The 58-year-old Harlem School of the Arts (HSA), The Herb Alpert Center proudly announces the appointment of James C. Horton as the organization’s seventh President. Mr. Horton comes to HSA by way of the Museum of the City of New York, where he has served in the newly created position of V.P. of Education and Engagement, since February 2021. He officially takes over the leadership role vacated by Eric Pryor earlier this year, in October.
“I am honored, humbled, and thrilled to have been given this opportunity to carry on Dorothy Maynor’s legacy, and to lead HSA through its next exciting chapter,” said Mr. Horton. “Organizations like this one have played a vital role in the conversations we have been having over the past couple of years, as we navigated through a global pandemic and explored questions and ideas around what justice, equity, and a just society truly mean, and how it relates to our work as art makers and culture bearers.”
James C. Horton brings a wealth of experience and knowledge of the nonprofit world, and impressive credentials in arts & culture, education, and strategic planning. In his tenure at the Museum of the City of New York, Mr. Horton led Public Programs, the FAO Schwartz Education Center, which impacts the lives of 50,000 students annually, and helped the Museum deepen its connection with New York City’s diverse communities through the development of a new branch of programming at MCNY called Community Based Initiatives. During the Summer of 2022, under Mr. Horton’s leadership, the REACH (Research, Education, Arts, Community, History) Ambassadors program was launched. The REACH Ambassadors Initiative engages NYC youth and adults in programs and experiences developed By, With, and For New Yorkers in all five Boroughs.
“James is a visionary who brings the acuity of a proven leader, and the necessary passion and commitment to move the organization forward. Like Dorothy Maynor, our founder, he understands the community we serve and the responsibility that she has entrusted us with; to uplift the lives of our children and to set them on the road to success by using the arts to further their academic achievements. We could not be more excited.” Harlem School of the Arts Board Chair Charles J. Hamilton, Jr.
James C. Horton studied Theater and Communications at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He participated in the Shannon Leadership Institute at St. Paul University in Minnesota and the Columbia University Business School Institute for Not-for-Profit Management in New York City. He is the recipient of several important national awards and has been an invited keynote speaker and presenter at both global and national conferences focused on education, arts, culture, and community engagement. Mr. Horton is a longtime Harlem resident, where he makes his home with his partner and four children.
