Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation Board Names Sharon Yazowski President & CEO
Posted On Jul 26, 2024
President & CEO
On June 27, 2024, Sharon Yazowski was named President & CEO by the Levitt Foundation Board of Directors. Sharon joined Levitt in 2007 as the first executive director of Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles. She then transitioned in 2009 to Executive Director of the Levitt Foundation, as the Foundation’s first employee, and was named Chief Executive Officer in March 2023.
Peter Levitt and Kathy Eberly Ovitt were also named Co-Chairs of the Levitt Foundation Board.
“We are delighted to recognize Sharon for her 15-plus years of service and dedication to our Foundation’s mission,” says Kathy Eberly Ovitt. “We are fully committed to providing Sharon with the resources and support to continue the mission and legacy envisioned by Mortimer and Mimi Levitt, and expanded upon by Elizabeth Levitt Hirsch.”
Sharon’s passionate commitment to the arts as a vehicle for positive change in communities has guided the growth of Levitt programs nationwide, with over 650 free concerts taking place in 50+ towns and cities this year. Under her leadership, Sharon transitioned the Levitt Foundation to a trust-based philanthropy model early on in her tenure and has earned a reputation as a thoughtful and respected collaborator within the fields of philanthropy, creative placemaking, and community development, furthering the role of arts investments in public spaces to build equitable, healthy, and thriving communities. Read Sharon’s full bio.
“It has been an incredible honor and privilege to be on this journey with the Levitt family over nearly two decades, in partnership with our dedicated board and team,” said Sharon Yazowski, Levitt Foundation President & CEO. “As a spend down foundation, I am committed to advancing the impactful legacy of the Levitt family as we continue this new, and final, chapter of the Levitt Foundation, fueling the movement for free concerts in public spaces to strengthen the social fabric of communities, foster belonging, create opportunity, and bring joy to millions of people in towns and cities across America.”