Executive Director • Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre
Mysti Byrnes helped turn a neighborhood’s wish for a safer crossing into a funded public project.
Through Perk Up Perkins, she and organizer Julie Gerdes Becnel rallied residents, businesses and officials around pedestrian safety in the Perkins Road Overpass District. A petition drew more than 600 signatures, and over 30 businesses joined the effort. T
he city approved and funded a pedestrian beacon and crosswalk at Ferndale and Perkins, part of nearly $2 million in corridor improvements.
That ability to bring people together also defines her nonprofit career. At BREADA, she strengthened the Farm Fête sponsorship program with giving levels, a host committee and returning sponsors, supporting farmers and food access.
Now executive director of Baton Rouge Ballet Theatre, Byrnes is helping position the organization for growth after rebuilding its sponsorship base and improving operations. Her experience spans arts leadership in Baton Rouge and Detroit, with a performer’s understanding of what happens onstage and behind it. She also advocates for children through CASA.
What I delegate—and what I take on myself: “I try to delegate anything I’ve already done and know that someone else can learn. I tend to take on the things I don’t understand because, as a leader, I think it’s important to understand how all the pieces fit together even if I’m not the person ultimately doing the work.”
