SAN RAFAEL, Calif., April 13, 2026 — Youth in Arts, a nonprofit dedicated to arts education, announced the appointment of Roberta Catalinotto as executive director, effective April 7. Catalinotto joined Youth in Arts following the departure of Taylor Buttrey who previously served as executive director until his departure in December 2025 to pursue a new opportunity. Suzanne Joyal, current board member, has served as interim executive director through the transition.
Catalinotto steps into the executive director role with a focus on deepening community partnerships and expanding programs to provide additional opportunities for Marin youth to find their voice and share it through the arts. Catalinotto’s experience building data-driven development strategies and cultivating relationships with individual donors, foundations, and corporate partners will position Youth in Arts for long-term financial sustainability.
“Roberta brings an extraordinary depth of fundraising leadership that is exactly what Youth in Arts needs at this moment. Her proven ability to build development programs from the ground up and to grow organizations to financial sustainability will directly strengthen our capacity to bring arts education to every student who needs it,” said Jane Burkhard, board president of Youth in Arts. “We are confident she will champion our mission of fostering confidence, compassion, and resilience in students of all abilities, including those we are uniquely positioned to serve in Marin County’s special education community.”
Catalinotto joins Youth in Arts from Outward Bound California where she served as interim chief development officer, following seven years as vice president of development at Friends of the Urban Forest in San Francisco, where she built the organization’s first development team and led fundraising efforts to support its $4.5–$5 million annual operating budget. Prior to that, Catalinotto served as senior vice president at Jewish Agency International Development, where she led a national team that grew annual fundraising to more than $40 million. Catalinotto also served as chief development officer at the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund of San Francisco, where she oversaw a team of 22–25 staff raising gifts across the Bay Area, and as the first development director at the Hirshhorn Museum at the Smithsonian. .
“I am thrilled to join Youth in Arts at such an exciting time for the organization. Youth in Arts has spent more than five decades building something truly special: deep community roots, an unwavering commitment to students of all abilities, and programs that deliver lasting impact in schools,” said Catalinotto. “I look forward to partnering with donors, educators, and the community to build on this incredible foundation and carry the mission forward.”
About Youth in Arts
Youth in Arts is a San Rafael, Calif.-based nonprofit that has championed arts education in the North San Francisco Bay Area since 1970. Through programs including Artists in Schools, Arts Unite Us, `Til Dawn a cappella, and the Intensive Arts Mentorship program, the organization brings professional teaching artists into classrooms, supports educators in integrating the arts into their practice, and provides youth of all abilities and backgrounds with opportunities to develop and share their creative voices. Youth in Arts serves more than 4,000 students in person annually. Youth in Arts builds visual and performing arts skills through innovative, in-depth programs that foster confidence, compassion, and resilience in students of all abilities. Youth in Arts is the only consistent provider of arts programming for special education students in Marin County and maintains a gallery in downtown San Rafael’s Cultural Arts District dedicated to celebrating youth artists. For more information, visit youthinarts.org.
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