Yomara Hernandez Appointed as Chief Financial Officer of Harlem School of the Arts

Yomara Hernandez has been appointed to the position of Chief Financial Officer of Harlem School of the Arts. Ms. Hernandez, an experienced senior financial executive, becomes the first person in almost a decade, to hold that position with the organization. She will start her tenure immediately.

Ms. Hernandez brings more than 25-years of experience and expertise working in both the public and private sectors, leading organizational transformation initiatives, and optimizing financial management processes. She is a skilled collaborator who specializes in helping to enhance organizational effectiveness and efficiency by establishing fiscal discipline, accountability, and transparency, especially within the non-for-profit world.

"We are excited and delighted to welcome Yomara to the HSA executive team. She is going to help us tremendously as we navigate through the new financial normal that so many non-profits are facing post-COVID. As we head into our 60 anniversary, Yomara's expert guidance is going to play an important part in helping us chart a healthy and prosperous new course in honor of our founder, Dorothy Maynor's legacy," stated James C. Horton, President HSA.

Yomara Hernandez had this to say about joining the Harlem School of the Arts, "It is an honor and a privilege to be the new Chief Financial Officer for The Harlem School of Arts during this transformative time. In honor of the founder Dorothy Maynor and her profound legacy, I will work tirelessly to help HSA realize the vision of continued growth in providing unparalleled arts education for the community of Harlem and beyond."

Prior to joining Harlem School of the Arts, Yomara held various positions that provided her with a well-rounded understanding of financial and operational management, including positions as CFO at: Amnesty International USA, Abyssinian Baptist Church, and as Director of Fiscal Operations at Catholic Charities. Most recently, she, was founder and president of Gazelle CPA Accounting and Consulting Firm, where her clients included Bowery Residents Committee (BRC), Fabian Trucking, St. Thomas, and Bronx Yoga Lab.

Yomara received her Bachelor of Business Administration degree (BBA), with a concentration in Accounting from Baruch College. She is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Additionally, she has served as Treasurer on the board of 3119 Bailey Avenue, Inc cooperative, for the past decade.

About Harlem School of the Arts, The Herb Alpert Center

New York City's premier community arts institution, the Harlem School of the Arts, the Herb Alpert Center, founded in 1964 by Dorothy Maynor, stands uniquely apart as the sole provider of arts education in four disciplines: music, dance, theater, and media & design, all within the organization's award-winning 37,000 square foot facility. The institution will celebrate 60-years of providing the type of artistic rigor and excellence that attracts students of diverse socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds from the five New York City boroughs as well as Westchester County and the tri-state area, which includes Connecticut and New Jersey. HSA's alumni and faculty are counted among the most talented leaders in the arts.