MIAMI CITY BALLET ANNOUNCES APPOINTMENT OF KRISTI JERNIGAN AS THE NEW CHAIRMAN OF ITS BOARD OF TRUSTEES AND ADDITION OF FOUR NEW MEMBERS

Miami City Ballet announced that Kristi Jernigan has been elected Chairman of its Board of Trustees and will begin her term May 1. She succeeds Susan D. Kronick, who has been Chairman since 2013. In addition, four new members have joined the Board – Dini Albert Golden, Jeffrey W. Davis, Amy Kohan and Lisa Kott Massirman.

“Under Sue Kronick’s leadership, Miami City Ballet celebrated its 30th anniversary and made its Lincoln Center debut at the Koch Theater in New York,” reflects MCB Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez. “New productions and remakes of existing productions were created and performed not only for MCB’s Florida audience of over 75,000 per year, but also on tour in Chicago, Minneapolis, Vancouver and Ottawa. In addition, education and outreach programs, touching over 10,000 adults and children annually, were initiated. These initiatives and the Company’s artistic achievements have led to the Company’s recognition as a national leader in dance. While we will miss Sue as our Board Chair, she will continue being an active member of the MCB family as a board member.”

Lopez is equally enthusiastic about what lies ahead under Jernigan’s chairmanship. “We are now looking forward to welcoming and working with Kristi Jernigan, under whose strong leadership our five-year strategic plan will become a reality, taking MCB to new artistic and organizational heights. With a career in finance and marketing, Kristi additionally brings to her role as Board Chair a strong sense of community engagement and interest in youth empowerment. She and her husband, Dean, were the leaders in revitalizing downtown Memphis pioneering the use of a 501(c)(3) structure and public/private partnerships to buy and build a leading minor league sports team (the Memphis Grizzlies, now part of the St. Louis Cardinals) and a $75 million ballpark in downtown Memphis. Kristi, taking over as Board Chair of Miami City Ballet, will bring the same energy, passion and community to our ballet school and internationally recognized ballet company. We look forward to her guiding us through our next chapter of growth and welcome her with open arms.”

Jernigan comments, “I am extremely honored to assume this leadership role at Miami City Ballet, which is truly a world-class cultural amenity for all of South Florida. Beginning my chairmanship for this 32nd season will be thrilling as we will be staging a brand new Nutcracker production and celebrating the 25th anniversary of MCB School.”

Jernigan was director of business development and marketing at Argonaut Capital, a macro hedge fund, in London prior to moving to Miami in 2013 with her husband, Dean, the founder and CEO of Jernigan Capital. She was also the founder and owner of KWJ Capital, a London-based investment marketing firm representing U.S. funds in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

During their time in Memphis from 1997-2002, the Jernigans were very active in the revitalization the city’s downtown area, bringing a AAA baseball team and building a $75 million ballpark located in the heart of downtown Memphis. Kristi was also the Vice-Chair of the Riverfront Development Corporation, a public private partnership charged with master planning the Mississippi Riverfront for Memphis. She served on numerous boards and chaired fundraising campaigns, and founded UrbanArt, a public art commission for Memphis and Shelby County that successfully passed a “percent for art” city and county ordinance during her chairmanship.

During the Jernigans’ 11 years in London, she served on the Council for the Serpentine Gallery. Presently, she is a member of the Centre Pompidou Foundation, an American-based not-for-profit supporting the mission of the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

Also joining MCB’s Board are four new members. Dini Albert Golden is a former professional dancer who performed in “The Phantom of the Opera” in New York, New Jersey Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. During her career, she was a finalist at the Varna International Ballet Competition and at the prestigious Prix de Lausanne. She received her BA from New York University in 1993.

Jeffrey W. Davis is currently the chief risk officer and chief actuary of the White Mountains Insurance Group and Sirius International Insurance Group in Hamilton, Bermuda. His past professional experience also includes head of central reserving at Munich Re-Insurance Group in Germany, and senior vice president and chief actuary at American Re-Insurance Company in Princeton, N.J. He currently supports various charitable organizations, including Miami City Ballet, NuDeco Ensemble, YoungArts Foundation, Equality Florida and Gary Geis Dance Company.

Amy Kohan worked as a public relations writer for Save the Children in Westport, Conn., and formed her own writing and editing business, with work published in several publications including The New York Times. She worked at the Wellesley, Mass. Free Library for 10 years, serving as the outreach librarian to elementary schools, as well as volunteered with several organizations including the American Cancer Society, Horizons for Homeless Children in Boston and Lotus House in Miami. She served on the Board of the Wellesley Scholarship Foundation, and for 25 years has been a professional storyteller performing for public and private organizations for people of all ages.

Lisa Kott Massirman trained and performed extensively in dance from the age of nine through college. After graduating from Skidmore College, she lived in New York for eight years as well as in France and Italy. Her love of dance led her parents to support MCB from its founding in 1985. Her mother, Jacqueline Kott, was a founding board member and the Kott family has proudly continued to give its annual support, underwriting several ballets – including Serenade this past season. She resides in Coral Gables, Fla. and part-time in Carmel, Calif. with husband Jay Massirman, managing principal of the Rivergate Companies, a real estate development and investment firm located in Coconut Grove.

About Miami City Ballet:

Miami City Ballet, in its 31st season, has earned critical acclaim from The New York Times: “Bold, light, immediate, intensely musical, the dancing of Miami City Ballet flies straight to the heart.” Led by Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez since 2012, MCB was founded in 1985 by Miami philanthropist Toby Lerner Ansin and Founding Artistic Director Edward Villella. The Company has 51 dancers and a

repertoire of more than 100 ballets. MCB performs for nearly 100,000 patrons annually during its South Florida home season in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Naples, and tours to top theaters domestically and internationally.

Miami City Ballet School, the official school of Miami City Ballet, is one of the most respected ballet training academies in America. The School’s renowned faculty, challenging syllabus and affiliation with Miami City Ballet make it a place where all students – from children to adults – can receive comprehensive dance training. The School trains approximately 400 students, ages 3-18, in its year-round program, and 400 during its summer programs, granting nearly $500,000 in scholarships annually. More than 500 adults participate in a vibrant community division.

Miami City Ballet is headquartered in Miami Beach, Fla., at the Ophelia & Juan Js. Roca Center, a facility designed by renowned architectural firm Arquitectonica.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Samantha Franco / samantha@zm-pr.com Zakarin Martinez Public Relations / 305.372.2502 Major funding for Miami City Ballet is provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Ford Foundation. MCB performances, outreach and education activities are made possible by the generous support of the Louis B. Mayer Foundation and The Shubert Foundation.

The Company is sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture. Miami-Dade County support is provided by Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners with additional support provided by the City of Miami Beach, Cultural Affairs program, and the Cultural Arts Council. Palm Beach County support is provided in part by the Board of County Commissioners, the Tourist Development Council and the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County. Broward County funding is provided in part by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council.

Miami City Ballet is a registered trademark of Miami City Ballet, Inc.