Joffrey Ballet Welcomes New Board Chair Anne Kaplan

Ashley Wheater, The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director, and Greg Cameron, President and CEO, of The Joffrey Ballet, are pleased to announce the appointment of Anne Kaplan as Chair of the Joffrey Board of Directors, effective immediately. Kaplan succeeds former Board Chair Zachary Lazar, who concluded a successful six-year term earlier this summer.

"Always leading with mission, Anne is committed to the Joffrey's talented artists, generous donors, and growing audiences. She also embraces our commitment to dance education and community connections," said Cameron. "In partnership with the Joffrey leadership team, she has already made an imprint on our future growth and transformation while honoring the legacy of former Board Chair Zach Lazar. An inspired 2019-2020 season that opens with Jane Eyre, thoughtful strategic planning, and our move to the Lyric Opera House in 2020 will continue the momentum. Joy abounds!"

Kaplan joined the Joffrey Board of Directors in 2011 and previously served on the Executive Committee as Vice Chair. She has also served on the Joffrey's Development, Strategic Planning, and Campaign Planning Committees, playing vital roles in the diversification of the Joffrey Board and the financial success of the organization over the past eight years. Kaplan is a longstanding supporter of the Joffrey, and her late husband, Burt Kaplan, served on the Joffrey Board from 2002 until his passing in 2011.

"Anne is generous, thoughtful, and immensely supportive of the arts," added Wheater. "Her creativity and her ability to bring out the best in people are two of her greatest strengths. You could not ask for better qualities in a leader. I look forward to continuing our wonderful partnership as she steps into her new role as Board Chair."

In addition to her involvement with the Joffrey, Kaplan has been a board member of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago since 2003 and was the Board Chair of the MCA from July 2015 to June 2018. She is a Trustee of the Mayer and Morris Kaplan Family Foundation, which has existed for six generations and currently devotes itself to advancing educational opportunities for high school and college students, as well as promoting the sustainability of the environment.

Kaplan and her family have a long history of involvement in philanthropy in the City of Chicago. They have supported various communities through their funding of educational programs in underserved areas of the City and were one of the early stakeholders in the I Had a Dream program, as well as founders of the North Lawndale College Prep School.

Kaplan was born in Madison, Wisconsin and attended Connecticut College for Women and Roosevelt University, where she received a philosophy degree. She lives in Highland Park.