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 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 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.
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 Ballet Theatre of Maryland, The Tallahassee Ballet, Florida State University, 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 Florida State University. She also serves as the photographer for FSU’s School of Dance and the performance photographer for The Tallahassee Ballet. 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.
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.
Advisors
Janet Pichard
chief executive officer emeritus
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.
Tyrone Brooks
artistic advisor
Tyrone Brooks served The Tallahassee Ballet (TTB) as the Artistic Director from 2014-2024. During his tenure, he brought the visibility of the company to a higher level, welcoming national treasures to TTB as guest artists, such as Lauren Anderson, Lorraine Graves, Christopher Huggins, and Mel Tomlinson. Students gained extraordinary perspective of the world of dance through his eyes.
Brooks has a wide range of professional experience including 18 years as a Principal Dancer with the Dance Theatre of Harlem, New York City (DTH). In 1984, Brooks was nominated for the Dancers Choice Award in London for his performance as Alan Strange in Equus. His work has also been in a number of television specials including the NBC presentation of Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Creole Giselle, the closing ceremonies of the 1984 Olympics, the PBS series Dance in America, CBS 60 Minutes with Ed Bradley featuring DTH, the PBS presentation of Live at the Kennedy Center The Making of Firebird, and the 1993 Kennedy Center Honors.
For over 25 years, Brooks served as full-time Ballet Faculty at DTH and as the Associate Director of the DTH community outreach program Dancing Through Barriers Ensemble. He also conducted master classes and outreach programs in South Florida for the Dance Theatre of Harlem-Kennedy Center Residency in Washington, D.C., and the Northern Virginia region. Brooks taught at various institutions, including Hofstra University, Mary Mount Manhattan College, Florida State University School of Dance, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New World School of the Arts, Thomas Armour Youth Ballet, Flint Institute of Music- Flint Youth Ballet, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Ballet Hispanico, and Hampton University. Brooks was the Executive Director of the Virginia School of the Arts.
Brooks is featured in the Smithsonian Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington, D.C., with the Dance Theatre of Harlem and was inducted into (MOBB) Museum of Blacks in Ballet.
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! This will be her second season as both a dancer and instructor with The Tallahassee Ballet.
Sarah Krazit
ballet mistress
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Sarah Krazit recently moved to Tallahassee from Sarasota, Florida where she held the role as the Principal of The Sarasota Ballet’s School. During her time with The Sarasota Ballet she had the opportunity to teach all ages and abilities within the ballet’s education department ranging from introductory ballet to pre-professional trainees. In addition to organizing and leading school performances and directing a team of teachers in the ballet school Krazit also helped spearhead a new outreach program using ballet within the Parkinson’s community. Krazit was featured in a WEDU PBS episode, “The Joy of Movement” which highlighted The Sarasota Ballet and NeuroChallenge’s partnership in offering dance as a form of therapy to those living with Parkinson’s.
During her time with Sarasota Ballet, special roles included dancing professionally in John Ringling’s Circus Nutcracker as well as teaching and directing the choreography to students, and playing the role of "the mother" under the direction of Sir Peter Wright in his adaptation of Giselle.
Prior to Krazit’s time in Sarasota, she danced professionally and toured with Ballet Magnificat based in Jackson, Mississippi. Krazit toured as a dancer and teacher both nationally and internationally as well as taught for Ballet Magnificat’s annual Summer Intensive. In addition to the artistic roles that Krazit played, she assisted with performance bookings and wrote narrations as well as other avenues of communication for the professional company.
Krazit’s teaching certifications include Pre-Primary through Level 3 in the ABT National Training Curriculum, RAD’s Silver Swans, and Dance for Parkinson’s. Krazit recently moved to the area with her husband and young daughter and is very excited to fill the role as Artistic Manager.
Sam Sole
administrative assistant & social media manager
Samantha Sole grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, and began her professional career with The Tallahassee Ballet (TTB) while receiving a B.A. in Studio Art and Art History from Florida State University. As a soloist with The Tallahassee Ballet, Sam performed roles such as Paquita, Silver Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, Snow Queen, and Lead Coffee under the direction of Tyrone Brooks. Post-graduation, Sam joined Chattanooga Ballet as a company dancer and instructor. For five seasons, she danced in principal roles such as Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, and Sugar Plum.
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She premiered in contemporary works like Andrew Parker’s ‘Carmina Burana’ & ‘Soldiers Tale,’ Alia Kache’s ‘Click Bate,’ and Brian McSween’s ‘Three Muses for Apollo.’ Special moments in her career include a dancing background for Weird Al Yankovich, joining UTC's Theater Company in 'CATS,' and appearing in music videos for artists such as George Clinton. During the pandemic, Sam moved to Asheville, NC, where she choreographed, instructed, and danced with The Asheville Ballet. Sam then returned to Chattanooga Ballet as their Education Program Manager, instructing multiple levels within the school. Family brings her back to Tallahassee, and she is excited to begin working with The Tallahassee Ballet and continue her love for dance, education, and artistry. Sam is also a freelance graphic designer and painter and has worked in galleries across TN, NC, and FL.
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
media and marketing specialist
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.”
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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