KIETH COCKRELL
President, Bank of America Charlotte & Head of Sports Sponsorships
Kieth Cockrell is President of Bank of America Charlotte and Head of Sports Sponsorships for the company. As President of Bank of America Charlotte, he is responsible for connecting banking and investment resources offered through the banks’ eight lines of business deploying Bank of America’s resources to address social and economic concerns, and helping the local community thrive.
Active in the community, he co-chaired the 2020 Charlotte City Bond Campaign. He plays a vital role on various boards with local organizations, including vice chair of Johnson C Smith University, immediate past chair of the Levine Museum of the New South, board chair of the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, board member for the Foundation for the Carolinas, My Brother’s Keeper Charlotte-Mecklenburg, United Negro College Fund Inc, and Charlotte Sports Foundation. Also, he has served on the boards of United Way, Goodwill Industries, Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina and the American Diabetes Association, which previously named him Father of the Year. Kieth is a Michigan Chronicle Men of Excellence honoree and received the Excellence in Economic Development award from the 100 Black Men of Detroit. Recipient of the MLK Growing the Dream ROOT Award, Pride Award, and Newsmaker of the Year from Charlotte Post.
GET TO KNOW KIETH
- Fun Fact: I am the father of 3 former division 1 student-athletes who each were 2 times captains of their collegiate team. Ross is a Superbowl Champion while Ciera is in 2nd year of law school and Anna was a 2020 Olympian.
- Why did you choose to support Charlotte Ballet: Serena and I have been large supporters of the Arts & Culture Community here in Charlotte as we believe arts are a platform for diverse expression bringing people together and enriches our community.
SARAH LAPOINTE
Seasons with Charlotte Ballet: 8
Sarah trained in various genres of dance from age two to 14 at Mid-Atlantic Center for the Performing Arts. She furthered training at Baltimore School for the Arts and The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia, where she was offered a full scholarship to train under the direction of Bo and Stephanie Spassoff and graduated in 2015.
She attended summer intensives with Bolshoi Ballet Academy and Chautauqua School of Dance, where she was awarded with the Artistic Director Award for Overall Excellence and Faculty Award for Technical Merit. Sarah was also recognized as a National YoungArts Foundation Dance Finalist (Ballet, 2015) and received a nomination for U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts semi-finalist. She has been a guest artist with The Washington Ballet in the history-breaking performance of Swan Lake featuring Misty Copeland and Brooklyn Mack.
At 18, she began her professional career with Charlotte Ballet. Sarah was recognized in 2017 as Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch.” During her professional dance career, she went on to continue her educational studies, and in 2020 graduated summa cum laude with honors from California Baptist University with a B.S. in Kinesiology. As a company member of Charlotte Ballet, she has been featured in works by Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Sasha Janes, Mark Diamond, George Balanchine, Jiří Kylián, Dwight Rhoden, Ohad Naharin, Alonzo King, Mark Godden, Javier de Frutos, Myles Thatcher, Filipe Portugal, Bryan Arias, Jerome Robbins, Medhi Walerski, Stephanie Martinez, Helen Pickett, Christian Spuck, Val Caniparoli, Rena Butler and Crystal Pite.
GET TO KNOW SARAH
- Hometown: Bel Air, MD
- Dancing Since: Age 2
- Favorite ballet: George Balanchine’s Jewels, specifically the Rubies movement.
- What inspires you as an artist? Having the freedom to do what I love every day, and being able to inspire and delight others through my work.
- What has been a highlight from your time with Charlotte Ballet? Having the opportunity to work with such acclaimed choreographers on many incredible works.
THE HARVEST CENTER OF CHARLOTTE
The Harvest Center of Charlotte empowers men, women, and children to rise above the issues of situational homelessness, trauma, and poverty.
Living at The Harvest Center for 12- 18 months, our participants take part in our Passport Program, a Christ-Centered and holistic approach embracing the eight dimensions of wellness. The objective is to help each client achieve emotional, physical, and financial security including a permanent residence, and a sustainable career path.
Originally founded as a soup kitchen, The Harvest Center has evolved and relocated to better respond to the needs of men, women, and children who have fallen victim to difficult situations including abuse and emotional traumas. Working with an array of community partners, our Transformation Team designs case plans tailored to their needs to achieve wellness and independence, thus breaking the cycle of homelessness and poverty.
The vision is to return 2,000 individuals to permanent housing, life sustaining careers and a connection to a faith community.
To learn more about The Harvest Center of Charlotte, visit theharvestcenter.org.
LEADERS AT A GLANCE
Check out the fundraising competition live via the Star Dancer leaderboard. Support your favorite Star Pair and cast your vote today by purchasing tickets or making a donation. All ticket sales and donations received are split 50/50 with Charlotte Ballet and the Star Dancer’s chosen charity. $1=1 Vote! On March 4, the People’s Choice Award will be presented to the Star Pair with the most funds raised. Judges’ Choice Award is presented to the Star Pair the judges determine had the best moves.
Total: $1,441,521
Thank you to our sponsors
- Prima
- Relevé
- Plié
- Pirouette
- Arabesque
