Charmaine Jefferson
Charmaine Jefferson operates Kélan Resources, a strategic consulting firm dedicated to integrating the arts, history, education and cultural competency into the DNA of business planning, management, and live program/exhibition production, workshops, and community engagement. Serving nonprofit clients and advising individual philanthropists nationwide, she is also Executive Consultant to the Tom & Ethel Bradley. Equally committed to volunteer service, Jefferson currently serves as a mayoral appointee on the City of Los Angeles Dept. of Cultural Affairs Commission (former President); Trustee of the California Institute of the Arts (Academic & Campus Affairs Advisory Committee Chair; member of the Executive, Finance and Trustee Nominating Committees); inaugural member of the Los Angeles County Art Commission Cultural Equity & Inclusion Initiative; on the PBS SoCal Media Group Community Advisory Board; on the Advisory Board of the LA Chamber Orchestra; and, President of The Museum Group (an association of independent professional consultants).
Having successfully held numerous executive positions, Jefferson has amassed a wide range of experience and expertise including in commercial business. Her past for-profit roles have included: V.P. of Business Affairs for dePasse Entertainment; Director of Show Development & Creative Resources for Disney Entertainment Productions; corporate Board Director for Just Toys Inc.; and as an Associate Attorney for the law firm of Holland & Knight.
Jefferson credits that her expertise and skills are also derived from tenures in a variety of roles supporting nonprofits and government cultural agencies. After dancing professionally for eight years, she began her arts administration career as Senior Dance Program Specialist and Site Visit Coordinator at the National Endowment for the Arts. It is from that starting point that she has proven time and again her passion for uplifting culture and serving all of the art disciplines as invaluable to society. As Jefferson’s career expanded, she went on to serve as Deputy & Acting Commissioner of NYC’s Department of Cultural Affairs; Executive Director & General Manager of Dance Theatre of Harlem; and most recently completed eleven years as Executive Director of the California African American Museum, and simultaneous Vice-President of its Friends Foundation. Her dedication to the arts has also included past voluntary service on numerous public commissions and private nonprofit Boards including the Harlem Empowerment Zone, Arts & Business Council, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival (Treasurer), Arts for LA, and eight years as a gubernatorial appointee to the California Arts Council.
A Los Angeles native, Jefferson holds a B.A. in Dance from U.C.L.A., M.A. in Dance Education from N.Y.U.; J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center; and law licenses in the District of Columbia and Florida.