4Culture recently announced that Nina Yarbrough will join them as their new Arts Program Director in September, where she will oversee the development, implementation, and evaluation of our arts funding programs and serves as a liaison to the King County arts community. Yarbrough, who currently serves as the Business Development Manager for the Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas (CD Forum), replaces Charlie Rathbun who retired in March.
Yarbrough, who has a deep passion for the arts, brings a wealth of business development, community engagement, and cultural programming skills to 4Culture. Her work with both large and small cultural organizations and her dedication to racial equity will provide a balanced and unique perspective to the role.
Yarbrough will begin her now role in September, and will spend the rest of the summer months wrapping up her duties with the CD Forum — where she built a successful fundraising program from the ground up. Prior to working with the CD Forum, she worked at the Seattle Opera where she managed the organization’s $60 million capital campaign to build a home at the Seattle Center.
Yarbrough hails from Cincinnati, Ohio with a background in theatre performance, spoken word, and playwriting. She received her MFA in Arts Leadership from Seattle University and is currently a member of 4Culture’s Recovery Task Force, analyzing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the cultural sector and creating an equitable vision for recovery.
In 2020, Arts distributed $4.7 million to over 900 individuals and groups through COVID-19 relief and annual grant programs. In her new position, Yarbrough will play a key role in helping rebuild the arts community in the wake of the pandemic and work to expand access to communities that have historically been excluded from arts funding in King County.
“Nina brings a contagious energy and an innovative intellect to 4Culture,” says Brian J. Carter, Executive Director, 4Culture. “She will undoubtedly use these qualities to help the cultural sector recover from the impacts of the pandemic, and spur its necessary evolution to be more accessible, inclusive, and equitable.”
