Meet Jessica Leskin and discover how her career evolved to being an arts manager in the not-for-profit sector. Graduating with a Master's Degree in Arts Management in 2018, Jessica is now the Director of Institutional Giving at Sitar Arts Center, a not-for-profit organizations that engages DC youth in creative learning while removing financial and cultural barriers. This DC organization serves students from households that earn 60% or less of the area median income. Besides from her 9 to 5 of being a director, Jessica is also a visual artist who teaches pottery.
Jessica first began her career by interning at not-for-profit organizations that centered around engaging children and youth through the arts. Interning at DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative and the National Cherry Blossom Festival provided her the practical and fundamental skills to land her first full-time role as the Development Assistant at M.O.M.I.E.'s TLC (a youth development and humanities not-for-profit). Jessica later transitioned to Sitar Arts Center and took on various roles until finding her current position as the Director of Institutional Giving. Through this position, she looks over the growth and sustainability of funding from foundation, government, and corporate partners to support Sitar Arts Center’s mission and programs.
Being passionate about people, the community, and the arts, Jessica decided to pursue a Master's degree in Arts Management to learn more about different sectors of an arts organization and apply those skills at Sitar Arts Center.
Why did you decide to study arts management and how did the program help you with your first job?
I decided to study arts management because I was already working in the field and wanted to deepen my understanding of how arts organizations operate. I had known several alumni who spoke highly of the program, and after meeting with GMU staff, I was drawn to how hands-on and professionally focused it was. I loved that many of the professors were also working practitioners and that we were encouraged to learn directly from those leading the work in the field.
At the time, I was already working full-time as Grants Manager at Sitar Arts Center and continued full-time while working towards the degree. My role was focused on grants, but as anyone who works in development knows, grants touch every part of an organization. The program gave me that opportunity to understand all the different parts of the organization from finance to marketing, programming, policy and more, which I fed right back into my role as Grants Manager. Learning and applying in real time made the experience for me. Since graduating, I have been able to apply what I learned to take on new challenges in strategic planning, institutional marketing, and project management – growth that ultimately led me to my current role as Director of Institutional Giving.
What projects, research, or work are you involved with in your current role(s)?
In my role, I focus on growing and sustaining funding from foundation, government, and corporate partners to support Sitar Arts Center’s mission and programs. Since I joined in 2015, I have helped grow our institutional giving from $750K to $2.6 million, managing a portfolio of over 40 funders.
One of the most rewarding parts of my work has been contributing to a multi-year effort to expand Sitar Arts Center with a new facility, increasing our campus by 50%. Alongside staff, board, and community leaders, I helped plan and execute a successful $5.7 million capital campaign. In September 2025, we celebrated the ribbon cutting – a milestone that opens doors for hundreds more DC children and youth to explore arts education and creative workforce programs.
What does a typical day of work look like for you?
There really isn’t a “typical” day, and that is one of the joys of working at a community-based arts organization. Every day is filled with new people, fresh ideas, and opportunities to advance our mission. Because I work in the building where we program, I get to see our mission in action and spend time with the children and youth in our programs, I even teach a weekly pottery class. My mornings might be filled with meetings, grant writing, or strategic planning, but by the afternoon, the building comes alive with children and youth exploring music, dance, theater, and visual arts. Walking through the studios and classrooms, I get to see our students experimenting, creating, and discovering their voices. Those moments are a constant reminder of why this work matters.
What keeps you passionate about the arts and arts management?
The people and communities that the arts bring together keep me passionate about this work. What excites me most right now is supporting the next generation of arts managers. In 2022, Sitar became the DC partner for Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Bloomberg Arts Internship program, a national initiative that places rising high school seniors in paid arts management internships at cultural institutions across the city. The internship program introduces young people to the field of arts management, which many are discovering for the first time. I am proud to have been part of the team that brought this program to Sitar and to see it now supporting over 160 and counting future arts leaders.
What is something you wish you had known when you first started the program?
I don’t think I would change anything about my approach. When I joined the program, I was full of anticipation, motivation, and openness, and I focused on learning, making connections, and applying what I learned in the real world. I am grateful for the program and would encourage others to get involved. I especially appreciated the theoretical classes taught by Professor Rosenstein, which opened my eyes to the broader landscape of arts and policy. Her classes helped me understand systems in new ways and laid the foundation for me engaging in collective impact work to support greater equity in arts funding.
What do you tell people an “Arts Manager” does?
Arts managers play a crucial role in increasing access to the arts and ensuring organizations have the resources to thrive. The work can take many forms, from fundraising and marketing to program planning and community engagement, but at its core, it is about creating opportunities for people and communities to thrive.
What first drew you to a career in nonprofit development and institutional giving?
Looking back, my path to nonprofit development and institutional giving was not entirely intentional, it was subconscious. I grew up with a sibling with special needs and saw firsthand the many “angels” who supported my sister and our family through countless challenges. They showed me what it means to be part of a life-giving community, one that cares for others even when they do not share the same challenges. That experience drew me to work focused on community and creating opportunities that can lead to transformative moments for others.