News & Events
Introducing Executive Director Jeanette McCune
Jeanette McCune
On behalf of Sitar Arts Center’s board of directors, today we share with great excitement that Jeanette McCune has been selected as Sitar’s new executive director, effective October 12, 2026.
This is an important moment for Sitar. As we expand opportunities for DC youth through our Early Childhood Arts, Arts Afterschool, Camp Sitar, and Creative Career Programs, and launch programming in Sitar Next Door, our new 6,346 square foot arts learning hub in Adams Morgan, we sought a leader who could build on Sitar’s strong foundation while helping us imagine what comes next. In Jeanette, we found a leader with deep experience in arts education, nonprofit leadership, and community engagement — and a long-dedicated commitment to expanding access and opportunity for young people.
Jeanette brings more than 25 years of experience in arts education, nonprofit leadership, community engagement, and educational access. An active civic leader, she has contributed extensively to advancing arts education and nonprofit leadership at the local and national levels.
She spent more than two decades at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, advancing through a series of successive positions culminating in senior director of school and community programs. In that capacity, she provided strategic oversight for a $4 million portfolio of local and national arts education initiatives, established partnerships with District of Columbia Public Schools, public charter schools, community-based organizations, and national networks that expanded access to arts education.
She most recently served as executive director of SchoolTalk, a DC nonprofit focused on equitable access to education and successful postsecondary outcomes for youth with disabilities and restorative practices to improve school climate for all students. In that role, she led the organization’s strategy, operations, and programs, and worked closely with schools, government agencies, families, and community partners to advance their important mission.
Her experience reflects many of the values at the heart of Sitar: a belief in the power of the arts, a commitment to young people and access, and an understanding that strong relationships and partnerships are essential to creating meaningful opportunities for youth.
Of her appointment, Jeanette shared:
“I am honored and privileged to join Sitar Arts Center as its new executive director. I have the deepest respect for Sitar and look forward to bringing my local and national expertise together to both sustain and increase Sitar’s impact in our community.”
Our Search for Sitar’s Next Leader
The Board began this search knowing that Sitar’s next executive director would inherit a strong organization and an extraordinary responsibility: honoring what has made Sitar special for more than 25 years while leading us into our next chapter.
Led by board member and Search Committee Chair Christopher Wingert, the Search Committee partnered with Good Insight, a national executive search firm serving the nonprofit sector, to identify and evaluate candidates for the role.
Throughout the process, we sought a leader who shared Sitar’s commitment to arts education and creative youth development; and one who could bring the strategic vision, organizational leadership, and collaborative approach needed for Sitar’s future.
Jeanette distinguished herself through her depth of experience, her commitment to young people, and her understanding of how arts and education can expand opportunity and foster belonging.
We are grateful to Chris and my fellow members of the Search Committee (Mario Garcia Durham, Barbara Harman, Jill Lesser, Sara Gibson, and Charles DeSantis) for the considerable time, care, and thought they brought to this process.
Looking Ahead
Jeanette joins Sitar at an exciting point in our story. Since opening our doors in 2000, thousands of DC youth and families have been part of Sitar’s creative community. Today, our programs reach young people from early childhood through young adulthood.
With the opening of Sitar Next Door, our facilities have expanded by 50%, creating new possibilities for arts learning, digital media, performance, and creative career training. Jeanette will work alongside our staff, faculty, board, and community to build on this momentum and shape what comes next for Sitar.
In the weeks following her arrival, we look forward to creating opportunities for students, families, faculty, volunteers, alumni, supporters and community partners to meet Jeanette and welcome her to Sitar. Her first official public event as executive director will be our Ready to Create the Future Gala on Tuesday, October 27, where she will join us in celebrating Sitar’s young people and the community that makes our work possible. We hope you’ll join us for this special evening and have the opportunity to welcome Jeanette in person.
Leadership transitions are important moments in the life of an organization. Sitar enters this opportunity from a position of strength, grounded in our mission and in the community that has shaped this organization for more than 25 years. I am confident that Jeanette will bring the vision, experience, and collaborative leadership to help Sitar build on that foundation and continue creating opportunities for DC’s young people to belong, aspire and achieve.
Thank you for being part of Sitar’s community and for joining us in welcoming Jeanette.
Jade Floyd
President, Board of Directors
Sitar Arts Center