Janet Rollé ’84 Takes the Helm of American Ballet Theatre

Since 2016, Rollé served as general manager at Parkwood Entertainment, the media and management company founded by entertainer and entrepreneur Beyoncé. Rollé led all business operations for the company, which houses departments in music, film, video, live performances and concert production, artist management, business development, marketing, digital, creative, philanthropy, and publicity.

She was associate producer of Beyoncé’s history-making performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the Emmy Award®-nominated Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé (2019), which documents the Coachella performance, and the OTR II Tour. She was an executive producer of the Emmy®-winning film Black Is King.

Rollé previously served as executive vice president and chief marketing officer at CNN Worldwide, leading a staff of 110 and overseeing the promotion of all CNN brands and programming.

She was the first executive vice president and chief marketing officer of BET Networks and has also served in senior positions at AOL, MTV Networks, and HBO. She serves on the board of directors of BuzzFeed, Inc. and Hallmark Cards, Inc.

“When my dear Mom, an immigrant from Jamaica, took me to my first dance class at the age of eight at the YMCA in Mount Vernon, New York, she set me on the path that would provide the foundation of my career,” says Rollé. “Through dance, I learned how to be a professional, the value of discipline and technique, and my love for the creative process. These lessons have always been at the core of my professional life and work. It is therefore a singular privilege to be entrusted by the Board to preserve and extend the legacy of American Ballet Theatre, and to ensure its future prosperity, cultural impact, and relevance. To come full circle and be in a position to give back to the art that has given me so much is a source of unbridled and immense joy.”

After earning her BFA in dance, Rollé received an MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business. She was named “10 Who Made Their Mark” and a “Woman to Watch” by Advertising Age magazine.

She is the recipient of the Institute for Caribbean Studies Trailblazer Award and the Pat Tobin Media Professional Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. She was conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from The University of the West Indies.