DALLAS BLACK DANCE THEATRE NAMES NEXT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Ahead of its milestone 50th season, nationwide search selects Kristie Patton Foster to lead Dallas’ oldest and largest professional dance company
DALLAS - Dallas Black Dance Theatre (DBDT) has named Kristie Patton Foster as its next Executive Director following a nationwide search led by Board Chairman Jack Skinner and a five-member committee of nonprofit and civic leaders. Advised by Michael M. Kaiser, President Emeritus of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and former executive director of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Arts Consulting Group conducted the nationwide search.
Foster brings more than two decades of nonprofit leadership experience spanning donor cultivation, board governance, operations and strategic planning. Most recently, she provided executive leadership support to The Black Women’s Agenda, Inc., advancing strategic priorities and organizational effectiveness for the national civic and advocacy organization. Previously, Foster served as Executive Director of The Links, Incorporated and The Links Foundation, Incorporated. Founded in 1946, The Links, Incorporated is one of the nation’s most prominent organizations for Black women focused on service, education and civic engagement.
“This is an important moment for DBDT as we prepare to begin our 50th season,” said Skinner. “Kristie stood out during a highly competitive national search because of her leadership experience, fundraising success and ability to build strong relationships across communities. She understands the history of this institution to Dallas and is the right leader to help guide DBDT into its next chapter.”
Not a stranger to the North Texas’ nonprofit and civic community, Foster previously served as the Area Development Director for the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) and Director of Community Relations and Corporate Development for the VHA Health Foundation in Irving. Throughout her career, she has spearheaded record-breaking fundraising campaigns, overseen capital projects and managed muti-million-dollar organizational budgets while implementing measures of cost efficiency.
“The Dallas Black Dance Theatre has long been one of the nation’s most respected cultural institutions, and I have admired the organization’s impact for many years,” said Foster. “As DBDT approaches its historic 50th season, I look forward to working alongside the board, artistic leadership, dancers, staff and community partners to build on its extraordinary legacy while expanding community engagement, strengthening partnerships and supporting the organization’s long-term future.”
A part of a broader organizational transition, the hiring of Foster follows recommendations from an independent advisory stakeholder task force of civic, nonprofit and business leaders that conducted extensive reviews of governance, stakeholder engagement, organizational policies and long-term sustainability.
A steward of the historic Moorland YMCA in the Dallas Arts District, DBDT operates five performing ensembles, provides extensive arts education programming across North Texas schools and serves as a cultural ambassador for Dallas nationally and internationally.
ABOUT DALLAS BLACK DANCE THEATRE
Founded in 1976 by Ann Williams, Dallas Black Dance Theatre’s mission is to create and produce contemporary modern dance at the highest level of artistic excellence through performances and educational programs that bridge cultures and reach diverse communities. As the largest and oldest professional dance company in Dallas, DBDT is the fourth-largest Black dance company in the nation, ranks in the top 10 largest contemporary modern dance companies in the U.S. and is included among the nation’s 50 largest ballet companies by Dance Data Project. Located in the thriving downtown Dallas Arts District, the nation’s #1 Arts District (USA Today), DBDT has performed worldwide for over 5 million arts patrons and 3 million students in 33 states and 16 countries on five continents. The performances include three Olympics (1992, 1996, and 2012), the nation’s most prestigious venues (Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Broadway, Jacob’s Pillow and Joyce Theatre), and for such luminaries as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and South African President Nelson Mandela. Since 2020, DBDT performances have been viewed virtually in 43 countries and expanded to include virtual student matinees and cultural literacy programs. Since 2021, the virtual education performances have been viewed by nearly 200,000 K-12 students across 28 districts throughout the nation. The Company has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts as an American Masterpiece Touring Artist (2008) and received the Texas Medal of the Arts Award for Arts Education (2017).