Miami City Ballet Appoints Four New Board Members

Entering its 37th season of dance this October, Miami City Ballet (MCB) will welcome four new members of its board. Mamie Joeveer (who previously served on MCB's board from 2016-2020) and Eleanor Pao have joined the Board of Directors. Pearl Johnson and Dr. Elissa Kramer have joined the Board of Trustees. Chair Jeff Davis currently leads MCB's board.

"I am thrilled to have these dynamic women join our board," states Mr. Davis. "Their passion for this organization is abundant, and each brings unique talents that have and will continue to strengthen Miami City Ballet. Today, Miami City Ballet is one of the most renowned and recognized dance companies in the U.S., our board is stronger than ever, and we are working closely with the leadership team to further the strategic vision for the company. Our new board members will add great value to that work."

Mamie Joeveer is committed to ensuring that cultural arts organizations reflect the local community in terms of equitable, inclusive, and diverse participation. She served as a member of the Board of Trustees and Board of Directors for Miami City Ballet from 2016 to 2020. After completing her term, she continued to engage with Miami City Ballet as a supporter by remaining as a host committee member for the Miami City Gala in 2020 and 2021 during the pandemic. She also served diligently as an advisor and member of Miami City Ballet's Diversity Steering Committee.

Professionally, Mami has been a commercial litigator for more than ten years. However, she recently pivoted to represent real-estate developers as Counsel in Blizin Sumberg's Real Estate Group.

Eleanor Pao and her husband Frank firmly believe in the transformative power of education and performing arts. Together, they have a long history of supporting arts organizations across Boston. Eleanor has served on Boston Ballet's Board of Directors for 18 years and on the Executive Committee for many years. In addition, she chaired the Boston Ballet School Committee for seven years. In 2017, she and her husband opened the Pao Arts Center in Boston's Chinatown. They have also established scholarship endowments at Wellesley College, Columbia University, and other institutions. Eleanor had served on the Board of Celebrity Series of Boston for 15 years and 8 years on its Executive Committee, bringing world-renowned musicians and orchestras to the city. She currently serves on the board of Palm Beach's Society of the Four Arts.

Eleanor and Frank divide their time between Palm Beach, Boston, and Switzerland. She is currently the Managing Partner of E&F Realty Associates which owns and rents commercial real estate.

Pearl Johnson is an educator and founder of The Willow School, a pre-K - 8th grade independent school in Gladstone, New Jersey, where she served as President of the Board of Trustees 2001 until 2012. Pearl continues to serve as a member of the board today. She has been passionate about ballet since she was a young adult, supporting New York City Ballet and enjoying American Ballet Theatre, Bolshoi Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, The Royal Ballet in London, Akram Khan Company, and Miami City Ballet. With a focus on uplifting and educating others, Pearl brings her vision of unlocking potential and the possibilities for transformation to the organizations and individuals with whom she works.

Pearl holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and American Literature from Brown University and a Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the Institute of Health Professions at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Elissa Kramer, MD has spent an illustrious career dedicated to helping others. In 2005 she joined the Board of Directors of Greenwich House and was appointed Chair of the Board in 2011. In 2020 she joined the board of BalletCollective. Her love of dance was imparted as a child and she fondly recalls her first date with her husband, Jay Newman, when they attended an American Ballet Theatre performance at age 16.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a medical degree from New York University, where she had clinical and faculty appointments in Radiology and Nuclear medicine. Prior to her retirement she belonged to three distinguished medical societies, served on the Board of the New York Chapter of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, authored a series of seminal scientific papers, and refereed clinical trials in radiology, cancer, and breast cancer research.

ABOUT MIAMI CITY BALLET

Miami City Ballet has a diverse roster of 52 dancers and a repertoire of more than 130 works. As one of the most renowned ballet companies in the country, Miami City Ballet performs for nearly 125,000 patrons annually during its South Florida home season in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and tours to major cities domestically and internationally, including recent visits to New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris.

Miami City Ballet School, the official school of Miami City Ballet, is one of the most respected ballet training academies in America. The School trains students, ages 3-18 year-round, and grants more than $650,000 in scholarships annually.

Miami City Ballet's Community Engagement programs, serving more than 12,000 people annually in schools and communities; our free programs use the power of dance to uplift, teach and bring joy.

Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez leads the company. Lopez was recently awarded the prestigious Dance Magazine Award in 2018 and was named one of "The Most Influential People in Dance Today." She is on the Ford Foundation Board of Trustees, the first artist to ever serve on its Board.

Miami City Ballet was founded in 1985 by Miami philanthropist Toby Lerner Ansin and Founding Artistic Director Edward Villella. It is headquartered in Miami Beach, FL, at the Ophelia & Juan Js. Roca Center, a facility designed by renowned architectural firm, Arquitectonica.

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