Mark Baird

Mark is Program Director of the LEAP program. Prior to his appointment to the role in 2002, Mark danced professionally with major national and international ballet companies including The Joffrey Ballet of New York, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Teatro Comunale di Firenze (Florence, Italy), and Ballet du Nord (France). He completed his dance career as Ballet Master with Northern Ballet Theatrein England.

During Mark's 20-year professional career in classical ballet he worked with, among others, Rudolph Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Agnes de Mille, Bill T. Jones, and Paul Taylor.

Upon returning to the United States in 1996, Mark moved into the corporate world, primarily in the area of client retained executive search and human resources, where he was a Principal with Korn/Ferry International, Director with TMP Worldwide, and Director of Human Resources with KMD Architects, an international architectural firm.

Mark is responsible for the program's strategic planning, growth and direction; fundraising; administration; and academic counseling and advising. In 2004, he led the expansion of the LEAP program to Los Angeles, in 2007 to New York and, in the spring of 2013 to Las Vegas.