VALERIE RILES: Selected for esteemed arts program aimed at strengthening participants’ capacities to lead their organizations into the future. PHOTO COURTESY OF JUSTIN NAMON

Staff Report

The LACNA Foundation, a not-forprofit leadership development organization formed by a coalition of 50 of the largest performing arts centers (PACs) in the U.S. and Canada, has announced Valerie Riles among the 2023 cohort of fellows who will take part in the organization’s BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) Executive Leadership in the Arts Program.

Riles is the vice president of board and government relations at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County and the longest-tenured employee at the Arsht Center.

A South Florida native, she has been recognized as one of the 50 most powerful black professionals and top 25 most distinguished black business women in South Florida, among numerous other recognitions.

The 2023 cohort of fellows nominated by performing arts center CEOs include:

• Valerie Riles, vice president of Board and Government Relations, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts; Miami, FL (president/CEO track);

• Robert Gonzalez, operations manager, Gloria Molina Grand Park/The Music Center; Los Angeles, CA (chief operating officer track);

• Yvette Loynaz, director of artistic administration, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis; St. Louis, MO (president/CEO track);

• Ebonie Pittman, senior director of development, Dance Theatre of Harlem; New York, NY (president/CEO track);

• Oscar Quesada, director of programming, Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts; West Palm Beach, FL (president/CEO track);

• Alice Santana, vice president of education and community engagement, David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts; Tampa, FL (president/CEO track); and

• Timmy Yuen, human resources manager, San Francisco Opera Association; San Francisco, CA (chief operating officer track)

Currently, 53% of principal administrators of major performing arts centers are female; only 7% of the leaders of these arts organizations are BIPOC, and only 16% of the leadership teams of these organizations include BIPOC representation.

Supported by AMS Planning & Research Corporation, NAS and Stanford University, this first-of-its-kind program is designed to accelerate the development of management and leadership skills among qualified mid-career BIPOC professionals and provide them with a pathway to pursue executive positions in the two nations’ most significant cultural institutions.

The program will continue to name fellows annually, following a successful beta year in 2022, in which six leaders in the arts participated in the multi-part initiative.

Eligible candidates must be BIPOC with 10-15 years’ experience working in the arts field, with those interested in CEO positions spending at least five of those years working at a performing arts center.

All must have some management experience.