Jennifer D. Dobbs
Executive Director 

Jennifer D. Dobbs is the inaugural Executive Director for the ArtsBridge Foundation at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre. Since her arrival in May of 2017, Jennifer has engaged new donors and volunteers, acquired over $4.5 million for the organization, increased geographic outreach to now 70 Georgia counties and five surrounding states, implemented new performing arts and community outreach programs and partners, and much more.

During her tenure, Jennifer has received the 2023 NonprofitHR Social Impact Women to Watch Finalist award, the 2019 Woman of Achievement award from LiveSafe Resources and was featured as a “Maker” in the June 2019 Atlanta Magazine. Since her arrival, ArtsBridge became a part of the inaugural Atlanta Inno 50on Fire Award and has received five Southeast Emmy® Awards for the Georgia High School Musical Theatre Awards – Shuler Hensley Awards®.

Previous to her position, Jennifer was the Executive Director of the Alonzo F. and Norris B. Herndon Foundation in Atlanta, GA and prior to that, the foundational Director of Development for the Center for Ethics at Emory University.

Before moving to Georgia from Pennsylvania, Jennifer’s previous positions include inaugural Director of Development for the nationally-recognized Erie Art Museum; adjunct English faculty for Mercyhurst University at its inner-city Booker T. Washington Center satellite location; Leadership Giving Coordinator for United Way of Erie County, where she initiated a women's leadership initiative, Women In Action; Target Area Local Leaders (TALL) Team Coordinator of the City of Erie's Weed and Seed Program, where she coordinated residential participation in helping to eliminate problems in the city's most impoverished areas; and higher education administration at Gannon University and LaRoche College.

Jennifer graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English/ Writing from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of United Way of Erie County's Project Blueprint minority leadership development program and is a Jupiter Fellow through the Clarence J. Jupiter Fellowship for Minority Professionals at the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), a program that trained her in institutional advancement. She earned a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Organizational Leadership from Gannon University. Soon after she completed her Resident Fellowship program with United Way of America (now United Way Worldwide), which trained her to be a CEO by developing her professional and personal skills. Jennifer will soon return to her doctoral studies in public policy and administration with a focus on nonprofit management.

Jennifer was a charter member and the inaugural Chair of the Erie County Gaming Revenue Authority (ECGRA), where she assisted in the distribution of over $20 million into the community for economic development purposes. Currently, she is a member of The Pennsylvania Society, the LiveSafe Resources Academy of Women Leaders, and the Georgia Council for the Arts Grant Review Panel.

Jennifer is a devoted mother to three adult children, Xavier, Roman, and Isis, and a proud grandmother to twins Presley Rose and Peyton Lilly and their younger sister, Piper Violet.

Beth

Elizabeth "Beth" Lenhart
Director of Arts Education

Born in Sharpsville, Pennsylvania, as a soprano, she received classical vocal training under the tutelage of several vocal coaches in the United States: Janice Wilson, Dr. Douglas Miller and Kelly Lemus. She also studied choreography and dance with an emphasis on ballet, jazz and tap.

While in the U.S., her musical theater experiences included leading acting roles in productions of "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown", "101 In The Shade", "Once Upon a Mattress", "Bye Bye Birdie", “Dido and Aenas” and “Pirates of Penzance”. In the Dominican Republic, she participated in professional productions of “CATS”, as Jennyanydots and vocal coach; “Annie”, as Mrs. Pough and vocal coach; “Hansel & Gretel”, as the Dew Fairy and vocal coach; and in “The Fantastic BlueMall Christmas”, as soloist and vocal coach.

In addition to her undergraduate degrees from Penn State University, she also holds a Masters degree in Education from Framingham State University, Boston, MA. Her 30 years of teaching experience has included the position of choral conductor and Fine Arts Department Coordinator of Carol Morgan School, Master Franchise owner and director of Gymboree Play & Music, and founder/director of JAM Academy.

As a producer and director, her credits include Disney's Aristocats! Kids (2011, CCNG Theater), "The Wizard of Oz" (2012, CCNG Theater), "Beauty and the Beast JR" (2013, National Theater); "Oliver!" (2014, National Theater); "Peter Pan" (2015, National Theater); "The Sound of Music" (2016, National Theater); “Madagascar” (2017, National Theater); “Shrek (2018, National Theater); and “Hairspray” & “FAME” (2019, Inauguration of Sala Manuel Ruedas Auditorium). In addition, under its community service division, JAM CARES, she has also produced two benefit musicals: "MM The Musical" with original script written by the JAM Teens group in February 2016 and "Elf Jr the Musical" presented in December 2016 with proceeds donated to the Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos. In addition, she has directed and produced JAM students in benefit concerts, such as, “A Night On Broadway”, “Way Off Broadway” and “Lights Up on Broadway”, as well as a short-film project with student written original fairytales during the 2020 pandemic.

In addition to her passion for teaching within the performing arts, her greatest loves are her two daughters, Gabriella and Megan, who represent her biggest reasons to continually strive to make a positive impact on the world around her.

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