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Kathryn Gigler

Acting Executive Director
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, United States

Kathryn Gigler, PhD, currently leads Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, one of the leading dance companies in the U.S. In dual roles as Acting Executive Director and Director of Education, she deepens organizational partnerships with internal and external stakeholders and led all artistic and administrative operations, including strategic planning and operations management of its seven-studio main facility, Byham House residential complex, and mainstage season in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District. She serves as fundraising principal, including leadership of multiple six-figure fundraising campaigns around community engagement, accessibility, and live music, and of the organization’s annual signature event, which surpassed its fundraising goal by 155%. Gigler has directed complete administrative organization of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, achieving its highest enrollment since the 2018/19 season, and restructured the institution’s leadership team, with a particular focus on human resources and professional development for team members.

As an advisor and presenter, she has worked with Dance/USA, the Association of Performing Arts Professionals, Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, and many others on IDEA in the arts, strategic planning, community engagement, and crisis response. She has advised regionally and nationally around accessibility, particularly around sensory-friendly and inclusive mainstage programming. In addition to her academic output, Gigler has published work in outlets such as Huffington Post. She is the recipient of multiple academic awards, including the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Training Fellowship, the Florence Sales Teaching Fellowship, and the Walter Dill Scott Fellowship. Under her leadership, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre earned an Innovation Award in Education from Mental Health America of Southwestern PA, was named a Vibrant Champion by Vibrant Pittsburgh for the first time, and earned an Honorable Mention/Designation of Exceptional Practice in Dance Data Project’s inaugural Gender Equity Index.

Gigler is an honors graduate of Wake Forest University and holds masters of science and doctoral degrees from Northwestern University.

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