National YoungArts Foundation Names New President And CEO

The Board of Trustees of the National YoungArts Foundation today announced the appointment of Carolina García Jayaram as President and Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Jayaram succeeds Michael Kaiser, Interim Chief Executive Officer. She will assume her post on June 20, 2016.

"We are thrilled that Carolina García Jayaram will be joining us as the Chief Executive Officer," said Richard Kohan, Chair of YoungArts' Board of Trustees. "Her record of leadership and success in the non-profit arts field is sterling. Her commitment to diversity in the arts is exemplary. Her range of experience is national, and her roots in Miami are deep. My fellow trustees and I look forward to working with Carolina to expand the organization's support of accomplished young artists across the nation."

Ms. García Jayaram said, "For years now I have followed the work of YoungArts with excitement and increasing admiration, seeing the organization continue to broaden and grow the program and give it more depth and scope. The establishment of the campus in Miami, the expansion of the program's outreach into other cities, the involvement of magnificent artists as advisors and role models-all this and more has made YoungArts the organization to watch. I'm extremely proud to have been chosen to advance YoungArts in realizing its indispensable mission."

Sarah Arison, a YoungArts Trustee and President of the Arison Arts Foundation, said, "Thirty-five years ago, my grandparents, Lin and Ted Arison, founded the National YoungArts Foundation. They were visionaries who led the way to create an organization that supports and cultivates young artists at the highest level across the country. As much as YoungArts has achieved since then, I know that it's poised to do more, and is needed more than ever. I look forward to working with Carolina to take YoungArts to its next level."

Ms. García Jayaram comes to YoungArts from United States Artists (USA), one of the nation's largest grantmaking and advocacy organizations supporting performing, visual, media and literary artists, where she has served as President and Chief Executive Officer since 2014. Among her other achievements at USA, she oversaw the formation of a new Fellows Alumni Advisory Council, the establishment of new partnerships with leading national organizations and festivals and the production of USA's annual two-day convening, the Artists Assembly.

Prior to joining USA, Ms. García Jayaram served as Executive Director of the Chicago Artists Coalition from 2010 through 2014, revitalizing the 40-year-old organization into a vital resource for entrepreneurial artists. She has also served on the Chicago Cultural Plan Advisory Committee and the Mayor's Cultural Advisory Council. In recognition of her achievements, the Chicago Tribune named her "Chicagoan of the Year in Arts" in 2013.

The appointment at YoungArts represents something of a homecoming for Carolina García Jayaram, who earned her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Miami School of Law (where she was a H.O.P.E. Award and Alumni Achievement Award recipient) and co-founded the Miami arts support and education organization Cannonball (formerly LegalArt), where she was Executive Director. She continues to be involved with Cannonball as a member of its Board of Directors and also serves on the advisory board for the University of Miami School of Law's Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. Program.

Ms. García Jayaram began her career in arts advocacy and support in New York City (where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from New School University) as Director of Literary Programs at PEN American Center.

World-renowned opera singer Placido Domingo, a YoungArts Trustee and Master Teacher, said, "YoungArts is dedicated to the brilliant young people who are on their way to becoming America's next generation of artists-so by its very nature this wonderful organization is optimistic, energetic, empathetic and open to fresh ideas. These are exactly the qualities that Carolina brings to YoungArts. The fact that she also provides mature judgment and managerial expertise makes her truly a gift, not just to YoungArts but to American art as a whole."

"As YoungArts continues to evolve and grow, I am reminded of all that the organization has done for me," said Desmond Richardson, Tony-award nominee, celebrated performer and YoungArts Master Teacher, who was a 1986 YoungArts Winner in Dance and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts. "It's been an ongoing fruitful relationship in the years since my first involvement. While I have toured the world and cofounded my own dance company, Complexions, I have also returned to YoungArts on multiple occasions to perform and teach, and I've been honored to participate with my company as the first recipient of the YoungArts Residency in Dance. I feel I'm speaking for more than 20,000 YoungArts Alumni when I welcome Carolina to the YoungArts family."

This announcement follows the conclusion of YoungArts' 2016 signature programs in Miami, New York and Los Angeles. Richard Kohan said, "I would like to acknowledge the astounding work the YoungArts staff does year after year in providing a platform for emerging artists across the country. With Carolina joining the staff this summer I can only imagine what we will be able to do to support generations and generations of artists to come."

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