Miami, Jan. 16, 2020 – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Director of Cultural Affairs, Natalia Crujeiras, has been selected for the prestigious 2020 Eisenhower USA Fellowship Program, a year-long support of an individualized fellowship program that includes four-to-five-week travel to at least one of 50 countries and meetings with leaders in their fields, as well as a lifelong engagement with the EF global network of Fellows.
“I am incredibly grateful, humbled and honored to be named a 2020 USA Eisenhower Fellow,” Crujeiras said. “The other fellows comprise an impressive group of outstanding leaders making important contributions to their communities.”
Through the fellowship, Crujeiras will seek new ways to support the arts and creative sectors in Miami through alternative funding. Although South Florida’s creative sector continues to thrive, there is a scarcity of organizations and individuals supporting arts and culture, and artistic organizations are often overlooked as donors focus on religious, health and educational charities.
“I am particularly interested in learning about impact investment and entrepreneurial philanthropy,” Crujeiras added. “There is extensive research supporting the pivotal role of the creative industries in stimulating economic growth and fostering equitable development. I will be traveling to Belgium and Indonesia to learn from organizations, community leaders, policymakers, artistic collectives, and associations that have successfully developed new and sustainable business models for the arts and cultural sectors.”
As the Executive Director of the Cultural Affairs at MDC, Crujeiras oversees the strategic direction and operational oversight of six of the most influential cultural institutions in South Florida, including Miami Book Fair, one of the largest and most significant literary program in the nation; the internationally-acclaimed Miami Film Festival; MDC Live Arts, Miami’s most eclectic performing arts series; the Museum of Art and Design and Special Collections galleries at the National Historic Landmark Freedom Tower; and the Koubek Center and Tower Theater Miami, serving nearly 400,000 people every year.
Crujeiras has nearly 20 years of experience in journalism and arts management in both the private and public sectors. She has directed communication strategy and represented organizations at all levels, including governing boards, Congress, the State Department and the White House.
As a passionate advocate of the universal right of people to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers, Crujeiras has led projects that inform, connect, and engage people in closed societies around the world. As Chief Content Officer at the U.S. Agency for Global Media, she captained efforts to circumvent censorship and support entrepreneurs expanding access to free internet in Cuba and Venezuela.
She also worked as a news producer for the two leading Spanish networks – Univision and Telemundo – and as Director of Broadcast Operations at the University of Miami, where she also taught multi-media journalism. She has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Miami and a bachelor’s in visual arts and communications from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
About the Eisenhower Fellowships Program
Now in its 66th year and named for America’s 34th president, Eisenhower Fellowships brings together innovative leaders from all fields from around the globe who tackle big challenges to better the world around them. Since 1953, more than 2,400 mid-career leaders from 115 countries have benefited from the unique, customized experience of an Eisenhower Fellowship. View the complete list of 2020 USA Eisenhower Fellows at www.efworld.org.
Eisenhower Fellowships identifies, empowers and connects innovative leaders through a transformative fellowship experience and lifelong engagement in a global network of dynamic change agents committed to creating a world more peaceful, prosperous and just.
For more information about Eisenhower Fellowships, please contact Erin Wurzel, ewurzel@efworld.org, 215-546-1738.