Ballet Pensacola Names Bianca Villegas Executive Director

Ballet Pensacola Names Bianca Villegas Executive Director Ballet Pensacola leader brings a decade of service, nonprofit leadership, arts experience, and strategic vision to the organization as it approaches its 50th Anniversary

PENSACOLA, Fla. — August 19, 2026 — Ballet Pensacola is pleased to announce the appointment of Bianca Villegas as Executive Director, ushering in a new chapter of organizational leadership as Ballet Pensacola enters its 48th season and begins building toward its 50th Anniversary. Bianca steps into the role with a deeply established relationship with Ballet Pensacola and a strong understanding of the organization from the perspectives of leadership, governance, advocacy, and community engagement. She has supported Ballet Pensacola nearing a decade as a volunteer and has served on its Board of Directors in recent years, including leadership in development and organizational advancement.

As Executive Director, Bianca will work in close partnership with Ballet Pensacola’s Board of Directors, Company Director Veronica Ramirez, Academy Director Debi Janea, and the organization’s artistic and administrative leadership. Her focus will include organizational strategy and sustainability, fundraising and development, institutional and community partnerships, marketing and communications, donor and sponsor engagement, and strengthening Ballet Pensacola’s presence and impact throughout the region.

“Ballet Pensacola has been part of my life for many years, and I have had the privilege of seeing firsthand the extraordinary commitment required to build an organization of this caliber,” said Bianca. “There is tremendous strength in what already exists here in our artists, our Academy, our leadership, our Board, our families, and in the community that has sustained Ballet Pensacola for nearly five decades.

As we approach our 50th Anniversary, my responsibility is both to honor that legacy and help position Ballet Pensacola for what comes next. The most enduring organizations are shaped by a shared sense of purpose, strengthened through meaningful collaboration, and distinguished by an uncompromising pursuit of excellence. Together, we have an extraordinary opportunity to deepen our impact, expand our reach, and ensure Ballet Pensacola remains a vital part of the cultural landscape of our region for many years to come.”

Bianca brings a multidisciplinary background spanning nonprofit leadership, development and fundraising, strategic planning, community engagement, communications, board governance, and the arts. Her experience includes leadership within nonprofit and civic organizations in the Pensacola community, where she has worked to cultivate partnerships, strengthen community investment, and advance mission-driven initiatives. 

Her connection to the arts extends beyond organizational leadership. Bianca pursued arts higher education in Madrid and London, receiving formal foundation certification in London and a BA in Madrid. Her professional experience has also included work with luxury lifestyle publications locally and in the Washington, D.C. area, further developing her expertise in communications, brand positioning, relationship building, and community engagement.

That combination of artistic perspective, nonprofit leadership, and longstanding institutional knowledge will inform Bianca’s approach to leading Ballet Pensacola.

Central to that approach is a commitment to collaborative leadership and to supporting the expertise already present within the organization. Bianca will work closely with Veronica Ramirez and the artistic team in advancing the vision and continued development of the professional company, while partnering with Debi Janea to support the continued momentum of strength and growth of the Ballet Pensacola Academy.

The Academy has experienced record participation and expanding programming in recent seasons, including Ballet Pensacola’s acceptance into Regional Dance America - Southeast (RDA - SE). Together with the professional company, these programs strengthen a distinctive continuum of dance education, artistic development, and professional performance within the organization.

Ballet Pensacola currently supports an 19-member professional company of dancers from around the country and the world, and an Academy serving approximately 350 students, while presenting professional productions, educational opportunities, and community outreach throughout Northwest Florida.

Bianca’s appointment comes at a significant point in Ballet Pensacola’s history. Founded in 1978 by Italian-trained dancer and teacher Gioia Michelotti as Kaleidoscope Dance Theatre, the organization has grown from its beginnings as a performance opportunity for young dancers into a professional ballet company and Academy with a nearly five-decade legacy of dance education and performance.

As Ballet Pensacola moves toward its 50th Anniversary, Bianca and the organization’s leadership will focus not only on commemorating that history, but on establishing the strategic, financial, artistic, and community foundation necessary for its next era.

“Our 50th Anniversary gives us an opportunity to look back with tremendous gratitude, but it also asks us to look forward with purpose,” said Bianca. “The legacy of Ballet Pensacola belongs to every dancer, teacher, artistic leader, Board member, family, donor, volunteer, and audience member who has helped bring us here. Our work now is to build upon that legacy with intention and create an organization prepared to thrive for the next 50 years and beyond.”