Program Officer, Mellon Foundation

Deana Haggag is an arts administrator, cultural worker, and strategic advisor. She is currently a Program Officer in Arts and Culture at the Mellon Foundation. Prior to joining the foundation, she was the President & CEO of United States Artists, a national arts funding organization based in Chicago, IL. During her tenure, USA saw unprecedented growth, expanding its Fellowship award program, launching the Berresford Prize, and developing coalition efforts to advance support for individual artists most notably including Artist Relief, a $25 million COVID-19 emergency fund, and Disability Futures, a multi-disciplinary initiative supporting disabled creative practitioners. Before joining USA, she was the Executive Director of The Contemporary, a nomadic and non-collecting art museum in Baltimore, MD, for four years. In addition to her leadership roles, Deana advises foundations and philanthropic initiatives, lectures extensively, consults on various art initiatives, contributes to cultural publications, and has taught at institutions such as Johns Hopkins University and Towson University. She is on the Boards of MoMA PS1 and the Pillars Fund, as well as on the Editorial Advisory of Art&.