About
First Name:
Last Name:
Title and Organization:
Bio:
Kara Medoff Barnett has deep experience leading companies through times of rapid change. She has built new capabilities for organizations in financial services and live entertainment and guided heritage brands through digital transformation and geographic expansion. In October 2023, Kara joined General Atlantic—a leading global investment firm—as Managing Director and Head of the General Atlantic Foundation, which propels social innovation and entrepreneurship. Previously, Kara served as a Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at First Republic Bank and Managing Director of the First Republic Foundation. In these roles, she rallied First Republic’s people and resources to strengthen nonprofit organizations in housing, education, and the arts. From 2016-2021, Kara led American Ballet Theatre (ABT) as Executive Director, advancing innovation and inclusion at America’s National Ballet Company and stewarding an 80-year-old performing arts institution through the pandemic. Earlier in her career, Kara was a senior executive at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts through its $1.2B redevelopment, leading new ventures including convening and global advisory services. Kara is a Tony Award winner, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a 2015 Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute. She serves on the Global Council of American Ballet Theatre and as President of Sadler’s Wells America. Born and raised in North Carolina, Kara attended Duke University on a Trinity Scholarship and received her MBA from Harvard Business School.
Fellowship Program
Class
