Caryn Campbell Named Executive Director Of The Misty Copeland Foundation

Caryn Campbell has been appointed to the position Executive Director of The Misty Copeland Foundation (MCF). Additionally, Sindy Folgar has been named Director of the MCF BE BOLD program. The appointments, effective January 2023, were announced today by Misty Copeland, MCF Founder and President.

Caryn Campbell joins MCF from Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT), where she has served as Director of Patron Engagement since 2014. In her role with AAADT, she devised new approaches to increase the donor base and advance fundraising through creative campaigns, initiatives, and cross-functional collaborations. Prior to her work with AAADT, she served as Director of Development at the Storefront Academy of Harlem, annually raising $5 million and implementing a $1 million strategic plan. Campbell began her career working in the film industry holding positions with The De Laurentis Company and Paramount Pictures. She also worked in various production roles with Spike Lee's 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, working on Lee's epic Malcolm X and Girl 6. Campbell holds a BFA from Southern Methodist University.

"I'm thrilled to become the founding Executive Director of The Misty Copeland Foundation," said Campbell. "Not only do I share Misty's desire to provide opportunities for children in under-resourced communities through dance, working with MCF in this role will be the culmination of everything that has been important to me in my life professionally to this point - film, arts education, and fundraising. I look forward to helping change the lives of the children that we will serve."

Sindy Folgar comes to the MCF BE BOLD program with extensive performance and teaching experience. She recently served as Senior Director of Programs and Partnerships at Dancewave in Brooklyn and is Adjunct Dance Faculty at Marymount Manhattan College. Certified in American Ballet Theatre's National Training Curriculum, Folgar has served as a ballet instructor at New York University and The Ailey School (Junior Division), Program Director at Peridance Center in New York City, and Adjunct Dance Faculty/Choreographer at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Teaching Dance in the Professions

from NYU's Steinhardt School, a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Ballet and Body Science and Motion from Marymount Manhattan College, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Ballet from Escuela Nacional de Danza in Guatemala.

"Dance and dance education have tremendously impacted my life and career while shaping my identity," said Folgar. "I have always strived to be a positive role model to any young artist no matter their upbringing and identity. Through the innovative BE BOLD approach, I feel fortunate to contribute, in a small way, to reinventing ballet into a more equitable and accessible cultural art form."

"I'm proud to welcome Caryn Campbell and Sindy Folgar to The Misty Copeland Foundation," said Copeland. "I am delighted to build this foundation alongside two phenomenal women who bring a wealth of expertise, knowledge, and experience, as well as deep care and compassion, for children and dance. I have no doubt that MCF will be in capable hands under their leadership, and I look forward to working with them."

The Ford Foundation and The Goldman Sachs Foundation's One Million Black Women Initiative are leading founding funders of the BE BOLD program. Other founding funders include the Arison Arts Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, John and Jody Arnhold, and the Wendy E. Scripps Foundation. The Misty Copeland Foundation is also grateful for the generous support from other individuals and families.

For more information about The Misty Copeland Foundation, please visit www.mistycopelandfoundation.org.

The Misty Copeland Foundation (MCF) aims to address the unmet need of high-quality afterschool programs for children by making ballet accessible, affordable, and fun. The MCF's signature program, BE BOLD, is a free afterschool dance program, that is designed to serve girls and boys, ages 8-10, in community-based, child-focused settings. BE BOLD is an acronym, which translates into Ballet Explorations, Ballet Offers Leadership Development, and aims to make ballet accessible, affordable, and fun for children. BE BOLD is a comprehensive teaching and learning model with five linked components: Introductory Ballet; Health and Wellness; Music for Ballet; Mentoring; and Tutoring.