Bolz Center alumna Verdery Roosevelt has been appointed Senior Vice President at the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corp. (UMEZ), to lead their economic development and revitalization efforts through nonprofit and cultural initiatives. Verdery will manage the UMEZ Cultural Industry Investment Fund, which works to sustain the local economy by promoting development, revitalization, and tourism; making strategic cultural investments; and, strengthening the cultural ecosystem.

"UMEZ serves an extraordinary array of cultural institutions and artists, who contribute so much to the richness of our country's cultural life," said Verdery of the appointment. "I am proud to be joining in that effort and look forward to working with the Board and staff of UMEZ to strengthen our support for this vibrant community and build their capacity to serve a growing audience."

Prior to her appointment to UMEZ, Verdery served for over three decades as Executive Director of Ballet Hispanico in New York, building the organization alongside artistic director Tina Ramirez from a community-based organization to a world leader in Hispanic culture.

Of her work with Ballet Hispanico, Kennedy Center President Michael Kaiser remarked, "watching her work was an object lesson in good arts management: she taught me more about staying true to one's artists while doing what was best for the organization than anyone."

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