About Houston Ballet Guild

Founded in 1973, Houston Ballet Guild has supported Houston Ballet, its Academy and special programs with passion and dedication for more than 40 years. We are committed to furthering the awareness of the art of ballet. And membership has its privileges!

The primary purpose of the Guild is to support the programs, projects, mission and performances of Houston Ballet and its Academy through active volunteer service and financial contributions.

The amazing women and men of Houston Ballet Guild love to celebrate the creativity of ballet. And we are social too! Our members enjoy a rich calendar of events, and there’s something for everyone. The Guild ensures that its members have a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the nation's fourth-largest ballet company.

Click here to view Houston Ballet Foundation's Mission and Diversity Statements.

OFFICERS

President Michelle Jeffery
President-Elect Gay Currie
Vice President of Membership Elba Villarreal
Corresponding Secretary Paige Trahan
Parliamentarian Michelle Maresh
Recording Secretary Sarah Davidson
Treasurer Leslie Alston

BOARD

Bravo Events Leslie Alston, Traci Bocock, CC Conner
Communications/Social Media Renee Humphrey, Alison Farb
Directory Cecilia Campbell, Casey Rowe
Fall Kickoff Wendy Burks, Denise
Academy/ECE Susan Binney, Laura Kazmiroski, Jennifer Kushner, Mark Loveland, Dannika Simpson
Boutique Workshops Marcie Bristol, Helen Toombs, Lisa Yelenick
Docents CC Conner, Nkoyo Essien, Sharon Roark
Student Matinees Ann Bean, Traci Bocock, Jean May
HBII Celebrations Brenda Clem, Richard Clem
Host Committee Cynthia Brown, Elizabeth Connelly, Sally Miller, Susan Osterberg, Marilyn Ragsdale, Adriana Vargas, Ken Yanowski
Member Trip Cynthia Christ
Membership Renewal Dede Aronack-Loughran, Joan Dunlap
Needles En Pointe Casey Rowe
New Member Events & Recruitment Janis Mecklenberg, Michelle Seymour, Christine Sofka, Cynthia Wolff
Social Events Mary Bonura, Anne Boss, Tua Burke, Cindy Cook, Jackie Eubank, Corina Guerrero, Melisa Jordan, Megan Kessler, Rhonda Smith, Anne Stewart, Camille Wieprecht
Special Advisors Katrina Arnim, Ann Bean, Susan Binney, Sharon Erskine, Gaylon Gullquist, Renee Humphrey, Jennifer Kushner
Spring Coffee Ann Bean, Mary Fusillo, Jana Stiffel
Tutu Times Susan Inger

The 2024 Joanne Isaacman Award of Excellence honored C.C. Conner. This award is given annually to a Guild member who best exemplifies the qualities of commitment, dedication, generosity of spirit and sensitivity as demonstrated by Joanne Isaacman in her years of volunteer service to the Guild.

C.C. Conner came to Houston Ballet in 1995, bringing a professional background in law and several years managing The Joffrey Ballet. Under his leadership, Houston Ballet retired its accumulated deficit, quadrupled the company's endowment, and oversaw the building of the Center for Dance. During his 17-year tenure, C.C. organized 12 National and International tours. Those tours greatly raised the company’s artistic profile. Following his retirement in 2012, C.C. continued in an advisory capacity as Managing Director Emeritus.

But this is not why we honor C.C. We honor him because even in retirement, he continues to volunteer and be an active member in the Houston Ballet Guild. He is a very active member of the Docent Committee giving tours of the Margaret Alkek Williams Center for Dance, co-chairs the Bravo Events committee and puts together fabulous experiences for Bravo members, and has been a long time member of the Market Entry committee for the Nutcracker Market. C.C. is never afraid of rolling up his sleeves and doing whatever needs to be done - whether it is serving food to summer intensive students or taking tickets at Nutcracker Market Entry. His dedication to Houston Ballet has continued as a Guild volunteer. 

Recently he co-authored a book on the history of Houston Ballet and is a Sugar Plum co-chair for this year's Nutcracker Market.

Winifred Wallace, one of the original members of the Houston Ballet Foundation, had a dream: to build an auxiliary, or guild, to assist the goals and needs of the Foundation. Her dream came true on January 22, 1973, when the Houston Ballet Guild held its first meeting.

Houston Ballet Guild was blessed at its inception with a group of dedicated volunteers and supporters. Guided by the spirit of Winnie Wallace, many of the original members remained active for years and inspired the growth of our membership.

Houston Ballet Guild has grown from its original membership of 22 to more than 265 members with an active board of more than 79 women and men. Over the years, the Guild has expanded its commitment to the company and the academy and has grown in its importance to the Houston Ballet Foundation. The Guild provides and array of volunteer services and significant financial support (through Nutcracker Market revenue, membership dues and donations), along with events and programs designed to educate and to generate community interest in dance.     

The Guild hosts the phenomenal Nutcracker Market each year – which since its inception in 1981 has contributed more than $74.7 million for Houston Ballet Foundation.  In 2016, the group raised more than $50,000 to support the stunning new production of The Nutcracker by artistic director Stanton Welch AM and has donated generously toward Houston Ballet Foundation’s Endowed Artistic Positions Fund. The Guild has also contributed more than $50,000 to the Capital Campaign and is recognized on the Donor Wall in the lobby of Houston Ballet's Margaret Alkek Williams Center for Dance. And, for decades, the Guild has contributed $10,000 annually towards production costs for Houston Ballet News.

Click here to view Houston Ballet Foundation's Mission and Diversity Statements.