About Houston Ballet Guild

Founded in 1973, Houston Ballet Guild has supported Houston Ballet, its Academy and special programs with passion and dedication for more than 40 years. We are committed to furthering the awareness of the art of ballet. And membership has its privileges!

The primary purpose of the Guild is to support the programs, projects, mission and performances of Houston Ballet and its Academy through active volunteer service and financial contributions.

The amazing women and men of Houston Ballet Guild love to celebrate the creativity of ballet. And we are social too! Our members enjoy a rich calendar of events, and there’s something for everyone. The Guild ensures that its members have a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the nation's fourth-largest ballet company.

Click here to view Houston Ballet Foundation's Mission and Diversity Statements.

OFFICERS

President Leslie Alston
President-Elect Traci Bocock
Vice President of Membership Christine Sofka
Corresponding Secretary Renee Humphrey
Parliamentarian Michelle Seymour
Recording Secretary Ann Graham
Treasurer Michelle Maresh

SPECIAL ADVISORS 

Cynthia Brown, Lennie Burke, Wendy Burks, Gay Currie, Sharon Erskine, Mignon Gill, Michelle Jeffery, Casey Rowe

BOARD

Bravo Events Janis Mecklenburg
Communications/Social Media Lara Bell, Holly Efting, Karan Robinson
Directory Erika Westberry
Fall Kickoff Ann Bean, Ann Graham
Academy/ECE Susan Binney, CC Conner, Jennifer Kushner, Julia Land, David Peavy, Denise Perez, Dannika Simpson
Boutique Workshops Marcie Bristol, Helen L.-Toombs, Lisa Yelenick
Docents C.C. Conner, Sharon Roark
Student Matinees Ann Bean, Traci Bocock, Nkoyo Essien, Jean May, Ken Yanowski
HBII Celebrations Brenda & Ricky Clem
Host Committee Michelle Barrett, Cecilia Campbell, Sarah Davidson, Megan Kessler, Ann McDowell, Sally Miller, Marilyn Ragsdale, Tracey Williford (Lead) 
Membership Renewal Dede Aronack-Loughran, Elizabeth Connelly, Holly Efting
Needles En Pointe Casey Rowe
New Member Events & Recruitment Cheryl Dzurec, Antoinette Maywald, Alexander Tharp-Wyatt
Social Events Susie Boyce, Brenda Clem, Ricky Clem, Joan Dunlap (Co-Lead), Michelle Maresh, Karan Robinson (Co-Lead), Krista Shamaly, Elba Villarreal, Brook Williams (Co-Lead)
Spring Coffee Michelle Jeffery, Melisa Jordan Johnson, Victoria Roca
Tutu Times Kate Walker

Since 1982, the Houston Ballet Guild’s Joanne Isaacman Award of Excellence has honored an active Guild member whose commitment, generosity, compassion, and dedication exemplify Joanne Isaacman’s extraordinary legacy of volunteer service.

The 2026 award was presented to Casey Rowe in recognition of her exceptional leadership and three decades of service.

Ask Casey what the Guild has meant to her, and she’ll speak first about the lifelong friendships she has made. What she may not mention are the countless hours she has devoted to the Guild since joining in 1996. Whether serving as Guild President (2018–2019), Nutcracker Market Chairman (2022), or leading initiatives such as Needles En Pointe, Casey has approached every role with enthusiasm, warmth, and an unwavering commitment to Houston Ballet.

As President, Casey championed membership growth by expanding the number of Bravo members, increasing the Guild’s support of Houston Ballet. She also introduced the now-iconic Bravo pin proudly worn by Bravo members. Casey is so focused on membership, she even recruited her mother to join the Guild.

She felt blessed to serve as Nutcracker Market Chair during Patsy Chapman’s final year as Nutcracker Market CEO. Over the years, Casey has chaired the Wortham Boutique, Spring Coffee, Guild Directory, and New Member Events, while volunteering for the Summer Intensive Program, Student Matinees, and Wortham Boutique Workshops. 

Throughout her remarkable volunteer service, Casey has balanced these contributions with a successful career as a senior executive in employee benefits consulting, supported every step of the way by her husband Kevin, her biggest fan. She is incredibly proud of Phillip, her son and UT graduate, living and working in Austin. If he ever moves back to Houston, Casey may get him to join the Guild.

Winifred Wallace, one of the original members of the Houston Ballet Foundation, had a dream: to build an auxiliary, or guild, to assist the goals and needs of the Foundation. Her dream came true on January 22, 1973, when the Houston Ballet Guild held its first meeting.

Houston Ballet Guild was blessed at its inception with a group of dedicated volunteers and supporters. Guided by the spirit of Winnie Wallace, many of the original members remained active for years and inspired the growth of our membership.

Houston Ballet Guild has grown from its original membership of 22 to more than 265 members with an active board of more than 79 women and men. Over the years, the Guild has expanded its commitment to the company and the academy and has grown in its importance to the Houston Ballet Foundation. The Guild provides and array of volunteer services and significant financial support (through Nutcracker Market revenue, membership dues and donations), along with events and programs designed to educate and to generate community interest in dance.     

The Guild hosts the phenomenal Nutcracker Market each year – which since its inception in 1981 has contributed more than $74.7 million for Houston Ballet Foundation.  In 2016, the group raised more than $50,000 to support the stunning new production of The Nutcracker by artistic director Stanton Welch AM and has donated generously toward Houston Ballet Foundation’s Endowed Artistic Positions Fund. The Guild has also contributed more than $50,000 to the Capital Campaign and is recognized on the Donor Wall in the lobby of Houston Ballet's Margaret Alkek Williams Center for Dance. And, for decades, the Guild has contributed $10,000 annually towards production costs for Houston Ballet News.

Click here to view Houston Ballet Foundation's Mission and Diversity Statements.