About the LACNA Foundation
The LACNA Foundation was established to strengthen the performing arts field and help prepare its next generation of executive leaders.
Through the Executive Leadership in the Performing Arts Fellowship Program, the Foundation supports accomplished professionals who aspire to senior leadership roles within civic performing arts centers. The yearlong experience connects leadership assessment, individualized development, executive coaching, mentorship, peer learning, and direct engagement with practicing arts executives.
By investing in emerging executive talent and creating stronger pathways to leadership, the Foundation supports the continued evolution of performing arts centers across the United States and Canada.
2022
Foundation established
3 Cohorts
Launched through 2026
~40
$1.1M+
Performing arts centers visited
Funding secured
Our History
2022 — Foundation and First Fellowship Cohort
First explored in 2020 and 2021 by a coalition of performing arts center chief executives, the LACNA Foundation was established as a 501(c)(3) organization in 2022 to strengthen the performing arts field and support its continued evolution in the 21st century.
Its first program, the Executive Leadership in the Performing Arts Fellowship Program, launched the same year following nearly two years of planning. Josephine Ramirez (former LA Music Center) and Kendra Ingram (Pittsburgh Cultural Trust) played significant leadership roles in program design.
The Foundation intends to broaden the scope and leadership of performing arts center management. The Fellowship’s goal is to recognize and support qualified mid-career arts professionals who could lead civic performing arts centers in the future.
Initial funding was provided by a coalition of PACs across the United States and Canada, recruited by AMS Planning & Research, and grants from 3 funders secured by Seattle Theatre Group, the LA Music Center, and Omaha Performing Arts.
The first class of 6 Fellows—2022’s “Beta” Class—launched with a retreat at Stanford University hosted in collaboration with Stanford’s Office of the Arts. Each Fellow then visited 3 performing arts centers.
The cohort later gathered at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, for conversations with industry recruiters and Fellows from related industry initiatives. Executive coaching was provided by National Arts Strategies, which assumed responsibility for program administration in 2023.
Members of the inaugural Fellowship cohort at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, DC, 2022.
2023 — Investment and the Official Launch Cohort
The Foundation secured a $750,000 operating grant in 2023 from Barbara and Amos Hostetter
The official “launch” cohort in 2023 followed a similar program pattern of retreat, site visits, and coaching, culminating in a convening at TO Live in Toronto, Canada. Across the first two cohorts, Fellows visited approximately 40 different performing arts centers.
Toronto, Canada, where the 2023 cohort convened at TO Live.
2025 — Cohort 3 and an Evolved Program Model
Following a period of evaluation and strategic planning, the program resumed with a third cohort of eight Fellows and a revised design centered on shared learning, individualized development, and sustained engagement with senior leaders in the field.
Cohort 3 included two in-person symposiums hosted by the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, where Fellows participated in applied learning, peer exchange, case studies, and candid discussions about executive leadership within large civic cultural organizations. Fellows were also paired with CEOs of performing arts centers for direct mentorship and ongoing guidance throughout the program.
Professional development and executive coaching were led by Dr. John H. Mackey of Sequoia Consultancy and included leadership reflection, individualized development planning, and preparation for the demands of C-suite roles.
The cohort also informed the development and implementation of a C-suite readiness assessment designed to identify individual strengths, areas for growth, and priorities for continued development. Together, these elements created a more integrated yearlong experience connecting assessment, coaching, mentorship, peer learning, and direct engagement with practicing executives.
Cohort 3 Symposium, Nashville 2025
Cohort 3 Symposium, Pittsburgh, 2025
Cohort 3 Fellows with Dr. John H. Mackey at the Nashville symposium, 2025.
2025 – 2026 — Continued Investment and the Next Chapter
In July 2025, two additional years of funding totaling $375,000 were received, bringing the total above $1.1 million.
Recruiting for the fourth class of Fellows begins in Summer 2026.
LACNA Foundation Board
Chair: Kendra Whitlock Ingram, President and CEO, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
Vice Chair: Josephine Ramirez, Independent Advisor, Former EVP, The Music Center/Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County
Treasurer/Secretary: Kelley Shanley, VP Institutional Foresight, Nova Southeastern University, former CEO, Broward Center for the Performing Arts
Achia Floyd, Chief Advancement Officer, Sphinx Organization, Detroit Executive Leadership in the Performing Arts Fellowship Program Alumna
Gennean Scott Gray, Senior Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer, Omaha Performing Arts
Christopher Harrington, President and CEO, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
Anthony McDonald, Executive Director, Shubert Theatre
Jennifer Turner, President and CEO, Tennessee Performing Arts Center
Steven Wolff, Founding Principal, AMS Planning & Research Corp. and AMS Analytics LLC
EMERITA BOARD MEMBER
Joan Squires, President, Omaha Performing Arts
INVEST IN LEADERSHIP
The LACNA Foundation is grateful for the generous support from Barbara and Amos Hofstetter. We welcome other supporters who understand that Leadership is among the most enduring investments a donor can make: stronger leaders → stronger organizations → greater community impact.