Rachel DeGuzman Named New Executive Director of Kyoung's Pacific Beat - A Peacemaking Theater

Seasoned arts administrative executive Rachel Y. DeGuzman joins Kyoung H. Park, founder and artistic director of Kyoung's Pacific Beat, to take the peacemaking theater company from an emerging to a more established and sustainable organization. She will serve as executive director of the Brooklyn based organization.

"It is our privilege to welcome Rachel DeGuzman as Kyoung's Pacfic Beat's first executive director. Rachel brings with her an outstanding wealth of experience that our company truly needs to move forward," says Kyoung H. Park, founder and executive director of Kyoung's Pacific Beat. "Her award-winning advocacy for equity in the arts and unique strengths as an arts leader will greatly serve not only our company and artists, but the diverse communities we serve in New York City. This is a transformational moment in our company's history."

"I am thrilled to come on board at Kyoung's Pacific Beat and join such a dynamic and innovative team of artists and designers," says DeGuzman. "Kyoung's work is brilliant and its focus on peace as well as the collaborative infusion of multi-cultural perspectives in the company, make his work relevant and connected to so much that we are experiencing today. I am excited to help expose more people in New York City and beyond to Kyoung's Pacific Beat."

Aside from her work as executive director of Kyoung's Pacific Beat, Rachel Y. DeGuzman is president and CEO of 21st Century Arts, a Rochester, NY based arts consultancy. She is the founder and executive producer of "Diversity in the Arts: A Call to Action in ROC" symposium and the "Entrepreneurship in the Arts: A Call to Action in ROC" symposium as well as the "A Street Light Festival."

Her past positions include director of advancement/external relations at Rochester City Ballet and marketing and publicity manager of Nazareth College Arts Center where she was a key staff member in the development and launch of the Nazareth College Arts Center Dance Festival. At the Arts Center, she established the first partnership with the New York Dance Performance ("Bessie") Awards - outside of New York City.

DeGuzman and Park are both The Field Leadership Fund Fellows and after months of workshops with the full cohort of 12 Fellows, they were paired to work together for at least until spring 2017. DeGuzman plans to stay on and continue her work as executive director beyonf the fellowship period.

About Kyoung's Pacific Beat:

Founded in 2011, Kyoung's Pacific Beat ("KPB") is a peacemaking theater company based in Brooklyn, New York, which promotes a culture of peace through the production of new works of theater written and directed by Kyoung H. Park.

In collaboration with artists from different cultures and disciplines, KPB rigourously explores sources of violence and engages local commuinities in the creation of its work, to develop an empathetic understanding of underrepresented perspectives, while creatively dismantling systems of oppression. Radically experimenting with form, KPB transforms personal and communal experiences into challenging new works of theater that align with non-violent struggles for peace and social justice, to serve as a model for how art can be an agent of liberation.

More about Kyoung's Pacific Beat at http://kyoungspacificbeat.org.

About The Field Leadership Fund Fellowship Program:

FLF is a fellowship that offers real opportunities, remuneration and access to ambitious artists, arts organizations and arts managers who want to be a leader in their field. It aims to move Manager Fellows into stable, resilient and financially viable careers in the arts and to move Artist and Arts Organization Fellows into new stages of work that will push their artistic visions forward. FLF will help participants identify, hone and share the skills that make them leaders. In addition, FLF hopes to impact the larger sector by sharing our lessons and challenges with our national peers via Leadership Forums, Dissemination Events, and printed results. Ultimately, Field Leadership Fund forwards the notion that advancements in diversity among leadership will lead to a more equitable arts sector in New York City and beyond. The pilot incarnation of Field Leadership Fund is the programmatic result of its 2013 report on failure and success, "to fail and fail big," and its most ambitious project to date.

Field Leadership Fund is generously supported by lead funding from The Scherman Foundation's Katharine S. and Axel G. Rosin Fund. Additional support is provided by American Express, The Coach Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts and The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Field Leadership Fund is also made possible with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

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