Jaime Sharp (she/they)
Co-Founder/Executive Director

Jaime Sharp (she/they) is a Black queer arts leader, vocalist, and advocate residing on the stolen territory of the Three Fire Peoples, and members of the Kickapoo, Peoria, and Myaamia tribes. She strives to evolve organizational culture, and diversify the arts through dynamic leadership rooted in equity and inclusivity. Jaime has been influenced by her incredible mentors who have instilled in her the importance of transparency, candor, and the passing of information to mold the next generation. As an active performer, Jaime also seeks to invite artists to explore their entrepreneurial talents in order to craft change on and off the stage. She imagines an artist-centric structure that asks creatives what they need, as opposed to telling them. Driven to have an expansive understanding of the industry, Jaime has served as an administrator for various arts and culture organizations. They believe the key to progressing the field begins with representation at the executive level; requiring not only thorough knowledge of the sector, a nuanced perspective on social issues, but the immovable promise to prioritize people before all else.

Jaime is the Communications & Publications Manager for Grantmakers in the Arts. They are also a current participant in BIPOC Leadership Circle with artEquity, Racial Equity cohort for the United Philanthropy Forum, and Turn the Spotlight Fellowship under the tutelage of Melissa Wegner (Metropolitan Opera) and Afa Dworkin (Sphinx Organization). Jaime has participated in a number of professional development programs including:  The Dallas Opera Hart Institute for Women Administrators,Women of Color in the Arts' Leadership Through Mentorship, OPERA America's Opera Leaders of Color, and the All Rise Initiative with Tom O'Connor Consulting Group. Her work is strongly focused on racial equity in the arts, serving as the 2021-2022 EDI Research Fellow for Association of Arts Administration Educators, and former Administrative Manager for the Black Opera Alliance. Jaime is the Co-Founder & Executive Director of the choral ensemble Hear Us, Hear Them, a Black-led Cincinnati organization dedicated to challenging structural exclusion in classical music. A champion for grassroots organization's, she led Opera NexGen as President & General Director from 2020-2022. The artist-led entirely remote and virtual company created full-length productions and educational content during the height of the pandemic.

Jaime has previously worked with American Repertory Theatre, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and the University Musical Society. She served on the advisory cabinet for Victory Hall Opera's SINGTANK, a collective of professional singers, and the Multi-Cultural Awareness Council with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. They have been featured in presentations, panels, and interviews with Cincinnati Business Courier, CanvasRebel, TRILLOQUY, I Care If You Listen, OPERA America, Modern Singer, and more. Jaime is also an active grants panelists and adjudicator for local and national organizations including the Ohio Arts Council.