from LACHSA Happenings

The board of directors of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts Foundation has selected Trena Pitchford as their new Executive Director. She brings a proven track record of fundraising for arts education in public schools. She previously served as Executive Director of the Burbank Arts for All Foundation and for the Open Hearts Foundation.
“We were very impressed by Trena’s passion for arts education and her expertise in fundraising and nonprofit management,” said Board Co-President Connie St. John.
“As we approach the school’s 40th anniversary, this is an exciting time to broaden support for this amazing institution,” added Board Co-President Michael Schlesinger.
Pitchford is an executive and creative strategist whose expertise stems from a lifetime of serving others and achieving goals through program innovation, philanthropy, fiscal management, and collaborative leadership. Most recently, she served as the Executive Director of the Open Hearts Foundation, co-founded by actress and philanthropist, Jane Seymour, where she grew the charity’s national philanthropic and global volunteerism footprint throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Previous to the Open Hearts Foundation, Pitchford served eight years as the Executive Director of the Burbank Arts for All Foundation where she led the charity’s mission focused on grants and advocacy initiatives in support of arts education in the Burbank Unified School District. During her tenure, the Foundation provided funding for arts education classes, as well as arts integration in other curricular subjects. She also engaged community stakeholders, including parents, businesses, and civic leaders, in understanding arts education policy and the connection between arts education and Burbank’s creative economy.
Throughout her career, Pitchford has been invited to speak on panels and participate in local, regional, and state level task forces for Southern California Leadership Network, Create CA, and Arts for LA, among others. She is an alumna of Arts for LA’s ACTIVATE fellowship, Leadership Burbank, Southern California Leadership Network’s Leadership Southern California, and a graduate of California Institute of the Arts.
Pitchford shared, “I am more than thrilled to join the important mission and legacy of the LACHSA Foundation as the next Executive Director. I believe arts and culture are an essential thread of the fabric of LA County’s diverse, global, creative community and economy. I look forward to joining with the Board of Directors and staff of the Foundation, as well as the entire LACHSA family, in supporting young artists who were born to create and destined to change the world. I am equally as excited to prepare for the 40th anniversary celebrations of the school in 2025 and increase support for the #1 arts high school in the nation.”
Trena can be reached at tpitchford@lachsafoundation.org and at the office at (213) 279-6978. Please join us in warmly welcoming her to the LACHSA community!
With gratitude, we say farewell to Interim Executive director, Mark Slavkin
The LACHSA Foundation is extremely grateful to celebrated arts education leader, Mark Slavkin, for serving as Interim Executive Director while the search was underway for our new Executive Director. We will miss Mark’s affable spirit, but he will not be too far away, as he will continue to serve the LACHSA Foundation on our Advisory Council. Our Generous SponsorsThank you to all the incredible organizational partners who support LACHSA.
To learn more about how you or an organization you know can be involved with nurturing the student artists at LACHSA through partnership opportunities, please contact lcassandra@lachsafoundation.org.