Alan Weiss Named President of the Board of Trustees of
Festival Ballet Providence
Providence, RI — The board of trustees of Festival Ballet Providence (FBP) is pleased to announce that Alan Weiss of East Greenwich has been elected as its new president.
The unanimous vote took place at a meeting on August 1, 2019. Festival Ballet’s board is the governing body for New England’s second largest professional ballet company with a resident company of 30 dancers, a pre-professional school with more than 300 enrolled students, and extensive educational and community initiatives reaching more than 13,000 youth annually, making it one of the leading arts organizations in the region.
Weiss is a global business consultant who has authored over 50 books, translated into 15 languages, on performance and business success. A major article detailing his coaching of top executives, “The CEO Whisperer,” was published by CNBC last month.
His clients have included JP Morgan/Chase, Textron, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Merck, and over 200 others, and his work has taken him to over 60 countries.
“I’m honored to serve in a leadership capacity for Festival Ballet Providence,” noted Weiss , “because I think the company creates and produces some of the finest performing art in the entire Northeast.”
Kathleen Breen Combes who began recently as Festival Ballet’s new Executive Director, said, “I am thrilled Alan is taking the helm of Festival Ballet Providence at this exciting time of growth. He has unique expertise and a longstanding passion for the institution and this art form.”
Artistic Director Misha Djuric said, “After many years of knowing Alan and benefitting from his advice and consulting, I am more than pleased that he will now be leading the organization’s efforts. With Kathleen in place and with Alan’s energy on the board, I am looking forward to the continued growth of a steadier, stronger organization, supporting the recognized artistic excellence of the company.”
Weiss takes over for renowned artist and innovator Toots Zynsky who is stepping down after six years of leadership since taking the helm in 2013. Zynsky oversaw FBP during a period of artistic growth resulting in increased revenue and programming and will remain an active member of the board. Weiss’ term runs for two years. Weiss says that his two top priorities are to substantially increase the size of the donor base and to increase the size of the board, which has already attracted three new members.
Weiss is a former FBP board member and has served on the boards of Elizabeth Buffum Chase Center, Harvard University’s study of violence in the media, GAMM Theater, Trinity Rep Company, and has chaired the Newport International Film Festival. He is the only non-journalist ever awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Press Institute.
Weiss is a Fellow in the Institute of Management Consultants and was elected to the Hall of Fame of the National Speakers Association, one of only two people to ever hold both distinctions. He is the former chair of the East Greenwich planning board. His wife, Marie, is also a member of the board and they have been married for 51 years, with two children and two grandchildren.