We’re thrilled to share some exciting news! After a nationwide search, The Village has selected a new Executive Director to help guide the organization into its next phase, deepening and accelerating our critical work to uplift artists and the Fairhill-Hartranft community.
The Village’s Board of Directors has selected Corrien Elmore-Stratton as the next leader of The Village, and they are confident of her commitment to The Village’s values, hopes, and dreams. Born in Philadelphia, Corrien brings over 20 years of experience in nonprofit management and youth development to the role. Corrien, who most recently served as the Executive Director of Teen Leadership at the Greater Philadelphia YMCA, has made a name for herself as an initiator passionate about equity, youth empowerment, and social responsibility.
“We are filled with energy and optimism as we welcome Corrien as our new Executive Director at The Village of Arts and Humanities,” said Alan Jacobson, Chair of The Village Board of Directors. “Corrien’s compassion, extensive experience, love for this work, and creative vision give us great confidence that she will direct us through another great chapter at The Village alongside our wonderful team as we serve the Village community and beyond.”
As the Executive Director of Teen Leadership at the seventh-largest YMCA in the country, Corrien led a large team across dozens of branches and stewarded programming focused on civic engagement, career readiness, college readiness, and tech innovation. Annually, her team’s programming served over 4,000 students across Greater Philadelphia, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. Corrien led the fundraising and management of a multi-million dollar budget and cultivated relationships with youth, their families, community members, donors, and other key stakeholders. In addition to her work in this area, Corrien served as project leader on several national YMCA youth leadership development initiatives and nonprofit professional development programs specifically designed to serve future or current Executive Leaders of color.
Prior to her role in Philadelphia, Corrien served as the Senior Director of Youth Intervention at the YMCA of Burlington and Camden Counties. In this role, Corrien created and implemented specialized programming focused on prevention, diversion, and intervention outcome-based services for 13-24-year-olds from marginalized communities facing systemic barriers. She worked with the Camden County Full Services Youth Commission, providing programming and project co-leader services for the inaugural county-wide Youth Summit that led to an annual implementation of this coordinated effort, serving over 15 public and charter middle and high schools.
In her free time, Corrien is working towards completing her M.A. in Public Administration and providing technical assistance and training to youth-serving organizations seeking to enhance their programming or staffing. She also gives back to her community, where she is a long-time member and Committee Chair for the Cherry Hill African American Civic Association. In January 2024, Corrien closed out her fourth year of service as a Member of the Cherry Hill Board of Education and Governing Board Member for the Camden County Educational Services Commission. These roles help to feed Corrien’s passion for servant leadership and commitment to purposefully giving to her community.
A champion for young people and Black communities, Corrien is excited to be a part of The Village’s historical legacy. She is ready to join our community and utilize the knowledge she has gained to continue preserving The Village’s core values and tenets. She also plans to continue to add the groundwork to ensure The Village’s staying power into the next chapter and beyond.
“I am proud to join an organization as beloved as The Village of Arts and Humanities, which has served as a sacred space for countless artists, young people, and the Fairhill-Hartranft neighborhood for decades. It is a great honor to work with such an incredible community of people who are steadfast in designing and building a future where cooperation and collaboration drive a thriving space open with opportunity and deeply connected to the ancestors who paved the way.”
We look forward to sharing more opportunities to get to know Corrien. Be sure to share a warm welcome with her by commenting on our Instagram or sending an email to info@villagearts.org.