Tamara Holmes Brothers, Ph.D. was appointed Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, & Inclusion Manager for the North Carolina Department of Natural & Cultural Resources. Dr. Brothers provides program development and technical expertise to over the State’s 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, two science museums, three aquariums and Jennette’s Pier, 39 state parks and recreation areas, the North Carolina Zoo, the North Carolina Symphony, the State Library, the State Archives, the North Carolina Arts Council, State Historic Preservation Office, Office of State Archaeology, and the Office of Land and Water Stewardship in the management of DEAI programs.
Prior to this position, Dr. Brothers served as the first person of colour in senior leadership and the first African American Woman Deputy Director of the North Carolina Arts Council where she designed, developed, and implemented agency programs; recommended policies that realized the agency’s mission of “arts for all people”, worked with the staff and boards to create and implement strategic plans, and provided executive-level support to the agency’s Director.
Dr. Brothers led the work of assessing the effectiveness of institutional equity, diversity goals, and outreach efforts. She also organised and assisted in leading the essential infrastructure to facilitate internal and external community engagement, cultivates partnerships to bring about transformational change, identifies and supports target areas to maximize the department’s impact locally, regionally, and nationally. Dr. Brothers has experience in the fine and performing arts industry, grassroots marketing, and governance in quantifying the value of brand and philanthropic outcomes. With a diverse background, she previously served as Director of Development and Major Gifts at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations as well as the Assistant Athletic Director for Development and Marketing at Fayetteville State University.
Giving back to her community, Dr. Brothers has served in multiple capacities. She has previously served on the National Advisory Board for Museum Hue, as the second African American female President of the West Fayetteville Rotary Club, a former Board Member of the NC Arts Council Foundation Board, Arts NC Board, the City of Fayetteville’s (NC) Historic Resources Commission, the Partnership for Children of Cumberland County Board, Founding Steering Committee Member for the Friends of African and African American Art at the Fayetteville/Cumberland County Arts Council as well as the President of the Hampton University Museum Foundation Board. She currently serves as Vice-Chair of the North Carolina African American Heritage Commission, a member of the North Carolina National Register Advisory Council, the Advisory Council for the Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia, Preservation NC, the Winston-Salem State University Foundation Board, a member of the Black Trustee Alliance for Art Museums, and a member of the Governor’s Environmental Justice Council.
Dr. Brothers is a native of Fayetteville, NC, and has earned a Bachelor’s degree in Art from Hampton University, a Master’s degree in Sport Management from West Virginia University, a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University, a certificate in Historic Preservation from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, certificates in Curating and Art as an Alternative Investment from Sotheby’s Art Institute, a certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Management from Hampton University.
