Executive Director's Letter
July 5, 2022
It’s official! The cohort for the Urban Arts Leadership (UAL) Class of 2023 has been selected and plans are underway to get started right away. For nearly a decade, UAL has been the flagship program of GBCA’s equity and inclusion efforts. UAL serves as a career pipeline for emerging leaders from underrepresented backgrounds, particularly those of color in the cultural workforce. Working to address barriers to equity, the program also focuses on tools and training for participating host cultural organizations aimed at strengthening their ability to successfully recruit, hire, and retain a more diverse workforce.
Director of Equity and Inclusion, Kibibi Ajanku, along with the UAL Advisory Council, have identified the following accomplished individuals to join the 2023 UAL cohort:
Juan Ogondo
Kim Poole
Tracy Stevens
Adriana Vele
Yejide Washington
We are deeply grateful to the Advisory Council for their thoughtful deliberation and advice. Led by GBCA Board member Garey Hyatt from Coppin State University, the committee includes:
Rhea Beckett, Director, Black Artist Research Space (BARS); Manager, C. Grimaldis Gallery; UAL Alumni
Doreen Bolger, Former Director, Baltimore Museum of Art
Camila Bryce Laporte, Independent Folklorist
Sharayna Christmas, Creative Director, Muse 360; Program Manager, BCAN
Jalen Eutsey, Professor, Johns Hopkins University; Librarian, Peabody Institute; UAL Alumni
Quanice Floyd, Executive Director, National Guild for Community Arts Education
Denise Gantt, Director of Education & Resident Artist, The Lyric
Fanon Hill, Executive Director & Co-Founder, The Youth Resiliency Institute
Dr. Garey Hyatt (Co-Chair), Professor and Chair of the Visual & Performing Arts Department, Coppin State University
David Mitchell, Managing Director, Arena Players; Cultural Affairs Program Coordinator, Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts
Michelle Antoinette Nelson, Founder and CEO, Brown + Healthy; UAL Alumni
Kathy O'dell, Special Assistant to the Dean for Education & Arts Partnerships; Associate Professor of Visual Arts, Art History & Museum Studies, UMBC
Alisha Patterson, Managing Director, Afro House
Geri Peak, Spiritual Demographer & Chief Insight Facilitator, Two Gems Consulting
My best wishes for a happy and safe July,
Jeannie
P.S. The Maryland Primary election is just around the corner on July 19, 2022. Information about the election can be found on the nonpartisan League of Women Voters website: https://www.lwvmd.org/2020_voters_guides.
