about us

Emerging Leader Council: Member Bios

Marisa Catalina Casey
Founder/Executive Director
Starting Artists, Inc
125 Court Street, 11 E South
Brooklyn, New York 11201
T 718.701.5483
E-mail: marisa@startingartists.org
Website: www.startingartists.org

Marisa Catalina Casey

Marisa Catalina Casey is founder and executive director of Starting Artists, Inc., a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in Brooklyn, NY preparing youth with the artistic and entrepreneurial skills to start arts-based businesses. Marisa obtained her B.A. in Latin American studies from Brown University and her M.A. in arts administration from Columbia University, where she worked full time and was president of Student Advocates for the Arts. A member of the Emerging Leaders of New York Arts, Marisa has received numerous fellowships and scholarships from such organizations as the National Endowment for the Arts, Americans for the Arts, Columbia University, and Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. Utilizing her artistic and entrepreneurial skills, Marisa has worked as a photojournalist for CARE-Peru, the Alliance for Children, and The Providence Journal. Additionally, she co-authored Born in Our Hearts: Stories of Adoption, selling over 11,000 copies with proceeds benefiting orphanages. Marisa has held positions at the William Randolph Hearst Foundations, the Metropolitan Opera, and APERTURE Foundation. She has received grants from the Newton Cultural Council, Production Workshop, and Creative Arts Council. In 2007, Marisa was a semi-finalist for the Echoing Green Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship. Currently, Marisa is a consultant to the Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations.