The Washington Ballet Names George Thompson Executive Director
WASHINGTON, DC - The Washington Ballet announced that George Allan Thompson has been named executive director. An arts management executive and former dancer, he assumed his new leadership position in Washington on August 6.
Mr. Thompson joins The Washington Ballet after serving for seven years as executive vice president and general manager at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, which he helped grow to be the fifth largest performing arts organization in the United States. In this position, he was responsible for an annual budget of $24 million and an operating staff in excess of 100 persons. Prior to that, Mr. Thompson held executive management positions with the Performing Arts Center of the State University of New York at Purchase as director of finance and development for seven years and also as business manager of the international Pepsico Summerfare festival for four of those years.
Announcing Mr. Thompson's appointment, Washington Ballet Board President Kay Kendall said, "We are extremely pleased to have landed a person of George's unique background and abilities, after a nationwide search that considered many qualified candidates. His experience as a dancer, arts manager, and financial expert make him a marvelous addition to our leadership team, and an excellent partner to Artistic Director Septime Webre."
"George is a great choice for the job," added Septime Webre. "He brings valuable business acumen and synergies to our organization; and our interests, energies, and vision for the organization are in sync. Here's to a winning partnership."
Mr. Thompson joined American Ballet Theatre as a dancer, after receiving his bachelor of fine arts degree from the State University of New York in 1978. He performed with that company for five years, working with ballet legends Mikhail Baryshnikov, Antony Tudor, George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, and others, until returning to university to pursue graduate studies. Mr. Thompson studied for an MBA in finance at Fordham University, and completed studies for a master's degree in Arts Management at American University.
Asked to comment on his appointment, Mr. Thompson said, "I am very excited about my new position, and view it as somewhat of a homecoming. It will be great being back in the ballet world and returning to Washington where I did graduate work. I especially look forward to working with Septime. I am impressed by his energy and vision, and optimistic about all we can accomplish together."
Mr. Thompson succeeds Karen Thomas, who has been acting executive director of The Washington Ballet for the past six months. She will return to her documentary filmmaking career in early August.