Leaders of several arts organizations in Pittsburgh have joined forces to create the Pittsburgh Arts Administrators of Color, an organization aimed at unifying people of color in administrative positions.

The organization already started having monthly happy hours starting in late April and will engage further via Zoom before slowly transitioning to in-person get-togethers.

The founders of the Pittsburgh Arts Administrators of Color include Rebekah Diaz, the Manager of Community Engagement and IDEA Initiatives at Pittsburgh Opera; Monteze Freeland, an Associate Production of City Theatre; Natalie Hatcher, an Outreach Program Manager at Carnegie Mellon University’s Computer Science Pathways; and Joanna Obuzor, an Operations Manager for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

“It’s been really wonderful to see the support for the creation of this group; not only from those for whom the group was intended, but also from allies within our organizations”,” Diaz, a Bronx native and former opera singer, said in a press release. “The impetus to create this group came as a way to connect with other BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color) arts administrative and creatives here in Pittsburgh. There may not be many of us within each organization, but when we come together we are a stronger representation of BIPOC arts leaders in our community.”

Membership into the organization is free.