About Us
Colette Mainardi - Executive Director
Colette Mainardi brings over 15 years of leadership experience in nonprofit strategy, operations, and community engagement to her role as Executive Director of Artists in Motion dba Alchemy Ballet. With a background in mission-driven consulting and program development, Colette is known for her ability to align visionary artistic goals with strong organizational systems and sustainable growth.
Since stepping into the role, Colette has focused on strengthening Alchemy Ballet’s operational infrastructure, deepening donor and community relationships, and expanding opportunities for both students and professional dancers. Her leadership is guided by a belief in the transformative power of the arts and a commitment to accessibility, excellence, and innovation.
Colette works closely with Alchemy Ballet’s Board of Directors, artistic leadership, and staff to ensure the organization continues to thrive artistically and financially. She plays a key role in strategic planning, fundraising, and community partnerships—helping position Alchemy Ballet as a rising force in regional arts education and performance.
Lorraine Audéoud Spiegler - Artistic Director
With 40 years of experience as a dance educator, director and choreographer, Lorraine Spiegler is a highly respected leader in the dance field. She served as Founding Artistic Director of CityDance Conservatory from 2007 to 2024 (currently Emerita) where she developed numerous successful programs elevating the Conservatory to one of the region's premier centers for pre-professional dance training, “...amongst the top 5% most prestigious dance academies in the USA,” per a Northwestern University Study published in 2023.
Spiegler’s career includes teaching at The St. Croix School of the Arts, serving as an NEA artist-in-residence for the Caribbean Dance Company, and Artistic Director, teacher/choreographer of Theatre Dance Inc. School and Conservatory in the USVI. She was the first appointed Director of Education and Outreach for The Washington Ballet where she co-founded and co-created the DanceDC Program, creating the “Dancing with Words” curriculum. She co-created/directed the US Department of Education funded “Cultural Partnerships for At-Risk Children and Youth Program.”
Spiegler’s choreographic work has garnered national recognition, including commissions from The Kennedy Center/National Symphony Orchestra for the “Music that Moves” Concerts. An advocate for international dance exchange, she has worked extensively in the Caribbean, Europe, and Latin America. Festival and international ballet competition invitations have included Orizaba International Dance Festival in Mexico, Nervi International Dance Festival in Italy, Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland and Jackson IBC in the USA.
Ms. Spiegler has received numerous awards, including the American University Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance and the Metro Dance DC Award for "Excellence in Education." Dancers she has trained, including while directing CityDance Conservatory have been recognized by various awards, honors and accolades from: NYCDA, NAACP ACT_SO, WBC and Youth America Grand Prix at national and international levels: Youth Grand Prix, Grand Prix, Hope, Outstanding Teacher/Faculty, Best Choreography, Best Small and Large Ensembles, Outstanding School Awards, as well as invitations to perform at YAGP Galas at Lincoln Center in NYC, San Francisco and Tampa, Florida.
She holds a B.A. in Dance with a minor in Education and two Master's degrees in Dance History and Arts Management from American University.
Elena Ovchinnikova - Programs Manager
Dr. Elena Ovchinnikova graduated from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy obtained her PhD in Pedagogic Science (Theory and Methodology of Professional Education in Choreography) and Master Degree in Ballet Pedagogy. Additionally, Elena graduated from Russian State Medical University in Moscow, Russia and obtained Master Doctor/Master Science degrees, and thus, possess both a PhD and MD. Dr. Elena Ovchinnikova is the author of scientific publications in ballet pedagogy, psychology and ballet medicine. Her publications and PhD thesis are stored in the database of Russian State Library – the leading scientific library of Russia.
Elena has professional performing experience as a soloist and principal dancer in ballets of the classical repertoire to include Swan Lake, Raymonda, Nutcracker, Giselle, Cinderella, Coppelia, Paquita, and Don Quixote. She performed with renowned companies to include Russian State Theater “Ballet of Russia” (Moscow, Russia), Astana Opera (Astana, Kazakhstan), New Classical Ballet (Moscow, Russia), and Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker (USA) which toured internationally. Additionally, Elena was awarded in three International Ballet Competitions in Vienna (Austria), Roma (Italy), and Zagreb (Croatia).
Elena has taught in Russia at Moscow State Academy of Choreography (the Bolshoi Ballet Academy) and in the USA at the Kirov Academy of Ballet of Washington DC. She is the former Artistic Director of Reston Ballet Conservatory. She is a guest Professor of Dance at the International Ballet Festival in Panama, guest lecturer in Methodology of Teaching Character Dance at the Dance Department of Michigan State University, and a guest teacher and choreographer for ballet academies across the USA, Austria, Spain, and Hong Kong.
Joan Boada - Founding Director
A native of Havana, Cuba, Mr. Joan Boada received his impeccable training and foundation of classical repertory from the prestigious Escuela Nacional de Ballet in Cuba. After graduation, he moved to Paris to train with Gilbert Mayer, Jacques Namont, and Manuel Legris. He danced with seven companies (including Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Ballet National de Marseille Roland Petit, The Australian Ballet, and Royal Ballet of Flanders) before joining San Francisco Ballet as a principal dancer in 1999. During his long performing career, he danced coveted roles in full length classics ballets including Don Quixote, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadere, Eguene Oneguin, and Cinderella. He excelled in classical, dramatic, and neo-classical roles, created by some of the most celebrated choreographers including Balanchine, Robbins, and Ashton. Boada’s honors include an Isadora Duncan Dance Award for ensemble performance, and various awards and medals in the highest ballet competitions in Varna, Paris, Osaka, and Shanghai. After retiring from San Francisco Ballet in 2017, he began his teaching career and worked with reputable ballet programs for pre-professional and professional dancers in California, Florida, Washington D.C., and Virginia. His recent roles included Ballet Master and Assistant Choreographer with Compañía Nacional de Danza in Madrid, Spain, and Artistic Director of Kirov Academy in Washington, D.C. Currently, Boada is the Associate Director of Boston Ballet II.
