Rejoice Ministries
Executive Director
| Executive Director | Ms. Sharyn Mahoney |
|---|---|
| smahoney@rejoiceballet.com | |
| Term Start | January 2022 |
| Sharyn's Experience: Sharyn Mahoney joins Rejoice after a 30+ year career with Nashville Ballet and School of Nashville Ballet as a performer, faculty member, rehearsal director and arts administrator. Her love of training dancers and passion for working with children made her an excellent choice to replace Rejoice's founding executive director, Patricia Cross. In fact, after having the opportunity to teach student's from Rejoice School of Ballet, Sharyn was so impressed she approached Patricia to begin a partnership with Nashville Ballet as Rejoice's mentor. This partnership provides Rejoice students scholarship opportunities to study at Nashville Ballet and families the opportunity to see their professional performances free of charge. Sharyn's practical knowledge of non-profit administration is invaluable to Rejoice's future. Her wealth of artistic connections paired with her collaborative spirit will bring unique experiences for Rejoice School of Ballet students, including the addition of live music to their annual performances. | |
Senior Staff
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Mrs. Jo Ellen Weedman | Communications, Public Relations, Marketing Director |
| Ms. Patricia Cross | Executive Director |
Staff
| Full Time Staff | 2 |
|---|---|
| Part Time Staff | 6 |
| Volunteers | 50 |
| Contractors | 3 |
| Retention Rate | 90% |
Plans & Policies
| Does your organization have a Fundraising Plan? | Yes |
|---|---|
| Does your organization have a Strategic Plan? | Yes |
| Years Strategic Plan Considers | 3 |
| When was the Strategic Plan adopted? | October 2016 |
| Does your organization have a Management Succession Plan? | Yes |
| Does your organization have a Policy and Procedure Plan? | Under Development |
| Does the organization have a Nondiscrimination Policy? | Yes |
| Does the organization have a Whistle Blower Policy? | No |
| Does the organization have a Document Destruction Policy? | No |
Evaluation
| Is there a formal evaluation for... | Frequency (if applicable) | |
|---|---|---|
| CEO/Executive Director | Yes | Annually |
| Senior Management | Yes | Annually |
| Non-Management | Yes | Annually |
Affiliations
| Affiliation | Year |
|---|---|
| Americans for the Arts | 2020 |
| Center for Nonprofit Management Excellence Network | 2020 |
| Tennesseans for the Arts | 2020 |
Awards
| Award / Recognition | Organization | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Coming Up Taller Semi-Finalist | President's Committee on the Arts & Humanities | 2008 |
| Semi-Finalist | National Arts & Humanities Youth Program Award | 2017 |
CEO/Executive Director/Board Comments
| In light of recent research on the lack of excellent Summer and After-School programs for youth from low-income families in Nashville, we know at-risk young people who want to pursue dance at a more advanced level do not have many other affordable options other than Rejoice School of Ballet (Children and Youth Master Plan for Nashville and Davidson County, 2010). Rejoice fulfills several tenants of this Master Plan plan through providing: quality after-school programming, healthy lifestyle and recreational opportunities, and a safe place in the community where youth are welcomed and supported by positive adult relationships. During the past three years, Metro government, in partnership with the community, has developed a sophisticated growth plan, NashvilleNext, which looks at Nashville's increasing diverse population and how to best embrace and prepare for these demographic changes. One of the key findings through this research as well as the Metro Nashville Arts Commission's 2015 report, "Holding the Mirror Up," is the need to drive equity and inclusion in the arts sector. Both reports identified a large gap that exists in art inclusion and the social and economic impact to individuals and the Nashville community because of this gap. This key issue has become the focus of organizations such Vanderbilt University's Scarritt Bennett Center, Trevecca University's JV Morsch Center for Social Justice, the Tennessee Arts Commission, the Racial Equity in Arts Leadership (R.E.A.L) Program and others. (R.E.A.L. is a platform that engages artists, organizational leaders, and arts administrators in teaching and learning opportunities about race, equity practices, and ways in which to enact change within their personal practice and organizational structure. Patricia Cross, Rejoice School of Ballet's Founder and Executive Director was a participant in the R.E.A.L Program.) Rejoice School of Ballet has been addressing this disparity in arts education for students from low income families for the past 20 years. |
