K.T. Cooper

Originally from Chicago, Kelly Tonina (K.T.) Cooper has been with the Atlanta Ballet for over 10 years. She is the Centre Administrative Director for their Centre for Dance Education, marketing liaison for the school, and for the past four years, K.T. has also taken on the role of co-chair of Atlanta Ballet’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Task Force. In addition to her responsibilities in the office, K.T. steps into the studio to teach for some of the ballet’s youngest dancers, ages 4 to 8, including rehearsing young students for The Nutcracker each year.

Kelly Tonina serves as an executive board member for Out Front Theatre Company, dedicated to sharing empowering stories of the gay community. She also owns her own makeup artistry business, T. Kelly Makeup, offering services for weddings, photoshoots, and fashion shows. A sports enthusiast, K.T. loves to bowl, run, dance, roller skate, play volleyball, softball, and recently took up tennis. In her spare time, she is an avid screenwriter, loves to bake, play with her chihuahua Matisse, continues to master French, and adores spending time with friends and family.

K.T. is a graduate of the University of Florida and holds a Masters in Nonprofit Administration from Louisiana State University Shreveport. She is currently in the application process for the doctoral program in Arts Administration at the University of Kentucky.