Danielle St. Germain-Gordon, who has served as the San Francisco Ballet’s interim executive director since June, has been named to the post permanently. The unanimous decision by the board’s executive committee was announced on Thursday, March 17, after a regularly scheduled board meeting.
“Danielle has been doing the job for nine months, and it’s become clear that she’s doing it really well,” said Board Co-Chair Sunnie Evers. “This has been a period of a lot of change, but it looks like it’s all been really positive.”
St. Germain-Gordon joined the company in 2018 as director of development, coming from the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis after a career spent largely in theater in Washington, D.C. In an interview with The Chronicle, she said that development and fundraising had always been the extent of her career ambitions.
“I was steeped in that world,” she said. “I love relationships and talking to people, so that was basically built for me.”
But whenKelly Tweeddaleleft the top spot abruptly last June less than two years on the job, St. Germain-Gordon — who in addition to her development role was also filling a vacancy in the marketing department — was tapped to step in.
意味着圣Germain-Gordon将新的约会be in place to act as a full partner withTamara Rojowhen the Spanish dancer arrives as artistic director later this year, succeedingHelgi Tomasson. Together, they will form the first all-female leadership team in the company’s 90-year history.
During her time as interim executive director, St. Germain-Gordon oversaw the company’s return to live performances and classes after the COVID pandemic shutdown. On her watch, the Ballet also created the position of chief diversity officer, partnered with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music to launch the Denis de Coteau Fellowship for Black musicians and reached new labor agreements with the union representing the company’s dancers.
She also designed and taught a 10-week class during the shutdown on the basics of development and finance to the company’s dancers, which, she said, “really cemented my stickiness for the organization.”
Evers said that approval for the decision was widespread throughout the company.
“Our intention had been to do a search,” she said. “But we got the message from across the organization — the board, the dancers, the staff, the orchestra — that basically expressed two things: They liked Danielle, and they did not have the appetite for more change.”
For nine months, St. Germain-Gordon has been juggling three leadership positions. But with the development and marketing positions expected to be filled soon, she said, it’s time to turn her attention to the big picture.
“Now that this is official, I think I can step out of the day-to-day, and have a little more time for the dreaming part of the job, which is the most thrilling part,” St. Germain-Gordon said. “I like risk and change a lot, but I also want to be sure I’m going to be successful at something. So I’m grateful I had the chance to take this for a test drive.”