Baltimore Youth Arts Names Co-Executive Directors
Gianna Rodriguez and Dave Eassa will co-lead the Baltimore arts program for young people ages 14 to 25 starting October 22, 2026.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in People
Baltimore Youth Arts has named Gianna Rodriguez and Dave Eassa Co-Executive Directors, effective October 22, 2026. Rodriguez founded the paid creative apprenticeship program in 2015 and served as sole Executive Director until now.
Why it matters
The co-leadership structure is intended to ensure the organization can continue beyond the tenure of any single leader. Rodriguez said sharing leadership is deliberate and is how the organization builds something meant to outlast either of them.
Baltimore Youth Arts has engaged more than 2,700 Baltimore young people and employed more than 270 as paid Apprentices since 2015. The organization is raising $15,000 by December 31, matched dollar for dollar by an anonymous donor, though the extraction does not state how much has been raised so far.
The players
Gianna Rodriguez
Rodriguez founded Baltimore Youth Arts in 2015 and previously served as its sole Executive Director.
Dave Eassa
Eassa previously served as Director of Public Engagement at the Baltimore Museum of Art and as Director of Philanthropy and Engagement at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in San Diego.
Baltimore Youth Arts
Baltimore Youth Arts is a paid creative apprenticeship and art education program serving Baltimore young people ages 14 to 25.
The details
Eassa joined the organization as Deputy Director in June 2026 and has collaborated with Rodriguez as an artist since 2015 under the name The Blank Page Project. The co-leadership model mirrors BYA's youth pathway, in which young people advance from Apprentice to Senior Apprentice.
Timeline
June 2026: Dave Eassa joins Baltimore Youth Arts as Deputy Director.
October 22, 2026: Rodriguez and Eassa become Co-Executive Directors.
December 3: 12th anniversary celebration and art auction at the BYA Community Studio, 5:30 to 8 p.m.
December 31: Deadline for the $15,000 matched fundraising campaign.
Organizational Continuity
The co-leadership model mirrors BYA's youth leadership pathway, in which young people move from Apprentice to Senior Apprentice, applying the program's own progression logic to the organization's top leadership. This structure is positioned as a way to outlast any single leader.
Baltimore residents aged 14 to 25 can participate in the paid apprenticeship program, and the upcoming auction and matched fundraiser offer ways for the public to support it. The December 31 fundraising deadline is the most immediate opportunity to contribute.
The takeaway
Organizations that serve young people can build continuity by applying their own leadership pathways to their top roles. Sharing leadership at the top is one way to keep a program running beyond any single founder.
What happens next
The 12th anniversary celebration and art auction takes place December 3 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the BYA Community Studio, and the $15,000 matched fundraising campaign closes December 31.
Further reading
Explore more People coverage from Baltimore leaders and organizations.
More information
Visit the Baltimore Youth Arts program information page for details on the program.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Baltimore Times.
