James Nelson who began his career as a dancer and went on to to serve in a succession of roles with Houston Ballet: company manager, general manager and then chief executive in February 2012, taking over from C.C. Conner.
In the years that followed, working closely with Artistic Director Stanton Welch, Nelson successfully saw the company through its displacement from the Wortham Center that was damaged in Hurricane Harvey and the COVID-19 years.
Houston Ballet Artistic Directors Julie Kent and Welch complimented Nelson.
“Jim has been my partner in leading this amazing company. We have had a shared vision that has taken Houston Ballet to ever greater artistic heights. Julie and I marvel at his dedication to the company these past four decades. We’ll miss him,” said Welch. Kent said , “Jim’s remarkable leadership of this company, the hallmark of which has been a commitment to excellence, will inspire Houston Ballet for many years to come.”
Highlighting Nelson’s achievements, the ballet said in a statement: “During his tenure, Mr. Nelson has pursued an aggressive initiative of building large-scale, full-length ballets and expanding Houston Ballet’s international exposure. Since 2012, the company has developed lavish new productions of Aladdin (2014), Romeo and Juliet (2015), Giselle (2016), The Tempest (2017), Sylvia (2019) and Stanton Welch’s celebrated $5 million production of The Nutcracker, which premiered in 2016. During this period, Houston Ballet made its first-ever appearances in Paris (2013), Melbourne (2016), Dubai (2018) and Tokyo (2022).”
“Most of my career has been spent at Houston Ballet, and the opportunity to lead the company has been the greatest honor of my life,” said Nelson, “I was entrusted with the keys to a dynamic, world-class company, and it’s time to pass them along to the next steward of this great organization.”
Nelson also was lauded for his financial achievements during his tenure.
“While executive director, Houston Ballet’s revenues have grown from $19.2 million to over $41 million (for the 2024-2025 season). During this period, Houston Ballet Foundation’s endowment has grown from $52.9 million to approximately $110 million (as of June 30, 2024). Mr. Nelson has instituted a multi-year financial planning process emphasizing stability and long-term resilience as part of the 2023-26 Strategic Plan, with the goal to grow Houston Ballet’s endowment to $200 million by 2035. In 2022, the Houston Ballet Center for Dance was named for Margaret Alkek Williams, especially meaningful to Mr. Nelson due to his admiration for her visionary support of the company.”
Houston Ballet developed a partnership with Houston Methodist to provide services to dancers and staff and also supports The Nutcracker. “Nelson has also prioritized Houston Ballet’s IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) efforts, with Houston Ballet being honored as an Outstanding Diverse Organization in 2023 by the Houston Business Journal,” the ballet’s press release said.
