Skip to main content

Executive Director's Letter 7/5/2022

Posted on July 5, 2022 by GBCA

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.

Become a Member

As a member of GBCA, you will not only gain access to wonderful benefits, but you will also become an active participant in a broader cultural community. Your organization and employees will directly benefit from opportunities to collaborate, connect, learn, network and share with your colleagues in the cultural community. Join our growing constituency of over 300 individual artists and organizations representing the region's extraordinary range of arts, culture, history, heritage, humanities, and attractions.

Join Today

Charity Bavigator Four-Star Rating Badge
Support for GBCA encourages transformational creativity throughout Greater Baltimore and ensures the continued progress of our region’s cultural community. Please consider making a gift to our Annual Fund today. Thank you!