Steven Libman (born October 5, 1959) is a nationally recognized performing arts executive known for leading major orchestra, dance and theatre companies and performing arts centers with an emphasis on classical music and jazz. His career spans more than three decades and he has previously served as the Managing Director or Chief Executive Officer for the Pittsburgh Ballet, La Jolla Playhouse and The Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts. He has also served as the chief advancement officer for the Atlanta Ballet. He is also a public speaker and was the co-host and co-founder of "The Voice of the Performing Arts," a weekly public radio show devoted to the importance of arts education. Currently, Libman is the President & Chief Executive Officer for the Jacksonville Symphony and the president of The Libman Group, a consulting firm that works exclusively in the performing and visual arts arena. Early life Libman was born on October 5, 1959, in Providence, Rhode Island. He is the son of Marilyn (deceased) and Herman Libman (deceased). He has a brother Scott. Libman grew up in Rhode Island and the family moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, when he was in the sixth grade, where they stayed for three years. Libman then moved back to Rhode Island, went to high school (Cranston High School East) and then Rhode Island College where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in performing arts management in 1981. Career Early in Libman's career, he served as managing director of the Rev Theatre Company (formerly the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival) and the Fulton Opera House before being named managing director of the Pittsburgh Ballet, where he spent 17 years. While with the Pittsburgh Ballet, Libman broke new ground in funder relations, raising more than $50 million. He developed ground breaking ballets set to jazz and the music of Paul Simon, Pete Seeger, Sting and Bruce Springsteen. Libman also established tours to Taiwan, Wolf Trap (Washington, D.C.), The Hollywood Bowl and The Joyce Theatre in New York City. When he left the ballet, he was the longest-serving arts executive in the city and one of the two longest-serving managing directors of major ballet companies in North America. From 2005 to 2008, Libman served as managing director and the chief administrative officer at the Tony Award winning La Jolla Playhouse. He ran a four-venue complex that produced over 300 performances per season, and