Kyle Ridaught has been appointed Chief Advancement Officer at American Ballet Theatre.

Ridaught most recently served as Head of Business Operations at American Ballet Theatre and was appointed to the position in 2022. In this role, he oversaw several key functions including contract review, board affairs, insurance, facilities and property management, and special projects.

Ridaught first joined ABT in 1998, where he served as manager of institutional support. He left ABT in 2000 to serve as senior vice president of corporate philanthropy at Lehman Brothers and vice president and treasurer of the Lehman Brothers Foundation. He returned to ABT in 2011 and served as director of development for five years before becoming director of capital projects to lead ABT’s search for a new headquarters building and launch the early phase of the ABTomorrow campaign.

Earlier in his career, Ridaught danced professionally, working for Opryland Productions, Jean Ann Ryan Productions, the North Carolina Theatre, and Radio City Music Hall, among others.

Ridaught holds an International Baccalaureate, a BA cum laude in political science from Duke University, and an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business with a concentration in finance and management.

As Chief Advancement Officer (CAO) of American Ballet Theatre, Ridaught will be responsible for designing, organizing and implementing a comprehensive fundraising program that includes the company’s annual giving campaign and all individual, corporate and foundation efforts for annual operations. In addition, he will manage specific program needs, fundraising for new productions and more.

Working with Artistic Director Susan Jaffe and Executive Director Barry Hughson, Ridaught and his team will strengthen and expand ABT’s philanthropy program, taking the organization to new levels of dynamism and sustainability in the years to come.

“Kyle has been a talented and loyal member of ABT’s leadership team for more than 15 years. His love of the company, strategic mindset and natural ability to connect with people make him the perfect partner to lead ABT forward. Susan and I are grateful to Kyle for taking on this important role at a pivotal moment in our history,” said Hughson.

Commenting on his appointment, Ridaught said, “I am thrilled to join Susan Jaffe and Barry Hughson in leading ABT into the next era of excellence and achievement. It is a privilege to continue to serve this sacred institution that has been so important to me and has been such a gift of inspiration, creativity and beauty to our audiences and artists. I look forward to working with our donors to ensure we can continue to pass this gift on to future generations.”

For more information, visit www.abt.org.

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