class and Summer Intensive experiences allowed her the opportunity to train under current and former directors, instructors, and company members of Ballet Magnificat!, The Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory, Opera House, Bucharest, Theatre of Ballet Classic & Contemporary, Constanta, Romania, Les Ballets Trockadero De Monte Carlo, The Radio City Rockettes, and Martha Graham Dance Company.
Griffin has been instructing younger dancers since the fall of 2016 and loves the reward of seeing her students grow!
Sam Sole
youth company co-director, ballet mistress, and TTB social media manager
Sam Sole grew up in Tallahassee Florida and began her professional career with The Tallahassee Ballet while receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art and Art History from Florida State University. As a soloist with The Tallahassee Ballet, Sole performed roles such as Paquita, Silver Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, Snow Queen and Lead Coffee in The Nutcracker under the direction of Tyrone Brooks, and was fortunate to perform iconic pieces such as KK’s Bolero, and Christopher Huggins’ Chaos. Post-graduation Sole joined Chattanooga Ballet as a company dancer, instructor, and graphic designer. During her many seasons as a company dancer she performed in principal roles such as Giselle, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, and Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. She premiered in contemporary works like Andrew Parker’s Carmina Burana and Soldiers Tale, Alia Kache’s Click Bate, Joellen Wojtowicz’s A Mid-Summer Nights Dream, Christopher Stuart’s For Then and Brian McSween’s Three Muses for Apollo. Special moments in her career include dancing background for Weird Al Yankovich, and joining UTC's Theater Company in CATS. During the pandemic Sam moved to Asheville, North Carolina, where she choreographed, instructed, and danced with The Asheville Ballet for three seasons, later returning to Chattanooga Ballet as their Education Program Manager. In this role she furthered her experience as a lead instructor, teaching multiple levels within the school, fitting pointe shoes, rehearsing student roles, and organizing curriculum and student placement. Her husband’s job led her back to Tallahassee and she is excited to begin her second year at The Tallahassee Ballet. Sole is also a freelance graphic designer and painter and has paintings in galleries across Tennessee, North Carolina, and Florida.
Jenny Leavitt
ticketing manager
Jenny was born and raised in San Diego and grew up swimming and snorkeling in the Pacific Ocean and camping throughout the Western United States. Shortly after moving to Tallahassee in May 2015, she took on the role of administrative assistant at The Tallahassee Ballet (TTB). She has multi-tasked her way through her tenure at TTB. Back from a brief hiatus, Jenny returns to the role of Ticketing Manager for the 2024-25 season. She has a passion for the arts and non-profits, enjoys connecting with patrons, and is focused on finding solutions. Leavitt holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Humboldt State University. Jenny loves to spend time outdoors gardening to attract the birds and bees, hiking and camping, and enjoys swimming, knitting, quilting, dabbling in watercolor, and reading psychological thrillers and historical fiction.
Reach out to Jenny for tickets to TTB’s 2024-25 performances.
Lori Danello Roberts
marketing & design specialist
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Lori Danello Roberts grew up in Tallahassee, where she and her husband, David, raised three daughters. She is a local graphic designer who published Family Forum magazine for 15 years during which time she was selected as one of the Tallahassee Democrat’s “25 Women You Need to Know” in 2008. She has been designing logos, brochures, magazines, websites, convention materials, and so much more for a number of clients since 1990, including Florida Music Educators, the Center for Fine Arts Education, Florida Association of Mortgage Professionals, Campfire Baseball, Roz Strategies, The Tallahassee Ballet, and Young Actors Theatre
Lori is an avid supporter of the arts. She specifically supports The Tallahassee Ballet and Young Actors Theatre. As a former performer, Lori fully believes in the power of arts education and does her best to support many arts organizations throughout the community.
Lori is also a yoga fitness instructor; certifications include the Nia Technique (yoga fusion), 8-form Tai Chi, TRX, IndoRow, and 200RYT certification with Radiant Transitions. Lori specializes in fitness and yoga suited to senior citizens. She enjoys her partnership with the Tallahassee Senior Center. Lori loves embracing the joy of movement and music and sharing “creative fitness to energize the soul.”
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Contact Lori Danello Roberts with questions or concerns about the website, for high-resolution images, or other media and marketing requests.
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Photo by: Kira Derryberry Photography