New Orleans Ballet Theatre snags Teach for America's Andrea Moreno for top spot

New Orleans Ballet Theatre has hired Andrea Moreno as executive director — a new position for the decade-old arts group, which has racked up a string of artistic triumphs in recent years, but struggled to expand its public programming. Moreno will work closely with NOBT co-founders Gregory Schramel and Marjorie Hardwick Schramel.

In a recent interview, Gregory Schramel said that Moreno would help the group develop new audiences, raise funds and create social media and marketing strategies in an effort to build a full-time resident dance company in New Orleans.

Moreno is a 2012 graduate of Harvard University. She came to New Orleans as a Teach for America corps member and worked at Edna Karr High School and G.W. Carver Collegiate Academy. She also became involved with fundraising and development activities for Teach for America, and served as an advisor to Kira Orange-Jones of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Moreno's dance background also was important to NOBT, Schramel said. She was a producer for the Harvard Ballet Company and served as an intern at Ballet Hispanico of New York.

In a written statement, Moreno mentioned her enthusiasm for New Orleans and for her new dance troupe.

"It is our mission to make New Orleans Ballet Theatre the premier ballet company of the Gulf South ... a place where artists strive to make art that matters and that reflects the cultural richness of our city and our community," she wrote. "New Orleans is just such an exciting city to be in, particularly if you like to create things and innovate around existing systems. We have a unique opportunity here to really shape what we want our city to look like, and it's a truly aspirational place to be. Additionally, the community here is so engaged in their city, and it's inspiring to be among people who, whether they just arrived or have been here all their lives, choose New Orleans day in and day out as the place where they want to leave their mark."