Jordan Sanford
Director of Search Operations & Community
Jordan Sanford is an Atlanta-based recruitment professional and program manager with experience spanning non-profit arts administration, higher education recruitment, outreach program development, visual arts, as well as traditional and experimental theater. For over a decade Jordan has been focused on helping emerging creatives forge paths toward successful careers. His most recent position was Director of Artistic Advancement at The Art Effect, a youth-serving Non-Profit Arts & Media Education organization in New York’s Hudson Valley. There he managed the marketing and implementation of year-round visual arts portfolio development programs and a Heckscher Foundation-funded post-secondary pathway program for students from diverse backgrounds.
Prior to The Art Effect, he served as Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admission and Coordinator of Baltimore City Diversity Initiatives at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). There he maintained a full schedule of nationwide recruitment, served as a marketing and communications liaison between departments, and pioneered the first Admission run post-secondary pathway program for students of color from the region. While there he also cultivated strategic partnerships with the Greater Baltimore Urban League, Maryland Art Education Association, and the National Art Education Association helping to lay the groundwork for the success of MICA's regionally focused diversity, inclusion, and equity initiatives.
Creatively, Jordan is a writer, maker, and performer. He has acted in theatrical productions in Baltimore, Maryland; worked as a comedic writer and performer with a theater troupe based in Kentucky, and has collaborated on performance artworks at New York City’s Living Theatre and Gallery 456. He most recently made his small screen debut in the pilot episode of an independent web series called “The Fae,” which recently toured the US film festival circuit. Jordan received his undergraduate degree in Fine Art from the Maryland Institute College of Art.
Get to Know Jordan:
What's one thing in your home office that is unusual? Most things in my home office are unusual. That said, I have a large hunk of Labradorite that I keep near my desk for luck, among other things.
What is something about you that people would be surprised to learn? That I was a vaudeville-style comedic performer and writer for a burlesque troupe in Lexington, Kentucky in the 2010s.
What was the first concert you attended? My first concert was Lauryn Hill & Outkast, during the 'Miseducation of Lauryn Hill' tour.
What is your favorite quote or words to live by? "Live! Live! Live! Life's a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death." – Auntie Mame
Who are the three people at your ideal dinner party? Robin Williams, Maya Angelou, and David Velasco (Editor In Chief of Artforum)