“I am delighted to welcome Rebecca to HumanitiesDC as our new Executive Director,” said Lee Murphy, Chair of HDC’s Board of Directors. “Rebecca’s vision, integrity, and extensive record as a nonprofit executive director made her an impressive candidate. Pairing these qualities with her perspective as a native Washingtonian and her deep commitment to our local community, it was clear that Rebecca is an ideal choice to lead HumanitiesDC into its next chapter.”

Lemos-Otero will lead HDC as it continues to help support humanities organizations in the District to navigate the unprecedented challenges presented by COVID-19. In the face of these challenges, HDC will be accepting applications for the Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) grant program and begin planning new ways to connect with DC residents through original community-driven programming.

“As someone who proudly calls DC home, I am honored and excited to join Humanities DC,” said Ms. Lemos-Otero. “I look forward to working with our team, partners, and DC residents to find innovative ways to explore our diverse communities’ stories and the points of intersection that feed our city’s rich history and culture. The humanities are a powerful tool of reflection and expression, and will help us celebrate DC’s past and inform our future in ways that both honor and challenge our city’s narratives.”

About Rebecca Lemos Otero

Rebecca Lemos Otero is a nonprofit executive, artist, and community builder who has dedicated her career to serving her hometown of Washington, DC.

She is the co-founder and former Executive Director of City Blossoms, which cultivates community well-being through creative kid-driven gardens that serve Latino, African American, and immigrant children in neighborhoods lacking free, safe green spaces. Under Lemos-Otero’s leadership, City Blossoms grew from a volunteer gardening program in Columbia Heights to an award-winning, million-dollar organization rooted in communities across the city, receiving recognition from the DC Mayor’s Sustainability Award, and the Center for Nonprofit Advancement’s Board Leadership Award. She brings significant experience building local and national collaborations, including with the DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education, the DC Department of Parks and Recreation, the U.S. Botanic Garden, and the Nature Conservancy.

A leader with over two decades of experience as a nonprofit entrepreneur, Lemos-Otero grounds her work in social justice and community-driven programming. As an artist, she is known for her unique approaches and creative perspective to solving challenges. She is a past member of the Board of Instigators of the Diverse City Fund, with significant expertise in designing and awarding grants to community-focused initiatives.

Lemos-Otero received much of her initial education and training from a fierce and diverse collective of social justice activist mentors, which was accompanied by a B.A. from Fordham University, an M.F.A from the Maryland Institute College of Arts and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Georgetown University. She is a Ward 4 resident living in DC’s Petworth neighborhood.

About HumanitiesDC

Founded in 1980, HumanitiesDC is the state humanities council for Washington, DC with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the DC Council and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. HumanitiesDC’s mission to enrich the quality of life, foster intellectual stimulation, and promote cross-cultural understanding, and appreciation of local history in all neighborhoods of the District. HDC supports local historians, educators, filmmakers, and humanists to document and interpret life in DC through grants, programs, and special partnerships. To learn more, visit www.humanitiesdc.org.