BUILDING FOR THE ARTS (BFA) WELCOMES STEPHANIE YBARRA,
DAN KLORES, AND DENZELL JOBSON TO ITS BOARD
July 9, 2025
Known for its Celebration of a Plurality of Voices Across its Distinct Signature Programs, BFA Expands Board as it Welcomes Three Illustrious Leaders from Different Fields
Building for the Arts (BFA) today announces that three accomplished leaders and storytellers have joined its board: philanthropy practitioner, performing arts leader, and visionary Stephanie Ybarra; playwright, film producer, and director Dan Klores; and theater producer, MothWorks instructor, and corporate social responsibility leader Denzell Jobson. They will help steward BFA as the organization continues to expand access to the performing arts in New York and across the country.
Founded in Hell’s Kitchen in 1976 to create a vibrant performing arts hub for the neighborhood, BFA has since grown toward a national approach to cultural access, offering multiple pipelines toward deepened artistic engagement. Through its three signature programs—Theatre Row, Music and the Brain, and The American Playwriting Foundation—the organization vitalizes artistic communities and their audiences. Ybarra, Klores, and Jobson each bring a wealth and wide range of experiences from their respective careers to the Board of the multifaceted organization.
Klores is a filmmaker, playwright, and longtime collaborator of American Playwriting Foundation artistic director David Bar Katz (who directed the world premiere of Klores’ The Wood at Rattlestick Theater).
Jobson, who has held capacity building roles at Deloitte, Bellwether and LinkedIn, now works in Strategic Partnerships at Google, with a developing career as a theater producer.
Ybarra, who has held leadership positions at Baltimore Center Stage, The Public Theater, and The Playwrights Realm, is an innovative arts worker whose practice sits at the intersection of philanthropy, civics and justice, and artistic excellence.
Building for the Arts President David J. Roberts said, “I am both energized and humbled by the immense thought leadership, talent, skills, and networks that Stephanie, Dan, and Denzell will each bring to the BFA Board. I look forward to building a more impactful and responsive BFA with them, the other Board members, staff, and our community of stakeholders with these impressive humans now part of the BFA team.”
Building for the Arts Board Chair Jeffrey A. Horwitz said, “We’re thrilled to welcome Dan, Stephanie, and Denzell to the Building for the Arts Board. Each brings a dynamic voice and unique perspective that reflects the richness of the artistic communities we serve. Their leadership will help us spark fresh ideas across our programs and deepen the connections that fuel our mission—from teachers and students to artists and audiences and every partner who believes in the transformative power of the arts.”
About BFA
Building for the Arts (BFA) is a multifaceted nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to the performing arts. Theatre Row offers invaluable support to the theatrical ecosystem by allowing a multiplicity of companies access to subsidized space in the heart of New York’s Theater District. Music and the Brain, a school-day general music method using music literacy as a cognitive and character-building tool for young people, has evolved from a local to national program. And The American Playwriting Foundation devotes its resources to identifying and nurturing the next generation of theatermakers poised to reveal and reflect to us the truths of our world, primarily through the renowned Relentless Awards made in honor of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Adam Schlesinger. Under the leadership of Building for the Arts President David J. Roberts, the organization continues to grow its distinct yet interconnected visions for making the city and country nurturing places for the growth of the arts and artists.
About the New Board Members
Denzell Jobson works in strategic partnerships at Google focused on social impact. He has held capacity building roles at Deloitte, Bellwether and LinkedIn focused on helping businesses and nonprofits run more efficiently. In addition, he is a storytelling instructor at The Moth, a nonprofit celebrating the art and craft of true personal storytelling, where he helps deliver workshops for leaders to apply the craft of storytelling at work and beyond. Jobson is a lover of the performing arts, especially theater, and recently began his career as a theater producer. Born and raised in the best city in the world, he is beyond excited to join the BFA community and contribute to the organization’s incredible impact.
Stephanie Ybarra is an arts worker specializing in theater and the performing arts. Ybarra’s notable credits include her role as Artistic Director of Baltimore Center Stage, where she advanced the theater’s role as a local civic partner and national thought leader. Prior to her tenure in Baltimore, Ybarra served as the Director of Special Artistic Programs for The Public Theater where she helmed the Mobile Unit and Public Forum programs, as well as Producing Director for The Playwrights Realm. Additional credits include Yale Repertory Theater, Dallas Theater Center and Dallas Children’s Theater. Throughout her thirty years of experience on stage and off, Ybarra has emerged as a leading voice in advocating for justice-centered practices within the American Theatre community. She is on faculty at The Juilliard School and serves on the board of Make Believe Association and is a member of the artistic council for the People’s Theatre. Stephanie is a former resident dramaturg for The Sol Project, a WP Producing Lab alum, and holds an MFA from the Yale School of Drama.
Dan Klores is an Award-winning filmmaker and playwright who has made seven movies, four of which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Klores has received widespread recognition for his work, most notably being awarded the 2008 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary for Crazy Love (2007) and the Peabody Award for his film Black Magic (2008). Plays include Myrtle Beach, The Wood, and Little Doc, which premiered at the Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre starring Adam Driver. Klores is the author of one book, Roundball Culture: South Carolina Basketball (1980), and numerous articles, columns, essays and features for publications such as New York Times, New York Daily News, Esquire, New York Magazine, The Village Voice, Grantland.com, Huffington Post, and Southern Exposure.