Leadership

Susan Jaffe

Artistic Director and Interim Executive Director

Declared by The New York Times as “America’s Quintessential American Ballerina,” Susan Jaffe enjoyed a career as a Principal Dancer at American Ballet Theatre for 22 years. She performed on the international stage with the Royal Ballet, the Kirov Ballet, the Stuttgart Ballet, La Scala Ballet, Vienna State Opera Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, and the English National Ballet. Her versatility as a dancer brought acclaimed interpretations to ballet classics, such as Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty, and dramatic works by Agnes de Mille, Antony Tudor, John Cranko, Ronald Hynd, and Kenneth MacMillan. She also worked with many prominent contemporary choreographers of her time, such as Twyla Tharp, Jerome Robbins, Merce Cunningham, Nacho Duato, Mark Morris, Ulysses Dove, and Jiří Kylián.

After retiring from the stage in 2002, Jaffe taught in the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School and served as an advisor to the chairman of the board of ABT until 2007. In 2010 she became a Director of Repertoire at ABT. Two years later, she was appointed Dean of Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) in Winston-Salem, NC, a position she held for eight years. During her tenure at UNCSA, Jaffe and her faculty implemented a syllabus based on the ABT National Training Curriculum and established the Choreographic Institute of UNCSA. Additionally, she raised $3.5 million in endowed scholarships and other scholarships.

In 2020 Jaffe was appointed the Artistic Director of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. She helped to lead the company through the pandemic with digital programs, outdoor performances, and performances in museums. As audiences began returning to theaters, Jaffe curated programs that included classic ballets and diverse, innovative voices of today.

Jaffe was appointed Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre in December 2022.

Barry Hughson

Executive Director

Effective June 1, 2024

Barry Hughson began his career as a dancer with The Washington Ballet, where he performed classical and contemporary repertoire at the Kennedy Center and on tour throughout the world. Hughson has served as an executive leader at Connecticut’s Warner Theatre, Complexions Contemporary Ballet in New York City, New Jersey’s American Repertory Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Boston Ballet, and The National Ballet of Canada.

Hughson joined The National Ballet of Canada as Executive Director in 2014. Under his leadership, the company accelerated its trajectory of artistic growth, fiscal responsibility, community engagement, and international presence.

Hughson is deeply engaged with the international arts community and has had consulting, teaching, and speaking engagements in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia. He has served on a variety of industry boards, including Dance/USA, North America’s largest service organization for professional dance, where he completed two terms as a Trustee and Vice Chair. In partnership with Dance/USA and The Royal Ballet, Hughson spearheaded the first ever meeting of North American and European executive dance leadership, bringing together 22 administrators from nine countries in 2015. In 2018, he joined North American colleagues in The Equity Project, a three-year initiative to address racial diversity in the ballet field.

Hughson has also served as a mentor to emerging arts leaders through Dance/USA’s Institute for Leadership Training and Business/Arts Executive Leadership Program. He has served as Vice-Chair of the National Council for the Canadian Dance Assembly and as a member of the Steering Committee for the Canadian Arts Summit. As a member of the Coordinating Committee for Respectful Workplaces in the Arts, Hughson led the development and implementation of a National Code of Conduct for the Performing Arts in Canada.

Hughson is currently a member of the Steering Committee for the Canadian Arts Coalition and the Advancement Committee for the International Society of Performing Arts, the Labor Relationship Advisory Board at Toronto Metropolitan University, and the Honorary Board for the Interprovincial Music Camp. In 2023, Hughson received the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Toronto Musicians’ Association, Local 149 of the American Federation of Musicians.

Hughson was appointed Executive Director of American Ballet Theatre, effective June 1, 2024.