(Cleveland, OH) – Cleveland Arts Prize (CAP) has appointed Effie A. Nunes as executive director. Nunes, who has served on the CAP Board of Trustees for the past seven years, had been interim executive director since April of 2023. She brings 30 years of arts administration, marketing, event planning and public relations experience to the role.
Prior to Nunes, the interim position was held by Aseelah Shareef, the current Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Karamu House. Shareef had provided leadership for CAP since the retirement of Alenka Banco.
Shareef co-chairs the CAP board with Kurt Karakul, a retired foundation president and executive director of Third Federal Foundation, and Kathleen Futey, a Certified Private Wealth Advisor with LPL Financial. In a joint statement the co-chairs said, “We are excited to officially welcome Effie Nunes as the new Executive Director of the Cleveland Arts Prize. Effie’s combination of experience, passion, and commitment to the arts make her the ideal person to lead CAP and its mission into the future. We look forward to working with her to continue to grow CAP’s reach as a vital arts organization not only in the Northeast Ohio region, but nationally and internationally.”
The Cleveland Arts Prize has been honoring artists for their excellence for seven decades. Among its 400 plus award recipients is Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison, a Lorain, Ohio native, groundbreaking architect Robert P. Madison, FAIA, and international arts advocate Barbara S. Robinson. “I am deeply committed to shining a spotlight on the remarkable artists from northeast Ohio. Their creativity and passion enrich our community in profound ways, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to amplify their voices and showcase their talent to a broader audience,” said Nunes.
During her yearlong interim period, Nunes contributed to the growth and development of the organization in a multitude of ways including, but not limited to: building a stronger and more diverse board of trustees, securing new foundational and sponsorship funding, reinstating the Verge Fellowship program, and initiating a new development plan for Cleveland Arts Prize.
For more than 20 years, Nunes served as the director of marketing and communications for Kent State University’s College of the Arts. During that time she oversaw the Thomas Schroth Visiting Artist Series which presented a myriad of award-winning artists such as Ben Vereen, The Martha Graham Dance Company, artist Nick Cave, architect Jeanne Gang and clarinetist David Shifrin. Prior to her role with the college, she served as the director of marketing and public relations for Kent State’s School of Theatre & Dance and its professional summer stock, Porthouse Theatre. Nunes is also a former partner of the public relations firm, Sevastos & Tsengas.
Nunes received a Master of Business Administration from Kent State University and a Bachelor of Science in Communications from Cleveland State University. She currently sits on the board of Sts. Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Cleveland Heights. Nunes lives in Willoughby Hills with her husband Grafton Nunes. Between them, the couple has eight children.