Milwaukee Ballet Welcomes Kris Hanson and Heather Turner to Board of Directors

We are pleased to welcome two accomplished leaders to Milwaukee Ballet's Board of Directors. Their expertise, leadership, and commitment to community engagement will help strengthen our organization as we continue to inspire audiences and students through the transformative power of dance.

Kristofor (Kris) Hanson

Kris is a Partner with the law firm of Michael Best & Friedrich. He has a multi-faceted management-side labor and employment practice, representing employers in all areas of labor-management relations, including collective bargaining, labor arbitration, and litigation in state and federal courts. He also defends employers before state and federal administrative agencies such as the National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Wisconsin Equal Rights Division, and OSHA, among others.

Outside of work, Kris has served for a decade on the Board of Directors - including two years as Chairman of the Board - for Curative Care, a Southeastern Wisconsin non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of those with disabilities. He currently serves on Curative’s Foundation Board. Kris also serves on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Letters & Sciences at his undergraduate alma mater, UW-Whitewater. Prior to attending law school at Marquette University, Kris played professional baseball in the Cleveland Guardians organization, for which he was a starting pitcher for five seasons.

Kris is married to Jenna Hanson, and they have a four-year-old son named Tennyson. They live in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin.

Heather Turner

Heather Turner brings more than 25 years of A/E/C industry experience spanning construction management, pre-development, strategy, and relationship development. As Principal Shareholder and Practice Leader for Project Development at EUA, an integrated architecture, engineering, and interior design firm, she focuses on connecting people, building relationships, and translating client vision into strategies that align business goals with people, place, and technology to drive stronger business outcomes.

Heather’s honors include Wisconsin Builder’s Women in Construction of the Year, BizTimes’ Notable Woman in Construction + Design, Milwaukee Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 and multi-year Power Broker recognitions, and Milwaukee Magazine’s Woman of Distinction. She is Immediate Past-Chair of TEMPO Milwaukee and has held board leadership roles with the Commercial Association of Realtors of Wisconsin, NAIOP, CoreNet Chicago, and Wisconsin Commercial Real Estate Women. Heather earned Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering and Construction Management from the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

Heather also spent more than 15 years performing ballet, jazz, hip hop, and tap, and trained through four grades with The Cecchetti Council of America. She remains passionate about the positive impact performing arts can have on both performers and audiences.

Milwaukee Ballet is grateful to welcome Kris and Heather to its Board of Directors. Their diverse professional expertise, leadership experience, and commitment to strengthening our community will help support the organization's continued growth and impact in the years ahead.