Janet Rodriguez
Janet Rodriguez, SoHarlem Inc, Founder and CEO, has more than twenty years of experience in policy and grantmaking positions in public, private, and corporate philanthropy. That, along with a personal understanding of the critical role the arts play in child and community development, led her to serve on boards, manage institutions, initiate change, and become a social entrepreneur.
She established SoHarlem in 2011 to ensure creative and local people participate in the economic development in the Manhattanville Factory District. SoHarlem supports racial equity and employment in Harlem by incubating creative enterprises, mentoring emerging designers and provide job training for the local community. To date SoHarlem has helped to launch more than 50 micro businesses from custom-made, couture garments, urban Streetwear, fashion accessories and other fashion related businesses. Its Creative Economy Training Institute has trained more than 50 local residents.
Prior to establishing SoHarlem, she served as Vice President of the JPMorgan Chase Global Philanthropy Group and was responsible for providing leadership and support to the National Community Relations team charged with developing and implementing philanthropic strategies in their local communities. She was also the proprietor of Straight Out of Harlem, the sole creative outlet among retail stores and bodegas in Sugar Hill section of Harlem which produced public programs, exhibitions, and salons that explored contemporary cultural issues, and promoted and sold the work of more than 250 local and global artists.
Other professional experiences include: Program Officer with the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; Managing Director of the Aaron Davis Hall; New York Philharmonic’s Music Assistance Fund and the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture; Program Director for the Kentucky Arts Council; and Co-Founder of Latin American Music in Alternative Spaces.
Rodriguez is a graduate of Columbia University’s School of the Arts, MFA in Arts Administration; Columbia University’s Teachers College, MA in Art Education; New York University, BS, Art Education; and received a Sociocracy Certificate from Rachel Carson Eco Village. She has served on many boards, among them the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone, the World Media Foundation, Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, and Grantmakers in the Arts. Most recently she was a Community Partner for Columbia University’s The Center for Smart Streetscapes.