Three months after assuming the role as acting president of the Arts & Science Council, Krista Terrell has been hired to permanently lead the organization, effective immediately.
In its announcement Tuesday, ASC Board Chair Susan Patterson said Terrell’s knowledge of the organization and its focus on cultural equity led the board to forgo an external search.
“Krista operates with integrity and openness – much needed qualities in this time of great change,” Patterson said.
She is the second Black woman and second person of color to lead the local arts agency, following Harriet Sanford, who served as president from 2000 to 2004. Terrell joined ASC in 2002 and previously served as vice president of marketing and communications before stepping in as acting president in January.
Terrell’s appointment comes as the city of Charlotte considers plans to redirect funding historically earmarked for ASC. Earlier this month, Charlotte City Manager Marcus Jones outlined a three-year, $36 million proposal to significantly increase funding for local arts. The plan all but eliminates ASC as a conduit for distributing those dollars.
“I am excited about the opportunity to lead an amazing and thoughtful team as we transform ASC by centering community in all that we do, lead by listening, securing the financial resources needed and investing in the people, organizations, programs and ideas that move us toward a more equitable, sustainable and innovative creative ecosystem,” Terrell said.
Under her leadership of ASC’s internal cultural equity workgroup, the agency released its first Cultural Equity Report in February. The 34-page report outlined how its grant-making practices historically ignored Black communities and their cultural institutions, choosing instead to focus its funding on “white, Western Eurocentric” organizations. Terrell recently wrote about reactions to the report from leaders of legacy institutions.
Prior to joining ASC, Terrell served as public relations and marketing director for Community School of the Arts (now Arts+) and worked in public relations at her alma mater, Johnson C. Smith University.
She currently serves as a board member for the Public Relations Society of America and a steering committee member for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Remembrance Project.
Tayuanee Dewberry has been hired as chief executive officer of Girl Scouts, Hornets’ Nest Council, the organization announced Monday. She begins her role in May at the leadership-development organization for girls.
Dewberry’s selection follows a nationwide search after former CEO Angela Woods stepped down in January to become chief operating officer at Crossnore School & Children’s Home. Girl Scouts, Hornets’ Nest Council serves nearly 16,000 girls and adults in eight counties across North and South Carolina.
“Empowering girls and young ladies to reach their greatest potential and develop into the best versions of themselves is essential to strengthening the fabric of our communities,” Dewberry said in a statement.
Most recently, Dewberry oversaw community engagement and business development as executive director of Temple Israel. Previously, she spent 15 years as executive director of Right Moves for Youth, a school-based dropout prevention program in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools.
Dewberry earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s degree in counseling, both from Gardner-Webb University.