Keren Dolan - Founding Director and Co-Chair
Dr. Keren Dolan’s earliest foray into the non-profit world was as a Sponsorship Coordinator for Friends of the Orphans, an organization serving orphaned and abandoned children in Latin America and the Caribbean. She has since pursued a career as a functional clinician. Dr. Dolan is a Maryland Licensed Nutritionist (LDN), a Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS®), a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition (FACN), a Registered Herbalist (RH) American Herbalists Guild, and a Holistic Aromatherapist. Dr. Dolan holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Virginia and a M.S. in Therapeutic Herbalism and D.C.N. (Doctor of Clinical Nutrition) from Maryland University of Integrative Health (MUIH). Dr. Dolan serves as adjunct faculty in the Nutrition and Herbal Medicine Department at MUIH and has a functional nutrition practice in Herndon, Virginia. She also serves as the Secretary and a Director of the American Herbalists Guild. A native of Washington D.C., and 17-year resident of Fairfax County, Virginia, Dr. Dolan recognizes the power of the arts to serve as yet another healing force in community. As the proud mother of three young artists, she is committed to creating opportunities for families to participate in the arts in a manner that is enriching and accessible for all ages and stages.
Busy Graham - Founding Director
Ms. Busy Graham has devoted most of her life to the arts and education, from music teacher to artist representative to nonprofit administrator and arts advocate. In 1995, while serving as the Director of the Institute of Musical Traditions, Busy founded Class Acts Arts (now Artivate) with the goal of bringing high-quality and culturally diverse traditions of music, dance, storytelling and theater to schools and under-resourced communities throughout the National Capital Region. In 1999, she launched Project Youth ArtReach, serving youth and women in corrections. After leaving Class Acts/Artivate in 2005, Busy founded Carpe Diem Arts with a focus on community building through the arts, creating cross-cultural, multi-generational opportunities to participate in the visual, literary and performing arts. She has received numerous awards in recognition of her work on both sides of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, including Maryland’s Sue Hess Award as "Arts Advocate of the Year," and the “Lifetime Impact Award” from Montgomery County. She believes that the arts matter—in our towns, our schools, our communities, in the life of every citizen—and that through creative partnerships, we can make the power of the arts accessible and beneficial to all.
Tom Dolan - Co-Chair
Tom Dolan is Chief Executive Officer of Medlearn Media. His 15-year management and leadership track record includes experience in the clinical field, where he specialized in software sales and support through complementary products and services. Prior to Medlearn, Dolan spent 11 years at RURO, Inc. During his tenure, he served as Vice President of Sales, Chief Operating Officer and, finally Chief Executive Officer. He drove the company’s transition to cloud services, led ISO 9001 certification of its procedures, and led the market-facing and operational portion of the company’s business-to-business initiatives. He led the company’s triple-digit revenue growth, including rebranding and developing new product strategies, and established key business partnerships with large pharmaceutical firms, hospital systems and clinical networks. Dolan’s international successes include several multi-million-dollar contract awards and subsequent on-time solution deployments in Europe and the Middle East, and the establishment of profitable satellite operations in China. Dolan has played the bass since he was a teenager and has carried an endorsement by G&L since 2003. His repertoire is broad, eclectic, and he has performed with various culturally-diverse bands from the Virginia State Theater to Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage. Dolan is passionate about the arts and non-profit service and serves on the board of the Snyder Robinson Foundation. He was raised in Silver Spring and Wheaton, Maryland, and has lived in Fairfax County for nearly two decades.
Juliet Campana Boada - Vice-Chair
A native Virginian, Juliet Campana Boada’s career in the performing arts began when she trained and competed as a figure skater. She graduated from Boston College with a degree in Marketing and a minor in Communications and has supplemented her degree with courses in Accounting, Economics, and Psychology from Harvard Extension School. Most recently, Ms. Campana has been back in the arts working as an office manager and admin in thue fine arts scene of Northern Virginia. With nearly 15 years of experience in marketing, Ms. Campana has also worked as Admissions and Communications Director for a ballet organization, which included extensive managing of social media, press, families and students; all while directing studio operations and coordinating with administrative and artistic staff. Having lived and traveled abroad extensively, Ms. Campana is excited to be a part of an organization that will support and unite artists from around the globe.
Ryan Winkel - Treasurer and Director
Mr. Ryan Winkel is the Director of Financial Planning and Analysis for Onboard where he helps boards around the world function at a higher level so every organization can make a bigger difference in the world. Born and raised a Hoosier native, he earned his B.S. in Business Management from Indiana Wesleyan University and M.S. in Finance at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. Ryan has spent the last ten years in public company and private equity finance leadership positions overseeing accounting and FP&A functions ranging from budget and financial planning, mergers and acquisitions, corporate strategy and development, to internal and external reporting packages. Prior to this Ryan spent nearly a decade in the investment industry focused on building relationships to help individuals and organizations own their financial futures in a variety of brokerage and portfolio management roles. The unique combination of investment banking and corporate finance has enabled Ryan to tackle some of the biggest challenges an organization can face in a collaborative and ethical manner. These efforts have lead to organizations being able to consistently deliver on their missions while avoiding the pitfalls to which many organizations fall prey.