Andrea Virgin is a rare breed: A professional ballerina turned land development engineer. After over 20 years of working in both commercial real estate and the performing arts, she decided to combine both passions with her love of community to spearhead the creation of The Center for Arts & Innovation, a next-century creative campus in Downtown Boca Raton that fills a 60-mile cultural gap that she’s known first-hand has existed for decades.
Andrea was raised right here in Boca Raton. In addition to her education, Andrea trained at Boca Ballet Theatre and Harid Conservatory to become a professional ballerina, ultimately dancing with Houston Ballet II and Ballet Florida. Amidst her full dance schedule, Andrea also enrolled full-time in college for her second career as a civil engineer. Upon graduation from Florida Atlantic University and subsequently Cornell University, she swapped pointe shoes for a hard hat and began working for large design companies, using her creative side to design projects that have changed the landscape of South Florida.
In 2018, Andrea started her own firm, Virgin Design, in Boca Raton. Simultaneously, Andrea joined the Board of Directors at Boca Ballet Theatre, where the concept of creating a performing arts center in Boca Raton was born. Since then, the combination of her past experience, relationships with arts and culture organizations, and connections in the world of commercial real estate have taken this vision to a point where nearly $25 million in seed money and in-kind services have been donated, major stakeholders have gathered together, some of the world’s best consultants have been engaged, a 94-year, $1/year, ground lease at the heart of Downtown Boca Raton has been granted by the City Council and major philanthropic support has begun to materialize. Andrea currently sits as CEO and Chair of the Board for the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization behind the vision and looks forward to bringing this area of South Florida one of the most future-forward performance and exhibition venues in the nation.
In addition to her service and financial support of the Center, Andrea has served in the following additional roles: President of the Cornell University Alumni Association (Boca Raton & Fort Lauderdale Chapter); Director at Boca Ballet Theatre; 2022 Boca’s Ballroom Battle Champion in benefit of the George Snow Scholarship Fund (top female fundraiser in 15-years) where she also serves on the Board of Directors; Panelist for Palm Beach State College’s Kimmel Leadership Academy; Panelist for Neiman Marcus’ “Leading Between the Lines” Women’s Forum; Junior League of Boca Raton’s Woman Volunteer of the Year Nominee; and Habitat for Humanity Women Build Volunteer. Andrea has also been featured in several publications including the Boca Chamber of Commerce Annual Magazine’s Boca Raton’s Top Leaders, Palm Beach Illustrated’s Women On Top; and The Palm Beach’s 100, Boca Magazine’s People to Watch, Fantastic 4, and Women of Style, and the Business Development Bureau of Palm Beach County’s Successful Women Leaders.
In addition to her professional and volunteer work, Andrea is a proud mom of 2 girls and a wife to a man who makes it all possible. She also spends whatever spare time she has left ballroom dancing at Fred Astaire Boca Raton.
