With over two decades of non-profit arts experience, Ballard believes passionately in providing equitable opportunities in the arts, as well as the role of the arts in transforming society. Ballard’s non-profit experience includes managing teams of artists and administrators, designing community engaged events, overseeing fund development and facilitating strategic planning with Rosie’s House: A Music Academy for Children, The Phoenix Symphony, and the Arizona State University Herberger School of Music.
Ballard’s work at Rosie’s House is focused on providing creative youth development programs to youth from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. As one of the largest free music afterschool programs nationwide, Ballard believes strongly in finding methods and solutions to address the disparity in access to music education.
Prior to joining Rosie’s House, Ballard oversaw the Phoenix Symphony’s Community Engagement Department. In this capacity, she managed initiatives that impacted 80,000 children and adults annually. In addition to developing educational concerts, she managed two programs that provided youth in South Phoenix and on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community with free music instruction.
As a musician, Ballard enjoys playing piano and horn. She serves as an advisory board member for the Grammy-award winning Phoenix Chorale, serves on the Arizona Musicfest Scholarship Committee, and is actively involved with Valley Leadership, a leadership cohort in Maricopa County.
She completed the National Arts Strategies Chief Executive Training Program in 2017, a leadership program that brought together an international cohort of 50 CEOs who want to more effectively lead change in their organizations, communities and in the cultural field. The program’s curriculum included executive education at Harvard University and the University of Michigan.
Ballard was in the 2018 Class of 40 under 40 presented by the Phoenix Business Journal. She lives with her husband Brian in central Phoenix, and enjoys the beauty and poetry of the desert through active adventuring and hiking.