Staff - Administration

Valeria Sinyavskaya - Artistic Director & Ballet Mistress 
Bertina Dew - Executive Director 

Kathy Richards – Financial Manager

Support Staff:
    Karen Buck - Receptionist
    Bill Hartley - Bookeeper

Kathy Richards graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park in 1980 with a Bachelors Degree in Accounting. She received her Certification in Public Accountancy in the state of Maryland in 1982 and worked as a Staff Accountant from 1980 through 1985 and as Corporate Controller from 1985 through 1993. From 1992 through 2004, Ms. Richards and her husband, Michael owned and managed an electrical lighting business, during which time they tripled their workforce and grew the company to five times its original size. Ms. Richards volunteered as Treasurer on the Board of Trustees with Cedar Ridge Community Church from 2003 to 2006 and taught youth classes for fifteen years. After selling her business in 2004, she began work as a consultant, providing Quickbooks and accounting services to businesses and non-profit organizations. In 2006, Ms. Richards and her husband relocated to Kingsport, Tennessee, where she continued working as a consultant in accounting, financial management and operations for various award-winning downtown businesses, such as: Kaffe Blue, Discovery Ice Cream and Urban Synergy. Ms. Richards has been involved in Kingsport’s downtown redevelopment and volunteers in area organizations such as St. Paul’s Episcopal Food Pantry. She completed the ENCORE leadership program in Fall 2008. She has served as Financial Manager of Kingsport Ballet since 2007