Episode Description
Kiera Anderson, Ed.D. is in the early days of leading one of Sacramento’s oldest cultural institutions, the Sacramento Ballet. In that time, she’s already navigated hiring new artistic leadership and making the call to scale the school.
In this conversation with Mary Daffin, Kiera talks about how ballet’s demand for discipline and real-time problem-solving shaped her as a leader, and why the rehearsal room — not the stage — is where trust is really built. They also have a candid exchange about women in leadership. Kiera’s dissertation examined teenage girls who were still being called ‘bossy’ in 2019. The progress is real, but the distance left is too.
And at the heart of it all is Kiera’s vision for access — changing the perception that ballet is “not for me” and building a company of artists who live here, work here, and are our neighbors.
“Excellence and access are not opposites. The best institutions find ways to hold both.”
Key Takeaways
- How the discipline of ballet translates directly to leadership
- The difference between technique (the dancer) and mentorship (the whole person)
- Why trust is built in rehearsal, not on stage
- What Kiera envisions for the Sacramento Ballet’s next five years — touring, scaling, and expanding access
Guest
Kiera Anderson, Ed.D.is the Executive Director of Sacramento Ballet, where she stewards a 72-year legacy while leading the organization into its next chapter of artistic and organizational vitality.
Kiera brings more than two decades of leadership experience at the intersection of arts, education, and nonprofit impact — spanning senior roles in arts education, youth development, and community-based organizations. Her conviction is simple: excellence and access are not opposites. Sacramento Ballet should be both artistically exceptional and reflective of the community it serves — and she intends to build toward both.
