Press Release Adrienne Arsht Center Welcomes Jodi Mailander Farrell as Vice President, Development
Adrienne Arsht Center WELCOMES
JODI MAILANDER FARRELL AS VICE PRESIDENT, DEVELOPMENT
Miami, FL – January 2026 – The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County (@arshtcenter) has announced the appointment of Jodi Mailander Farrell as Vice President, Development, effective January 5. Following five successful years as the Vice President of Development at The Everglades Foundation, Jodi returns to the Arsht, where she began her career in philanthropy and enjoyed a 10-year tenure that evolved from grant writing to a senior leadership role on the fundraising team.
“Jodi brings extensive experience in the Miami-Dade community and is widely respected for her integrity, work ethic and creativity. Her deep passion for the transformative power of the arts and for building community will be instrumental in helping us grow philanthropic support for the Adrienne Arsht Center’s work and our vision for the future,” said Arsht President and CEO Johann Zietsman.
“The arts and culture define Miami,” Farrell said. “It’s an exciting time to be at the Arsht to help expand its impact – connecting, inspiring and serving our community.”
In her role, Farrell will lead a team charged with growing a community of donors who support the Adrienne Arsht Center’s commitment to curating magical experiences that spark the imagination and deliver powerful community impact. She will focus on long-term and project-specific growth strategies across a diverse supporter base comprised of individual donors, corporations, foundations, and government grant sources.
Farrell is a longtime Miami resident and nonprofit leader who has raised more than $150 million in private philanthropy to support arts, education and environmental causes benefiting South Florida over the past 15 years. Farrell has served the past five years as Vice President of Development at The Everglades Foundation, where she executed the Miami-based nonprofit’s first endowment campaign. The three-year endowment initiative exceeded goal by raising more than $76 million from 80 donors to secure long-term sustainability for the science-based foundation’s mission to restore and protect America’s Everglades, the largest environmental restoration project in the world.
During her first 10-year tenure with the Arsht as Assistant Vice President of Development, Farrell forged new relationships with Miami-based philanthropists and national foundations to support world-class programming while reactivating endowment and board giving, and championing support for arts education programs that provide personal development for children with little or no access to the arts. She secured national support for the Arsht’s urban planning efforts to revitalize its downtown Miami neighborhood.
Farrell is a former journalist for The Palm Beach Post and Miami Herald. A former YMCA and Coral Gables Youth Center volunteer soccer and softball coach, she served on the Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center Board of Directors for eight years. Farrell graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, where she was a First Generation college student and NCAA cross country runner.
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The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is made possible by the public support of the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council and the City of Miami Omni Community Redevelopment Agency. The Adrienne Arsht Center also receives generous support from individuals, corporations and local, state and national foundations.
About the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County
Since opening in 2006 in the heart of downtown, the Arsht proudly serves as the cultural pulse of Miami – the heart of magical live arts experiences that spark the imagination and connect people to one another. Whether on our stages or in your neighborhood, the Arsht is alive year-round with international artists, innovative programming from resident companies and local arts partners, free community events that reflect Miami’s unique identity and more than 100 culturally diverse and impactful learning experiences for 80,000 children every year.
The Arsht, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has been recognized as a leader in the Miami’s cultural transformation, producing more than 400 annual events that generate 11,500 local jobs and $125 million in economic impact. The Arsht is home to a robust series of touring Broadway musicals, star-studded jazz and classical music concerts curated for South Florida, an award-winning Miami-based theater program and numerous historic and televised events. Free annual Arsht events, such as Gospel Fest Miami, Art + Mind Day, Heritage Fest and our LGBTQ+ Pride celebration bring together people from all corners of our community. For more information, visit ArshtCenter.org.
MEDIA CONTACT
Suzette Espinosa Fuentes
786-468-2221