Recognizing Susan S. Briggs

2021 Christensen Society Honoree

Congratulations to San Francisco Ballet Trustee, Planned Giving Committee Chair, and Jocelyn Vollmar Legacy Circle Chair Susan S. Briggs! Susan was recognized as this year’s Christensen Society Honoree this past Wednesday at SF Ballet’s Annual Chairman’s Council Dinner.

Named in memory of the three brothers—Willam, Lew, and Harold Christensen—whose artistic vision pioneered SF Ballet, the Christensen Society selects one or two honorees each year, recognizing individuals who have made a significant contribution (artistic or otherwise) to San Francisco Ballet. Past recipients include Richard C. Barker, Maestro Denis de Coteau, Sonia H. Evers, Chris Hellman, Lucy Jewett, John S. Osterweis, and Helgi Tomasson.

About susan s. briggs

Susan S. Briggs has served as a Trustee of San Francisco Ballet since 1983. Susan chairs the Planned Giving Committee and the Jocelyn Vollmar Legacy Circle, and is a director of the San Francisco Ballet Endowment Foundation. Susan is a retired estate planning attorney, having been a partner at Bingham McCutchen LLP (and its predecessor McCutchen, Doyle, Brown & Enersen) for more than 30 years.

She chairs the Board of Directors of the Flora Family Foundation (a private charitable foundation), is the vice-chair of the Diana Dollar Knowles Foundation (a private charitable foundation), and is a trustee of Africa Foundation (USA), which supports education and economic development in rural communities surrounding conservation areas in East and Southern Africa.

Susan received her BA in political science from the University of California, Berkeley and her JD from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. Her husband, Ron, is a naval architect and marine consultant. The first ballet she experienced as a girl, Serenade, inspired a lifelong love of and dedication to dance.

Header Image: San Francisco Ballet in Balanchine’s Serenade // Choreography by George Balanchine © The Balanchine Trust; Photo © Erik Tomasson