American Repertory Ballet Welcomes Three New Board Members

American Repertory Ballet is pleased to announce the addition of Daphne Jones, Stephen Loughran, and Rachel Samoil to its Board of Trustees, effective immediately. They bring to the Board backgrounds in dance, music, science, and business in addition to personal connections with ARB and Princeton Ballet School.

A native of Michigan, Daphne Jones graduated cum laude from Wellesley College with a degree in music and violin performance. After graduating from the University of Michigan Medical School, she started her surgical residency at the University of Chicago and continued her training at Robert Wood Johnson in New Brunswick. During that time, Daphne also spent two years as a visiting scientist in Molecular Biology at Princeton University.

Now a stay-at-home mother of three, Ms. Jones has been bringing her daughters to classes at Princeton Ballet School for 13 years, enjoying increased exposure to ARB's company performances. Ms. Jones has volunteered at her children's schools, at Trinity Church, and for Trinity Counseling Service. She has been an active community member in and around Princeton, serving as a board member for the Princeton Regional Scholarship Fund (now Fund 101), as an officer of the Princeton Skating Club board for the past three years, and on the board of the Crisis Ministry of Mercer County for the past six years.

Steve Loughran was also introduced to American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School through his children, two of whom have been studying at Princeton Ballet School for several years. A Senior Vice President and Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch, where he has worked for more than 20 years. At Merrill Lynch, he was active in establishing programs supporting the PGA Tour and Association of Tennis Professionals for the company. Mr. Loughran has also worked for Kidder, Peabody & Co., and IBM in New York City.

Mr. Loughran serves as a Captain in the U.S. Navy Reserve and currently is a Deputy Director for Intelligence in the National Military Command Center at the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. In this role, he provides intelligence support for the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff as well as other senior leaders regarding worldwide areas of instability.

Mr. Loughran graduated from Princeton University in with a degree in Economics and earned an MBA from Harvard. In addition to his service in the Navy, Mr. Loughran has been active in local organizations including Springdale Golf Club. He recently completed a six year term on Springdale's Board of Governors, and was President during the last four years.

Rachel Samoil studied with Princeton Ballet from early childhood through high school, participating in the regional company and PB II (precursors of the current ARB Workshop). >From 1973 through 1982, she performed in The Nutcracker and in other productions with the then newly-formed professional company. Her father, Sol Leader, was recruited from the Princeton Folk Dance Group by company founder Audrée Estey to perform with Princeton Ballet in the late 50's.

Mrs. Samoil graduate Carleton College in Minnesota, where she graduated Cum Laude with a BA in Mathematics. While in college, she studied in Austria and Germany. Following graduation, she studied math and German at Philipps Universität in Marburg, Germany, during which time she taught children's ballet classes through a nearby Volkshochschule (community school). Mrs. Samoil taught math and science at Rutgers Preparatory School before embarking on an actuarial career in 1990. She has been an actuary for Insurance Services Offices, Inc. in lower Manhattan, GRE in Princeton, and the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies in Warren Township, NJ.

For the past 9 years, Mrs. Samoil has worked part-time for Liberty International Underwriters (a division of Liberty Mutual), where she is currently a Director of Special Projects in the Global Actuarial department. She is an Associate of the Casualty Actuarial Society and a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. Mrs. Samoil is a regular in Princeton Ballet School Open Enrollment classes for adults, and, for the past ten years, she and her husband Ken have performed in Princeton Ballet School's annual spring productions and in the Party Scene of ARB's Nutcracker.

"Princeton Ballet and American Repertory Ballet have been an important part of my life for nearly as long as I can remember," Mrs. Samoil remarks. "It has been a great pleasure to see the school and company develop into the major arts institution it is today, while holding true to the vision Audrée Estey set forth so many years ago. I'm excited to take a new role in the organization and to join with other board members in support of the excellent management team, staff, teachers, musicians, and dancers."

About American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School -- American Repertory Ballet's mission is to bring the joy, beauty, artistry and discipline of classical and contemporary dance to New Jersey and nationwide audiences and to dance students through artistic and educational programs. The organization comprises: American Repertory Ballet, the preeminent professional classical and contemporary ballet company in the state; Princeton Ballet School, one of the largest and most respected non-profit dance schools in the nation; and ARB's Access & Enrichment initiatives, including the long-running and acclaimed DANCE POWER program. The performing company is a classical and contemporary ballet company committed to presenting ballets from the 19th and 20th centuries alongside new and existing works by choreographers from today. Founded in 1963, the company is currently under the artistic leadership of Douglas Martin, former principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet. Its rich history of repertory includes established masterpieces by distinguished American choreographers such as George Balanchine, Gerald Arpino, Alvin Ailey, Paul Taylor and Twyla Tharp; cutting edge works by choreographers such as Val Caniparoli, Kirk Peterson, Dominique Dumais, Harrison McEldowney, Amy Seiwert, Susan Shields, Melissa Barak, Patrick Corbin, Trinette Singleton, and ARB Resident Choreographer Mary Barton; and former Artistic Directors Dermot Burke, Marjorie Mussman, Septime Webre and Graham Lustig. ARB has been designated a "Major Arts Institution" by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts consistently for the past two decades, and has repeatedly been awarded a Citation of Excellence by the Council. ARB was voted the Jersey Arts People's Choice for "Favorite Dance Company" in 2008, 2011 and 2012.

Princeton Ballet School has gained a national reputation for its excellent dance training since its founding in 1954 by Audrée Estey. Under the direction of Mary Pat Robertson, Princeton Ballet School currently serves approximately 1,200 students, starting at age three, and includes a large open enrollment division for adults. Princeton Ballet School has studios in Cranbury, New Brunswick, and Princeton and offers classes in ballet, modern dance, jazz, hip-hop, CardioBallet, and CoMBo - Conditioning for the Mind and Body. Students from the school have gone on to dance in professional ballet and contemporary dance companies in the US and abroad. Graduates have danced with such diverse organizations as New York City Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Miami City Ballet, Complexions, Mark Morris Dance Company, Twyla Tharp, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Ballet West and on Broadway.

The Access & Enrichment wing of American Repertory Ballet reaches out to the community not only through its DANCE POWER program and signature On Pointe series, but also with free programming, master classes, residencies, lecture demonstrations and School Time Matinees throughout the state. In 1984, American Repertory Ballet partnered with the New Brunswick Board of Education to create DANCE POWER. Today, it's the longest-running uninterrupted arts/community partnership in New Jersey. The legendary Gregory Hines was DANCE POWER's Honorary Chair for 18 years before his untimely passing in 2003. In 2001, Mr. Hines endowed a scholarship at Rutgers University that earmarks annual funds for a DANCE POWER student to attend the university.

To post a comment, you must register and login.