Clarissa Soto Josephs began working at Pentacle in 2011 after earning dual degrees in Dance Performance and Entrepreneurship with a concentration in Legal Studies from Hofstra University. In 2016 she earned an MBA degree from Quinnipiac University, and was named one of the New York Hispanic Coalition’s “40 Under 40 Rising Stars” in the same year. A staff member of Pentacle for over ten years, Clarissa has worked in the Fiscal and Education & Outreach Departments providing direct services to over one hundred artists, training hundreds of interns and fellows in arts administration, and developing innovative ways to effectively serve young artists through Pentacle’s services and programs.

In 2016, Clarissa became Pentacle’s Director of Programs, where she developed and directed the groundbreaking 2.5-yr Administrative Resource Team (ART) Research Study with major support from The Scherman Foundation’s Rosin Fund, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, and governmental funding. In 2019, she was promoted to Associate Director of Pentacle, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, her leadership enabled the organization to move quickly to remote operations, retain all of its staff, on-board two new Arts Management Training Fellows, create the new nextSteps virtual administrative platform, and expand its vital services and programs by providing FREE support to vulnerable performing artists particularly impacted by COVID-19.

In July 2021, Clarissa was appointed Executive Director of Pentacle, the first BIPOC woman and the first non-founder to hold this top leadership role at the organization. As Executive Director, she is excited to continue up-holding the organization’s 45-year mission of helping artists, while also taking a fresh look at how Pentacle can develop new equitable and sustainable business models and practices.  Her goals as Executive Director are to remain accessible to the artists, and as a BIPOC woman in a leadership role, to continue the work of Pentacle’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee to further create a healthy and safe space for the staff, the artists, and everyone to be seen and valued.