LOS ANGELES, CA – The nonprofit Sundance Institute today announced the appointment of Jennifer Arceneaux to the newly created position of Director, External Relations. In this role, Arceneaux will oversee the Institute’s fundraising, marketing and communications efforts, supervising a staff of 25. Based in Los Angeles, she will begin September 17, reporting directly to Executive Director Keri Putnam and working closely with the Institute’s Leadership and Board of Trustees.

Arceneaux recently served as Director of Development for The Museum of Contemporary Art,
Los Angeles (MOCA). A strong advocate and spokesperson for the arts, she has extensive experience in major annual fundraising and capital campaigns, board development and cultivation, strategic planning, program evaluation, and special event production.

 “Jennifer has broad experience and demonstrated excellence in development, cultivation and outreach,” said Putnam. ”The Board and I were impressed with her professional track record, managerial skills and commitment to global arts advocacy, and we look forward to having her play a key role in advancing the impact of Sundance Institute’s programs across myriad audiences.”

In her new role, Arceneaux will direct the strategic alignment and short- and long-term planning of the nonprofit Sundance Institute’s contributed revenue sources, including areas of Foundation Giving and Government Support, Corporate Development, and Individual Giving.  She will work closely with the organization’s Leadership to craft a long-term strategy to augment permanently endowed funds, and will oversee the production of special events for donors, alumni and other key constituents. Arceneaux will also direct the Institute’s messaging efforts and strategic media partnerships.

For nearly three decades, Sundance Institute has promoted independent storytelling to inform and inspire audiences across political, social, religious and cultural differences. Through labs, funding, special projects with key partners and the Sundance Film Festival, the Institute serves as the leading advocate for independent artists worldwide.

During her seven-year tenure at MOCA, Arceneaux cultivated relationships and fostered the careers of artists and curators in the Los Angeles art community. Arceneaux also launched the successful MOCA NOW communications and development campaign to increase grassroots engagement in fundraising and create transparent communication with MOCA members and patrons. The campaign evolved into the MOCA NEW initiative raising more than $70 million in operating and endowment support. Arceneaux spearheaded the museum’s 30th Anniversary initiatives including Thirty Works for Thirty Years, a 30-week awareness promotion surrounding the museum’s permanent collection, and produced more than 60 annual donor events, most notably 2009 MOCA NEW Gala and Auction that raised $4 million, hosting more than 1,000 international art patrons.

Prior to joining MOCA, Arceneaux served as Director of Development at the Accelerated School in Los Angeles where she executed a $60 million expansion campaign for a new campus and community center. Her professional experience spans over ten years working with non-profits and community-based arts organizations including RAND Corporation, Inner-City Arts, CityLife, A.R.T.S. Inc., The Housing Rights Center and more recently in a board and advisory capacity with the Watts House Project, and LAXART.

She holds a B.A. degree in Political Science from California State University at Fullerton and an M.A. in Public Administration from the University of Southern California School of Policy Planning and Development.      

Sundance Institute
Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theater, and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, An Inconvenient Truth and Angels in America.

Sundance Institute receives major support from: Andrew Mellon Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Cinereach, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The Ford Foundation, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, James Irvine Foundation, Open Society Institute, SAGindie, Skoll Foundation, Sloan Foundation, Time Warner Inc., Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development and Utah Film Commission, as well as many generous individuals and corporate partners including  Entertainment Weekly, HP, Honda, Sundance Channel, YouTube, L’Oreal Paris and Stella Artois.