The Mint Museum announced today the appointment of Rubie Britt-Height as Director of Community Relations. She will begin work at the Museum on September 30.
Britt-Height brings a strong combination of community outreach, education and public relations experience to The Mint Museum. For the past four years, she has served as Director of Community Affairs at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) in Richmond, where she successfully collaborated with culturally diverse community groups to develop programming related to those groups’ historical and contemporary art contributions. While there, she also hosted speaking engagements to promote VMFA’s message of accessibility to all and oversaw four of the museum’s support groups, along with a new initiative to engage 100 community business and non-profit opinion leaders in experiencing the museum’s amenities.
In her new position at the Mint, Britt-Height will work closely with the Executive Director and board of trustees to cultivate and enhance partnerships and educational opportunities with diverse civic, academic and arts organizations, and existing community partners, and will speak to audiences throughout the region about the Museum’s featured exhibitions, collections and programs.
“This is an exciting time to join The Mint Museum as it prepares to open its new facility in Charlotte’s Center City,” said Britt-Height. “I’m thrilled to be a part of the Museum as it continues to serve the city, state and region as a first-class arts destination. I look forward to collaborating with other arts venues, businesses and civic groups to promote cultural education and understanding through proactive museum outreach and community inclusion.”
Previously, Britt-Height worked in Durham as Executive Director of Sister 2 Hermana, a two-year grant program for African-American and Latin American women to help eradicate breast cancer. She has also served as Head of Communications, Community Relations & Cultural Arts for Greater St. Paul Baptist Church in Durham; Head of Public Affairs for the North Carolina Department of Transportation in Raleigh; and Information and Communications Specialist for the City of Charlotte. Britt-Height also established the “Black Art Expo” and African-American contemporary art collection at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte, which showcases works donated by local artists during the annual expos.
“We are extremely pleased that Rubie will be joining the Mint,” said Cheryl Palmer, Director of Education. “She has a great wealth of experience in developing accessible programs and building appreciation for the arts across generations. Her passion for serving the community, combined with her creative leadership, makes her the right person to expand our outreach initiatives and build and enhance relationships with Charlotte’s leaders and its citizens.”
Britt-Height received a bachelor’s degree with honors in mass media arts from Hampton University and has begun advanced coursework in the master’s program for technology and communications at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also a 2006 graduate of Leadership Metro Richmond, a member of the Public Relations Society of America and Americans for the Arts, and has served on the boards of the YWCA and YMCA for the Richmond region. Britt-Height has two daughters, Brittanie, 20, and Chauncie, 10.