The Broadway League has hired its first Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: Gennean Scott, most recently holding a related position at Omaha Performing Arts, starts her new job July 6.
Charlotte. St. Martin, president of the Broadway League, said Friday that Scott “will be a crucial member of the team as Broadway returns and we keep doing the work to achieve equity and inclusion and creating a workforce that reflects our communities and our country.”
“As we look to the future,” St. Martin continued, “we want to continue to expand our existing programs, provide even greater access, and forge more partnerships with diverse audiences so Broadway can come back better and stronger than before.”
With more than 20 years of experience in racial and social justice initiatives, Scott has worked for community organizations and in the nonprofit and education sectors. For the past seven years, she has served as a key leader for Omaha Performing Arts, one of the region’s premier arts and cultural organizations. As VP Human Capital and Inclusion, she conceived and spearheaded programs that have increased and retained BIPOC staff, exceeding national standards, according to the League, the trade association of theater producers and owners.
“It is important in our industry that all voices are seen and heard and I am grateful for the opportunity to work together and affect change to create a more equitable and inclusive Broadway,” Scott said in a statement.
Omaha Performing Arts president Joan Squires credited Scott with bringing “innovative ideas that have enabled us to grow in our commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility. We are a better organization today because of her leadership.”
Among Scott’s accomplishments at the OPA were various EDI initiatives and programs, including a monthly Voices Amplified series that focuses on multidisciplinary arts and social justice initiatives to amplify artists in diverse cultures.
In 2013, Scott founded and directed a nonprofit dance school to promote equity in the arts for Omaha youth. She is a co-founder of the Black Arts Leadership Alliance, a network of Black professionals in the Midwest dedicated to empowering, training, recruiting, and retaining African Americans/Blacks in arts administration, and a co-founder of the Nebraska Association of African American Human Resources Professionals.
The hire comes both as Broadway prepares to reopen after the Covid pandemic shutdown and as it has come under increasing pressure from within the industry to expand inclusion and increase anti-racism efforts. Some shows have announced reopenings and begun selling tickets for the fall.