THE UPPER MANHATTAN EMPOWERMENT ZONE

New York, N.Y. – Kenneth J. Knuckles, President & CEO of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corp. (UMEZ) announced today that Verdery Roosevelt had been appointed as the organization’s new Senior Vice-President for Program & Non-Profit Investments; she will manage the Cultural Industry Investment Fund.

Ms. Roosevelt had previously served as Executive Director of Ballet Hispanico for over three decades, where, in partnership with Founder and Artistic Director Tina Ramirez, she led its growth from a community-based organization to become the nation’s preeminent ambassador of Hispanic culture.  During her tenure, she produced over 50 new works for the Company, which performed in leading concert halls throughout South America, Europe and the United States; built annual scholarship support to over $125,000 for the School of Dance; and expanded Ballet Hispanico’s educational program, Primeros Pasos, to serve 20,000 students nationwide each year.

Additionally, Ms. Roosevelt directed the initial $1.8 million purchase and renovation of Ballet Hispanico's permanent headquarters on Manhattan's Upper West Side, as well as the subsequent $9.3 million expansion, which doubled the size of the facility’s capacity. 

She has also served as Chairman and Board Member of Dance/USA, the national service organization for professional dance.  She has been a guest speaker at numerous arts administration seminars and programs, including New York University, the University of Wisconsin, and the Yale School of Drama, and has served as a panelist for national, state and local arts agencies. 

In 2004, Ms. Roosevelt received a Women of Achievement Pacesetter Award from the New York City Council; the Arts Management Career Service Award in 2000; and a 1981 Management Achievement Award from ACUCAA, now Association of Performing Arts Presenters. 

Ms. Roosevelt, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, received her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Alabama and her Master’s Degree from the School of Business/Bolz Center for Arts Administration at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“We are pleased to have someone of Verdery Roosevelt’s nationwide level of visibility in arts and culture, as a member of our staff,” said Mr. Knuckles.  “Her experience and expertise will be tremendous assets, as UMEZ continues its efforts to preserve Upper Manhattan’s unique cultural legacy and history, and developing new institutions and organizations.”  

Ms. Roosevelt said, “UMEZ serves an extraordinary array of cultural institutions and artists, who contribute so much to the richness of our country’s cultural life.  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.”

ABOUT UPPER MANHATTAN EMPOWERMENT ZONE:

UMEZ’s mission is to sustain the economic revitalization of all the communities of Upper Manhattan through job creation, corporate alliances, strategic investments and small business assistance.  UMEZ seeks to revitalize distressed communities by using geographically targeted public funds and tax incentives as catalysts for private investment. In Upper Manhattan, the communities that lie within the Empowerment Zone's borders include Harlem, East Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood.

ABOUT THE CULTURAL INDUSTRY INVESTMENT FUND

UMEZ’s CIIF celebrates Upper Manhattan’s rich past while creating new legacies.  The work of the CIIF is two-fold:  community building through a cultural and economic lens; and, a marketing of place that repositions Upper Manhattan as one of New York City’s primary cultural districts.  The goals of the CIIF are sustaining the local economy by promoting development, revitalization and tourism; making strategic cultural investments; and, strengthening the cultural ecosystem.

CIIF seeks to fund service organizations that can significantly position and promote local arts and culture as an integral component of cultural history, contemporary art production, and the local cultural industry and economy; build the artistic and administrative capacity of local arts and cultural players; provide technical assistance; develop programmatic links and collaborations with other groups in Upper Manhattan, city-wide, and/or nationally; and, service the arts across disciplines.