By Leah Voigt, Interim CEO
We’d like to share with you several GRB team updates.
First, we’re excited to share the creation of the Advancement & Engagement Department. This new Department is responsible for GRB’s community-facing and revenue-generating functions. This change integrates four functions that already operate closely together: Development & Fundraising; Marketing & Communications; Box Office & Patron Experience; and Community Engagement & Events.
This new Department will be led by our Senior Director, Chris Jabin. Chris will foster a collaborative, high-performing team focused on building and sustaining the external relationships that enable GRB to thrive — with donors, audiences, school families, community partners, and the public. Chris will also continue to be responsible for the planning and implementation of our fundraising and development program.
Reporting to Chris will be Christopher Klapwijk, Senior Manager of Marketing and Communications and Melissa Anderson, Manager of Box Office and Patron Experience. Also part of the Advancement & Engagement team will be a new position: Manager of Community Engagement & Events. Recruitment for this new position will begin in the coming weeks.
Next, we have two retirements to share with you. While we will deeply miss these incredible colleagues, we are so excited for them and their next life’s adventure!
John Ferraro, Company & Facilities Manager will retire at the end of 2026, after almost 19 years with the Grand Rapids Ballet. John has been GRB’s heart and soul—he supports everyone here in ways that we couldn’t even begin to enumerate. John is undeniably irreplaceable, so plans are being made to transition John’s areas of responsibility to several other team members.
Chris Jabin will also be retiring at the end of 2026, after a stellar career in fundraising and development for nonprofit arts and culture organizations. Chris joined the Grand Rapids Ballet in 2024 and has elevated our fundraising and development efforts in just two years. Over the next several months, Chris will continue to help us plan for our future – while he’s shaping our new Advancement & Engagement team, he will also advise on the skills, attributes and experiences we should consider when choosing his successor.
We are looking forward to celebrating these two incredible individuals as they embark on their next adventures. We will be sure to share more information about retirement celebrations, as those plans take shape.
Next, we’re excited to share a promotion as well as the addition of two familiar faces to our administrative team.
Shanikqua Spears has been promoted to the role of Manager of Operations and Facilities. Shanikqua joined the GRB team in 2025 as Executive Administrator and she has quickly become an integral part of our organization. In her new role, Shanikqua will develop, maintain and improve internal administrative systems, processes, and workflows to support both the company and school. She will also serve as the primary point of contact for all facility-related matters across studio, performance, and administrative spaces.
This summer, Nathan Young – company dancer and GRBS teacher – joins our administrative team as an Advancement & Engagement Associate. Nathan will support a range of donor and patron relations activities and will also help guide our marketing and branding efforts, providing insight on what it means to be a professional dancer at Grand Rapids Ballet.
Last but not least, we are excited to announce that Jimmy Cunningham – also a company dancer and GRBS teacher – will serve as our inaugural Professional Development (PD) Program Coordinator. Earlier this year, GRB received funding from the Pamella and Dan DeVos Foundation to create a professional development program for our dancers. This program aims to provide our dancers with additional experiences and skills they can rely on during the professional dance career and beyond. The program will allow dancers to select internship opportunities at GRB and to participate in a seminar series ranging from nutrition and injury prevention to public speaking. Jimmy will create the infrastructure and lead the implementation of this program, which will support our company dancers today and into the future.
With gratitude,
Leah
