Board of Trustees

Lola Abigail Koch — Founder & CEO



Lola Abigail Koch is a distinguished American ballet producer, celebrated former ballerina, and visionary leader in the ballet community. A graduate of the renowned Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Lola danced with the Bolshoi Ballet from 1998 to 2008, while also earning a Bachelor’s degree in Ballet Pedagogy and Choreography in 2003, followed by a Master’s degree in Dance and Art in 2005. Her pursuit of knowledge extended to Public Administration and Management, which she completed in 2008.

In 2009, Lola moved to New York City, where she transitioned from performing to producing, judging ballet competitions, teaching, creating events, managing productions, and fundraising for ballet projects. During the pandemic, she founded the Ballet Support Foundation (501c3), a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting young ballet dancers and producing innovative ballet projects.

As a guest master teacher at the Joffrey Ballet School in NYC, Lola also continues to inspire the next generation of dancers. Notably, she produced the “Holiday Season with Ballet Stars”Gala at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami in December 2023, showcasing world-renowned ballet stars like Natalia Osipova (Royal Ballet), Christine Shevchenko (ABT), Mira Nadon (NYCB), Liudmila Pagliero (Opera de Paris),Xin Ying (Martha Graham)and more.

Her unique approach has bridged ballet and fashion, as seen in March 2024 when she presented ballet at Paris Fashion Week with a prima ballerina from the Wiener Staatsoper. This performance, celebrated in Harper’s Bazaar, Madame Figaro, Elle, Marie Claire, and other major fashion publications, captivated audiences by merging art forms.

BSF project, “Vingh Deux ,” a ballet piece honoring tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams, premiered at the Kravis Center, further solidifying her reputation as a pioneering force in ballet productions and creative projects. In 2025 Ballet Support Foundation presented Herman Cornejo and Ballet Stars at New World Center, brought Ballet Production to The Viennese Opera Ball, and performed at Bryant Park with New York City Opera. Ballet Support Foundation upcoming project Legendary Women are currently in progress.

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Board of Trustees

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Board Member Andrea Dougherty O’Naghten

Andrea Dougherty O’Naghten, a native of Miami Beach, Florida has over 30 years-experience as an arts administrator in South Florida. She is the founder and president of Rhodes Arts Consulting, a provider of management, planning, funding, and communications coaching and services to non-profit arts and cultural leaders and organizations. The company raises over $1.6 million annually in grants for a core group of 6-8 arts organizations in Miami-Dade County. Prior to forming Rhodes Arts, Andrea served for ten years as a senior program administrator at the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs where she worked directly with over 650 Miami-Dade based non-profit cultural organizations and individual artists; administering over 1,100 grants for a total of $15.7 million in public funds. An accomplished photographer and graphic designer, Andrea holds a BFA in Fine Art Photography from RIT in Rochester, New York and an MBA in marketing and entrepreneurship from FIU’s Graduate School of Business. She has also completed advanced coursework in visual communications at Harvard University. She has received formal, studio-based training in various art forms, including photography, criticism, ceramics, painting, illustration, printmaking, collage, textiles and weaving, western calligraphy, dance (ballet, tap, jazz, modern, acrobatics), piano and musical theater. She presents lectures, workshops and seminars focused on grants and awards, non-profit organizational design, self-promotion, and the business of being an artist. Andrea and her husband, Luis O’Naghten, a noted international arbitration attorney, make their home in Coral Gables along with their three teenage daughters. Andrea and Luis are avid collectors of the work of Cuba’s Vanguardia painters (modernists active from the 1920s through 1980s).

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Board Member Violetta Mordukhay

Violetta B.Mordukhay Immigration Attorney, Law Office of Violetta B. Mordukhay, P.C.

Violetta B. Mordukhay is an accomplished U.S. immigration attorney recognized for her work with extraordinary and internationally acclaimed professionals in the arts, culture, and creative industries. As the founder and principal of the Law Office of Violetta B. Mordukhay, P.C., she has successfully represented distinguished dancers, choreographers, composers, designers, filmmakers, and other elite creative figures in obtaining O-1 and EB-1 visas for extraordinary ability.

Her practice is defined by a deep understanding of artistic achievement and a commitment to advancing the global exchange of talent in the performing arts. Violetta’s clients include award-winning ballet artists and leaders from prestigious companies across Europe, Asia, and the United States. Drawing on her extensive experience with complex petitions and evidentiary strategies, she has become a trusted legal advocate for artists whose contributions elevate the international cultural landscape.

Beyond her legal practice, Violetta actively supports philanthropic and educational initiatives that foster artistic excellence and cultural diplomacy. Her work with the Ballet Support Foundation reflects her enduring belief that classical and contemporary dance are vital instruments of cross-cultural connection and artistic freedom.

Violetta is admitted to the State Bar of California. She brings to the Board not only legal expertise but also a passion for nurturing the next generation of exceptional artists.

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Board Member Era Jouravlev

Mrs. Era Jouravlev studied at the famed Perm State Choreography Academy in Russia under directorship of such notable mentors as L. Sakharova and L. Ulanova. While dancing as a Principal with the Perm State Opera and Ballet Theatre, she toured internationally with the Stars of the Kirov and Bolshoi Ballet: L. Semeniaka, A. Fadeechev, O. Chenchikova, L. Kunakova, M. Daukaev. She has toured with American Ballet Theatre Principal Nina Ananiashvili in Japan and South Korea. Also she has toured with Bolshoi Theatre Principals E. Maksimova and V.Vasiliev in Tokyo and with N. Pavlova and V. Gordeev in Moscow. During a summer tour in China, she danced with the “Stars of American Ballet”.

In 1995 Mrs. Jouravlev joined the New Jersey Ballet as a Principal Dancer, where she performed the works of George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Paul Taylor, Antony Tudor, Johan Renvall, Margo Sappington, Robert Weise, and Robert North, among others.

Mrs. Jouravlev taught for the New Jersey Ballet for fourteen years, and started teaching at the Joffrey Ballet School in 1997. She worked as the Head of Classical Ballet Studies at JBS under the direction of Mr. Robert Ray for many years, assisting him in implementing a codified ballet technique syllabus for the entire Ballet Trainee Program. With an incredible career, over thirty years of teaching experience, and a fierce passion for shaping dancers into artists, Era Jouravlev is delighted to share her expertise as the Ballet Trainee Program Director.

Advisory Committee:

Charlie Hoppestein
Melissa Gerstein
Isabel Lopez & Isabel Original
YAGP & Larissa Saveliev
Era and Andrey Jouravlev
Stacey Cadell
Gina Gibney
Marina Kovalyov
Jean Hugues Feray & Paris Ballet
Holly and Sasha Bondar
Gina Ardani
Nicole Boutmy de Katzmann
Hal Witt
Emily Reifel
Anastasia Didie
Silvia Frieser

PR:

Jonathan Marder

Board Secretary:

Victoria Karaian

Marketing Director:

Yaroslav Farifonov

Designer:

Ashley Jahncke