John Abodeely

Abodeely currently serves as CEO of the Houston Arts Alliance, an arts agency that grants about $15 million in public funds annually to Houston artists, nonprofits, and collectives and builds $5 million in public art projects each year. Since joining HAA in 2017, he has doubled the organization’s budget and transformed its grantmaking to increase transparency and fairness. HAA launched the Disaster Resilience program after Hurricane Harvey, working to ensure local emergency management systems fairly include artists and arts nonprofits in their work, unlocking FEMA funds for the arts and adding new protections for arts treasures in Houston.
“We are excited to welcome John Abodeely as the new Chief Executive Officer of Oolite Arts. With an extensive background in growing the arts on both the local and national levels, John brings a wealth of experience and proven leadership to our organization. As we launch into our 40th year and embark on the next chapter of our journey, John’s expertise will be instrumental in strengthening and expanding our programming, building our new home in Little River, and continuing to nurture the incredible artistic talent here in South Florida. We look forward to working together to create a vibrant, dynamic future for the arts in our community and beyond.”
Abodeely is replacing renowned arts leader Dennis Scholl, who retired last year; Maggy Cuesta will continue to serve as interim CEO until February.

“Miami is one of the most vibrant arts communities in the world, and I’m excited to join Oolite Arts. The new Oolite Arts building is destined to become a Miami community treasure for decades to come,’’ Abodeely said. “I have so much to learn about Miami, and I look forward to listening to the artists and other creative leaders to understand this dynamic, diverse, and artistically critical city as we plan and activate Oolite’s future.’’

Prior to joining the Houston Arts Alliance, Abodeely served as the Acting Executive Director and Deputy Director of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, a White House advisory committee that addresses policy, arts and humanities education, cultural exchange, and the creative economy. There, he helped to lead exponential growth of programs that used art to improve the lives of children, raising millions of dollars for diplomacy and education programs. He also served as Manager of National Partnerships for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Manager of Education at Americans for the Arts. Abodeely is a former graduate professor for education policy at the Corcoran College of Art and Design at George Washington University. He is a graduate of Amherst College with a Bachelor of Arts and double major in Biology and Fine Arts, cum laude, and holds a Master of Business Administration from Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.