Ethnic GEM: Adriane Jefferson
Title & Company: Former Director of Cultural Affairs, City of New Haven
State: New Haven, CT
Submitted by Wesley Webb, Contributing Writer
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens announced Adriane V. Jefferson as the new Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) beginning February 28, 2025. With nationally recognized expertise in cultural equity, arts administration, and community transformation, Jefferson is poised to bring a fresh and inclusive perspective to Atlanta’s cultural landscape. Her visionary leadership will foster innovation while honoring and preserving the city’s rich artistic heritage.
The City of Atlanta’s gain is the city of New Haven’s loss. For 4 years Adriane Jefferson served as Director of Cultural Affairs for the City of New Haven and the Executive Director of New Haven Festivals Inc. She also served as the managing director of the Canal Dock Boat House. Jefferson dedicates her career professionally through cultural shift advocacy, by utilizing her expertise to create programs and initiatives that focus on equitable cultural tourism, arts education & advocacy to unify the New Haven cultural landscape overall. These initiatives include but are not limited to the Arts for Anti-racism Pledge, The Unapologetically Radical Conference, the City of New Haven’s Black Wall Street festival, and the first Cultural Equity Plan in the State of Connecticut, just to name a few. Adriane also currently serves as a part time professor teaching entertainment management and business at Eastern CT State University. Adriane has her B.A in Music Business from Florida Memorial University and her M.A in Arts Administration from Savannah College of Art and Design.
Born in Las Vegas. Nevada on A military base, Jefferson moved to New London, CT with her family when she was a toddler. By the age of 15, Jefferson had developed a passion for playwrighting, poetry and songwriting. Adriane credits having a creative outlet as the “driving force” and constant reminder to constantly persevere through life’s challenges. Jefferson believed so much in the arts that she pursued her degree in Music Business. While in college, Adriane began her career working behind the scenes in Television, entertainment management and in event curation. Jefferson’s college professor, advisor and mentor, Nicole Yarling empowered Adriane to get into event curation for the music industry. During this time, Adriane curated the first ever Rhyme fest Event in Miami, Florida. Jefferson further credits, Clarissa Beyah, Kristina Newman Scott, Michael Piscitelli, Dana Hilmer and Diane Brown as her past and present mentors in her journey.
Alongside her work as a cultural equity expert, Adriane served as a councilwoman for The State of Connecticut Arts Council, and an Advisory Board Member for the New England Foundation for the Arts. She served as an Advisory Board Member for the Yale Center of British Art, A Yale Trumbull College Fellow, A co-chair on Yale’s Committee on Art Recognizing Enslavement and a board Member for the Shubert Theater. She also served as a federal advocacy captain at Americans for the Arts and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. Jeffersons contributions to urban culture are eminent and have been recognized in the 40 under 40 award from the Urban Professional Network, the American Express Emerging Leadership Award from Americans from the Arts, and the 40 Under 40 award from CT magazine. New Haven Biz named her as one of the Top 5 leaders to watch in 2023. Jefferson has recently been given The Community Leadership Award by Bron & Noir and Yale University, The Women Leadership Award by the Black Business Alliance and is being Honored by the Long Warf Theater as their Change Maker Honorary at their annual gala.
Adriane is also a seasoned public speaker, regularly sharing her expertise on cultural equity and activism with various organizations and platforms like Yale University, the NAACP and CT Magazine. Jeffersons work has been featured in Cosmo Magazine, black enterprise magazine, yahoo news, fox news, NBC News, ABC News, Art link publication among many other reputable news, sources. Adriane’s greatest joy is being a mother to her 12-year-old daughter. Adriane is a film buff, she enjoys yoga & meditation, being in nature, reading and writing, and spending time with her family & friends and most importantly building her relationship with God.
Thank you Adriane for your dedication to the City of New Haven and good luck in your new endeavor in Atlanta, you truly are an Ethnic GEM!