Scott Altman joined Cincinnati Ballet as President & CEO in August 2016. Under his visionary leadership, Cincinnati Ballet has reached many noteworthy milestones — the construction of the $32 million Cincinnati Ballet Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance; more than tripling asset to $75 million; implementation of record-breaking operating budgets exceeding $13 million; a dynamic new logo and brand identity; record-breaking ticket sales; the launch of a highly-successful annual Family Series; and as expanded Academy and community and education programs.
To accommodate this incredible growth, Cincinnati Ballet launched a $31M capital campaign to construct the larger, state-of-the-art ballet center. With the successful completion of the campaign, the 62,000 sq. ft. Cincinnati Ballet Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance had its grand opening in September 2021.
During his tenure, Altman was honored for three consecutive years by Cincinnati Magazine in its Cincinnati 300— a compilation of the city’s top 300 executives. He has served as Trustee on the Board of DanceUSA and as its Executive Managers’ Council Chair, Trustee on the Board of Creative Ohio, and member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Altman has been featured guest speaker for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Americans for the Arts and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute..
Altman has been featured guest speaker for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Americans for the Arts and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Altman brings with him nearly three decades of experience in nonprofit administration and performing arts. Prior to his roles in administration, Altman enjoyed a 20-year career as a professional opera singer and performed 40 opera roles internationally. He has held leadership positions as General Director at both Arizona Opera and Opera New Jersey, and just prior to coming to Cincinnati Ballet he was Executive Director of Ballet West. During his tenure, Ballet West experienced phenomenal expansion, including growth in ticket sales, a vastly expanded touring schedule, robust growth in donor development, and the construction of a new building.
He is an alumnus of the Manhattan School of Music as well as State University College at Purchase and taught for three years at Princeton University. Altman earned a certificate from Stanford University’s Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders, was a Utah Business 2016 CEO of the Year Honoree and is a three-time recipient of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts Citation of Excellence Award.
