Through her company, Kélan Resources, Charmaine Jefferson delivers customized consulting services nationwide to meet institutional strategic planning, management, board development, budgeting, cultural competency and public relation goals across multiple disciplines. Jefferson is dedicated to integrating art, history, culture, business and diversity into the DNA of education, community, philanthropy, public and private collaborations. Jefferson also creatively specializes in project, show and event curation, production, implementation and post-assessment.
Having begun her career as a professional concert dancer for 9 years, Jefferson earned a B.A. in Dance from UCLA; M.A. in Dance Education from New York University; and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. Jefferson brings to her customized consulting services 40+ years of experience in arts production and administration. Some of Jefferson’s leadership positions and experience include having served as Executive Director of the California African American Museum and Dance Theatre of Harlem; Director of Show Development for Disney Entertainment Productions; Vice President of Business Affairs for de Passe Entertainment; Deputy & Acting Commissioner of the NYC Dept. of Cultural Affairs; Associate Attorney at the law firm of Holland & Knight; and, Sr. Dance Program Specialist & Site Visit Coordinator for the National Endowment for the Arts.
A strong believer in the value nonprofits bring to society, Jefferson is also an avid volunteer. She is Chairman of the Board Trustees of the California Institute of the Arts since 2022, and active Director since 2006. She is a member of Our Author’s Study Club; the Los Angeles Humanities Institute, and on the Advisory Board of the LA Chamber Orchestra and the PBS SoCal Community Advisory Board, for whom she moderated in 2023 a social issues committee virtual panel discussion entitled “Homelessness and the Unhoused in Los Angeles.” A sampling of just a few of her other past volunteer commitments include serving as a mayoral appointed Commissioner for the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs; gubernatorial appointee to the California and Florida Arts Councils respectively; Board Treasurer of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Massachusetts; and Board Director of Arts for L.A. It is this diverse range of service and advocacy that has resulted in Jefferson receiving the KCET/PBS SoCal Local Hero Award in 2011, and being honored in 2022/23 with formal interviews/videos produced by The HistoryMakers whose archives are housed in the U.S. Library of Congress. Most recently, in 2024, she received the Los Angeles Hall of Fame Award from Mayor Karen Bass and the City Council.
