Mary Jennings, Executive Director, joined the Grand Rapids Ballet in 2024 with over a decade of work in arts administration and presenting experience. Prior to joining the Ballet, Mary served as Director of the Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan. While at the Rozsa, Mary earned a reputation for championing equitable, community-centered collaborations and finding creative ways to engage rural audiences with the performing arts.

Mary is an Association for Performing Arts Professionals (APAP) Leadership Fellow, former Vice President for the Michigan Presenters Network and participant in national Presenter Leadership Consortium meetings. She has presented on rural arts leadership and community engagement at Arts Midwest and APAP conferences and served on the inaugural Midwest Arts Xpo Conference planning committee. As a founding member of the Upper Peninsula Arts and Culture Alliance, Mary worked to foster connections that support a more visible, valued, and sustainable arts industry throughout the U.P. region.

Mary studied classical ballet at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under the direction of Marcia Dale Weary. She trained with Adirondack Repertory Dance Theater’s Pamara Perry, Ballet Austin under the artistic direction of Stephen Mills, and New York State Summer School for the Arts faculty including Olga Kostritzky, Stephanie and Bo Spassoff and Damien Woetzel. She holds a B.A. in Dance from Point Park University’s Conservatory of Performing Arts, and an M.B.A. from Michigan Technological University’s School of Business and Economics.

Mary holds a deep belief in the transformative power of the arts, and her commitment to operational excellence, sustainability and equity has earned her accolades both locally and regionally. She finds joy outside of work in time spent with her family and friends. She and her husband, Matt, and their three young children, can be found out and about in Grand Rapids at volleyball games, local libraries, and enjoying the many great parks, beaches and hiking trails throughout the region.