The 58-year-old Harlem School of the Arts (HSA), The Herb Alpert Center is proud to announce the appointment of James C. Horton as the organization’s seventh President.
Mr. Horton comes to HSA by way of the Museum of the City of New York, where he has served in the newly created position of Vice President of Education and Engagement, since February 2021.
He will officially take over the leadership role vacated by Eric Pryor earlier this year, at the famed arts organization founded by acclaimed concert soprano, Dorothy Maynor, in October.
“I am honored, humbled, and thrilled to have been given this opportunity to carry on Dorothy Maynor’s legacy, and to lead HSA through its next exciting chapter,” said Mr. Horton. “Organizations like this one have played a vital role in the conversations we have been having over the past couple of years, as we navigated through a global pandemic and explored questions and ideas around what justice, equity, and a just society truly mean, and how it relates to our work as art makers and culture bearers.”
James C. Horton brings a wealth of experience and knowledge of the nonprofit world, as well as impressive credentials in arts & culture, education, and strategic planning. In his tenure at the Museum of the City of New York, Mr. Horton led Public Programs, the FAO Schwartz Education
Center, which impacts the lives of 50,000 students annually, and helped the Museum deepen its connection with New York City’s diverse communities through the development of a new branch of programming at MCNY called Community Based Initiatives. During the Summer of 2022, under Mr. Horton’s leadership, the REACH (Research, Education, Arts, Community, History) Ambassadors program was launched.
The REACH Ambassadors Initiative engages NYC youth and adults in programs and experiences developed By, With, and For New Yorkers in all five Boroughs.
“James is a visionary who brings the acuity of a proven leader, and the necessary passion and commitment to move the organization forward. Like Dorothy Maynor, our founder, he understands the community we serve and the responsibility that she has entrusted us with; to uplift the lives of our children and to set them on the road to success by using the arts to further their academic achievements. We could not be more excited about what the future holds for HSA under James’ guidance and stewardship.” Harlem School of the Arts Board Chair Charles J. Hamilton, Jr.
James C. Horton studied Theater and Communications at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He participated in the Shannon Leadership Institute at St. Paul University in Minnesota and the Columbia University Business School Institute for Not-for-Profit Management in New York City.
He is the recipient of several important national awards and has been an invited keynote speaker and presenter at both global and national conferences focused on education, arts, culture, and community engagement. Mr. Horton is a longtime resident of the Harlem community where he makes his home with his partner and four children.
Harlem School of the Arts, The Herb Alpert Center
Harlem School of the Arts, The Herb Alpert Center (HSA) is a cultural institution uniquely positioned at the intersection of arts, education, and social justice. Founded in 1964 by internationally acclaimed African- American concert soprano Dorothy Maynor, HSA offers world-class training in music, dance, theater, musical theater, and media & design to children ages 2-18, and encourages students to reach their full potential through interdisciplinary arts training that celebrates the rich complexity of the African American community.
Through its mission HSA continues to ensure that all children have access to the power of the arts. HSA empowers the creative thinkers and global citizens of tomorrow, while enriching and strengthening their connection to the community. The school has transformed into an extraordinary cultural institution that has served more than 55,000 students over the last 58 years.
Harlem School of the Arts (HSA)’s programs and general operations are supported in part by awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and by public funds from the New York City
Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and are further made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature; and by the Office of the Manhattan Borough President. HSA also receives major support from the Herb Alpert Foundation, Arison Arts Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Edwin Caplin Foundation, the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation, Ford Foundation, Goldman Sachs, the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, New York Community Trust, the Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, Pinkerton Foundation, the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, and Verizon; as well as from individual donors.
To learn more about the Harlem School of the Arts, please visit www.HSAnyc.org.
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