Arts Administrators of Color Network Selects Erika Hawthorne as Director of Advancement

Hawthorne, a long time supporter and former board member, joins the organization as its first Director of Advancement.

Arts Administrators of Color Network (AAC) is excited to announce that Erika Hawthorne is joining the organization as the newly created Director of Advancement. Hawthorne began on September 1 as the organization continues to expand its staff. 

“I’m ecstatic,” says executive director Karla Estela Rivera.“Erika and I have collaborated on numerous initiatives over the years. I have always admired her depth of knowledge, her ability to cultivate strong relationships, and her dedication to artists and arts administrators of the global majority. While her history at AAC is certainly notable, what has been most exciting has been the ways in which we have already begun to think about creating paths of sustainability for AAC that will ensure our ability to grow our organization, our networks, and best support our communities across the nation.”

Hawthorne is an artist, administrator and advocate who has deep rooted history with the organization. Having served on various cohorts and committees in its early years, she eventually joined the Executive Board, becoming integral to the governance and strategic planning work that currently guides the organization.

“After completing my board term in 2022, returning to AAC in this new role feels like a full circle moment. Looking back, I am reminded of the board’s fierce commitment to our community, passionate debates about how to uphold anti-racist and anti-oppression values, the joy of seeing our initiatives come to life as a volunteer-led organization, and the full-belly laughter whenever we convened,” remarked Hawthorne. “AAC hiring its first full time Executive Director was an enormous milestone and I am honored and delighted by the opportunity to work with Karla to carry out AAC’s strategic plan and advance the organization’s mission.” 

Erika Hawthorne (she/her) brings over 10 years of experience in arts administration, funding, and community engagement roles spanning the nonprofit, government and business sectors. Erika leverages her expertise to champion human-centered leadership, build authentic relationships, facilitate collaboration, and advance social justice initiatives. 

Erika was raised in community arts education programs and began her career as a teaching artist in her hometown with the Rockford Area Arts Council. Upon moving to the East Coast, Erika interned with the National Endowment for the Arts in the Arts Education department and continued working in grants management, event planning, and community engagement roles including working with the Bainum Family Foundation, and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Erika also served as an equity research consultant for the Arts Education Partnership (AEP) before becoming AEP’s Engagement Specialist serving over 140 organizations and a growing network of individual arts affiliates. 

As part of the Emerging Practitioners in Philanthropy (EPIP) DC Steering Committee, Erika served as a grant reviewer for multiple funding institutions and later returned to EPIP to serve as the national team’s Director of Membership and Communications. She also provided project management support for Leading Changemakers, a consulting firm focused on racial equity in nonprofit arts leadership, where she continues to lead special projects to advance the organization’s impact. 

Erika holds a BA in Communication and Culture from Howard University as well as an MA in Arts Management and a Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management from American University.

Returning to AAC in this new capacity is a unique opportunity for her to continue advancing its mission, keeping the needs of artists and arts administrators of the global majority at the forefront. 

The Arts Administrators of Color Network is a national support network that harnesses the power of artists, arts administrators, and organizations of people of the global majority to connect and expand BIPOC leadership across the U. S. creative sector. Since its creation in 2016 in Washington D.C., the organization has held over 30 events, served over 1,000 arts leaders in DC/Maryland/Virginia, over 200 arts leaders nationally and maintains a network that reaches over 18,000 individuals.

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