Elaine Delgado Named Chief Development & Marketing Officer Of Ballet Hispánico

Ballet Hispánico, the nation's largest Latinx dance organization recognized as one of America's Cultural Treasures, announced the appointment of Elaine Delgado as the organization's new Chief Development & Marketing Officer. Elaine joins BH at a pivotal moment of flourishing programs and a new sense of responsibility as a thought leader in the arts.

In her new executive role, Delgado will oversee fundraising and marketing for the organization. Delgado will be responsible for securing renewed and new funding in the areas of individual, institutional and government support, identifying, prioritizing and developing strategies for new opportunities, and planning and implementing special events.

Delgado will also develop an external communications strategy that increases awareness and understanding of Ballet Hispánico's mission and services to the community, institutions and the media.

"I am thrilled to welcome Elaine Delgado to the Ballet Hispánico familia," said Vilaro. "Elaine brings such a depth of knowledge and experience, having led important BIPOC organizations. I am confident Elaine will help Ballet Hispánico further expand its impact and profile as America's Latinx Cultural Treasure."

Delgado brings with her 20 years of experience in fundraising, marketing, strategic planning, board development and community engagement for organizations in the museum, film, and arts education sectors. Her work as a nonprofit leader spans across a series of prominent organizations such as the Ghetto Film School, Tenement Museum, The Hispanic Society of America, Casita Maria Center for Arts & Education, the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña and the Museo de Arte de Ponce. Delgado holds a Master's degree in Puerto Rican Studies from the Center of Advanced Studies of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, and a Bachelor's degree in Art History and Visual Arts from the University of Puerto Rico. She has taught students at the Arts Administration Program at Columbia University during their Distinguished Speaker Series.

"I hold Ballet Hispánico in the highest regard as a leading voice intersecting artistic excellence and social justice," said Delgado. "It is an honor to join the Ballet Hispánico community as the new Chief Development & Marketing Officer, and have the opportunity to contribute to its growth and to Eduardo Vilaro's vision for dance, community engagement and the exploration of Latino cultures."

Ballet Hispánico has been the leading voice intersecting artistic excellence and advocacy and is now the largest Latinx cultural organization in the United States and one of America's Cultural Treasures. Ballet Hispánico brings communities together to celebrate and explore Latino cultures through innovative dance productions, transformative dance training, and enduring community engagement experiences. National Medal of Arts recipient Tina Ramirez founded Ballet Hispánico in 1970, at the height of the post-war civil rights movements. From its inception Ballet Hispánico focused on providing a haven for Black and Brown Latinx youth and families seeking artistic place and cultural sanctuary. By providing the space for Latinx dance and dancers to flourish, Ballet Hispánico uplifted marginalized emerging and working artists, which combined with the training, authenticity of voice, and power of representation, fueled the organization's roots and trajectory. In 2009, Ballet Hispánico welcomed Eduardo Vilaro as its Artistic Director, ushering in a new era by inserting fresh energy to the company's founding values and leading Ballet Hispánico into an artistically vibrant future. Today, Ballet Hispánico's New York City headquarters house a School of Dance and state-of-the-art dance studios for its programs and the arts community. From its grassroots origins as a dance school and community-based performing arts troupe, for fifty years Ballet Hispánico has stood as a catalyst for social change. Ballet Hispánico provides the physical home and cultural heart for Latinx dance in the United States. Ballet Hispánico has developed a robust public presence across its three main programs: its Company, School of Dance, and Community Arts Partnerships.

Through its exemplary artistry, distinguished training program, and deep-rooted community engagement efforts Ballet Hispánico champions and amplifies underrepresented voices in the field. For fifty years Ballet Hispánico has provided a place of honor for the omitted, overlooked, and oppressed. As it looks to the next fifty years and beyond, Ballet Hispánico seeks to empower, and give agency to, the Latinx experience and those individuals within it.