After a thoughtful search and a unanimous decision, our board and staff have hired the next CEO of OF/BY/FOR ALL — Courtney Harge. She’ll be starting on March 15 as our new leader, following founder Nina Simon.
Courtney is an artistic entrepreneur, administrator, fundraiser, and cultural leader with a track record of putting anti-racism into action.
Courtney has trained and supported hundreds of arts organizations in becoming more effective and equitable.
She’s spent the past decade at innovative arts support organizations like Fractured Atlas and NYFA, as well as leading performing arts organizations like Gibney Dance, and the Public. At Fractured Atlas, Courtney has been a leader in designing and implementing anti-racist practices, like race-based caucusing and an equity-informed customer service strategy.
Courtney is also founder of Colloquy Collective, a Brooklyn-based theater company at the intersection of art and identity.
Courtney is a proud member of Women of Color in the Arts, and an alumni of APAP’s Emerging Leaders Institute and artEquity’s Facilitator Training.
Courtney is entering this new phase at OF/BY/FOR ALL with over a decade of experience within the arts & cultural sector and nonprofit ecosystem. She’s worked in the service of artists and organizations supporting artists since she was 13 years old. Her entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to community is evident in the ways she envisions creating radical change in community institutions.
From this spirit of radical imagination, Courtney brings a strategic mind, boundless ideas, and a passion for creative experimentation and tactical risk-taking. As Courtney prepares to join us this month, we at OF/BY/FOR ALL are inspired to begin dreaming alongside her, moved and energized by her hope and confidence that a better world is possible:
Photo credit: De'Lon Grant of TheDeLon.com
"What can we do to get to a better existence? My goal is to better serve people and communities by helping institutions create a practice and environment in which doing harm is the exception and not the rule. We can build the irresistible revolution... and actively make that revolution irresistible*. Let's do this work together in ways that help us see that this is possible."
*An homage to Toni Cade Bambara
As Courtney makes the shift this month to begin her work as a visionary CEO, she is moving on from her role as the Associate Director of Inbound Marketing at Fractured Atlas, an institution she feels has helped equip her for this next step. Courtney says, “Fractured Atlas has effectively modeled thoughtful and caring leadership that has allowed me to redefine what leadership looks like. Lauren Ruffin and Tim Cynova lead from such a humane and transparent place that it helped me believe that I could lead an organization while maintaining my integrity and connection to the broader community.”
As a first-time CEO for a young, rapidly growing nonprofit, Courtney steps into the role with clarity and confidence: “I believe in what OF/BY/FOR ALL has done so far, and see so much opportunity to work with organizations in ways that support them to be more thoughtful partners with their communities. This is the opportunity that I have been resourced to come to from all my experiences up to this point.”
OF/BY/FOR ALL Founding CEO, Nina Simon
"Courtney is the ideal person to lead OF/BY/FOR ALL into its next chapter. She has the skills, experience, and drive to lead this organization to new heights. Her experience creating anti-racist policies, as well as her deep connections in performing arts, bring new opportunities for greater impact. I feel proud to have led OF/BY/FOR ALL in its incubation, and I look forward to supporting its growth with Courtney as CEO."
OF/BY/FOR ALL Founder Nina Simon will stay on to support the transition to Courtney’s leadership, and then will transition herself to the board later this year.
Ellen Moir, Board Chair
“In getting to know Courtney, we quickly knew that this was the person who had the skills and the guts to take on the position and transform the organization in immensely important ways. Her fresh perspective, energy, and powerful vision will provide strong guidance toward a future with so many possibilities for innovation and growth. And her deep experience and expertise in operationalizing anti-racist and equity practices in cultural organizations will support us to deepen our mission and commitment to equity in ways we can’t yet imagine. I’m thrilled for Courtney to lead us there.”
Jonell Logan, Board Secretary
“We recognize that this is an important moment of transition for OF/BY/FOR ALL. It is an opportunity for growth, but more importantly a time where the organization can take a bold and strategic step towards a further commitment to our mission. Courtney’s experience and vision for building equitable and anti-racist cultural organizations is that step. She embodies an ideal balance of big thought and clear, experience-centered practice.”
Leila Tamari, Board Member
“Courtney has a big vision for change, and a compelling strategy for how we can achieve equity in our communities. She understands that what we practice in our interpersonal relationships shapes the very institutions we steward. I'm excited to support her as she leads OF/BY/FOR ALL's intentional growth rooted in values of anti-racism and liberation.”