According to Jami Kozemczak, successful leaders are good listeners. “They listen to their employees and the people they serve with openness and intent,” she said. “Listening enables leaders to respond with empathy, adaptability, flexibility and great initiative to advance their organization.”
In her first eight months as the executive director of Ballet Arizona, Kozemczak put this attribute to work on a listening tour, meeting with more than 65 employees, dozens of CEOs around the Valley, and community leaders to help ground herself in a place of success to truly lead the organization into the future.
Ballet Arizona is the Valley’s only professional ballet company whose mission is to teach, create, and perform outstanding classical and contemporary ballet. Within Ballet Arizona is the School of Ballet Arizona which promotes access to the art form of ballet through dance education, with a focus on excellence in the form, directing each student to a lifelong love of dance.
Throughout her tenure at Ballet Arizona, Kozemczak has consistently met and exceeded goals to advance the mission of the organization, establishing a culture of philanthropy that permeates throughout. “She has a natural inclination to lead and feels honored to do so,” said her staff. “Although she did not grow up with ballet training, she has grown to love the art and has become one of its leading advocates.”
In her two years as the executive director, Kozemczak has worked in concert with the organization’s board and staff members to put forward one of the most visionary seasons.
Under her leadership, Ballet Arizona has secured more than $40 million in contributed revenue from donors and Kozemczak has led the charge for the company’s Be Our Bridge Recovery and Relief Fund that ensured all staff members and dancers remained fully employed during the COVID-19 crisis. Sales numbers for the annual performance of The Nutcracker broke all previous historical records by 40% under her guidance.
Kozemczak and Ballet Arizona have been featured in several Arizona-based media publications including Frontdoors Media, Phoenix Business Journal, Modern Luxury Scottsdale and Arizona Republic.
If she had to name a secret superpower, Kozemczak said it would be gratitude. “I feel fortunate that gratitude, a crucial core value, comes so naturally to me, and therefore, I try to give to every person I encounter in my work,” she said. “My gratitude for the people in my organization and those we serve fuels my passion for my work.”