Milton Resident Named Vice Chair, BAA Foundation Advisory Council

Boston Arts Academy Foundation (BAA Foundation) announced that Petrina Martin Cherry, vice president of sales, marketing and community outreach at Boston Medical Center HealthNet Plan and the Boston Medical Center Health System, has joined its 24-member Advisory Council. The Advisory Council is a volunteer committee that works with BAA Foundation to increase its visibility, broaden its network of supporters, and contribute to the overall strategic interests of Boston Arts Academy (BAA), the city’s only public high school for the visual and performing arts.

The Advisory Council plays a key role in helping BAA Foundation secure critical funding from individual and institutional donors to keep the arts in Boston Arts Academy, augment the school’s budget, and build long-term financial sustainability. The Advisory Council Co-Chairs, Beate Becker and Pam Allara, and Vice Chair encourage Council members and other likeminded community members to invest their time, talent, and resources to benefit BAA’s students and alumni. The Advisory Council plans to grow from 24 members to 40 members by June 2021.

“Petrina is a committed supporter of our vision and mission and is a great asset to our Advisory Council as we work together to build a brighter future for thousands of artist-scholar-citizens at BAA,” said BAA Foundation President Denella Clark. “Her personal dedication to community engagement is inspiring and will help engage others to join our efforts, amplify BAA and its students, and reach the Foundation’s ambitious financial goals.”

“BAA is one of our city’s most remarkable institutions, helping to enrich not only the lives of its distinguished students, but also our community in general,” said Cherry. “I’m proud to be a part of the work that BAA Foundation and its Advisory Council does to strengthen arts education in Boston and enhance the character and culture of our city.”

Cherry is a marketing and healthcare executive with more than 25 years of experience specializing in marketing strategy, healthcare marketing and community program development and entertainment marketing. She is highly regarded as a consulting resource across multiple industries in healthcare equity and social determinants of health, diversity and inclusion, and branding. In addition to her corporate relationships, Cherry previously spent 15 years in entertainment marketing and media training and is an expert at developing brand strategy for celebrities and nonprofit organizations.

Earlier this year, Cherry was appointed by City of Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh to the COVID-19 Health Inequities Task Force. She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts (Emeritus) and the Boys and Girls Club of Boston. She also serves on the Advisory Board of Arts Emerson at Emerson College and is the Co-Chair of the Women’s Forum for the National Association of Health Service Executives (NAHSE). She holds an Executive MBA from Georgia State University’s J. Mack Robinson School of Business.

About Boston Arts Academy Foundation

Established in 1999, BAA Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization that raises essential funds from private philanthropic sources to augment the BAA school budget. BAA Foundation helps bridge the gap between the school’s allocation from the Boston Public Schools, and the true cost of a high-quality education that is both arts-intensive and college preparatory.

Construction of the new BAA school building will not change BPS’s funding formula, which supports BAA’s academic offerings. BAA Foundation is strengthening the school’s long-term financial sustainability through a comprehensive Building Our Future campaign to build its endowment and reserves. Funding supports what makes BAA unique, including expanded programming, the Health and Wellness Program, STEAM (STEM+Art), arts faculty and equipment, as well as college scholarships for graduating seniors. The campaign also supports BAA Foundation’s Annual Fund, which raises $5,000 per student each year. Building Our Future will ensure that as BAA’s student body grows, the school can provide the resources to help students become successful artists, scholars, and citizens.

About Boston Arts Academy

Founded in 1998 as the city’s only public high school for the visual and performing arts, Boston Arts Academy (BAA) has distinguished itself among urban public high schools as a leader in innovative and effective student-centered education. Consistently recognized locally and nationally for its achievements, BAA exemplifies the power of an arts-rich education, and many BAA graduates have found success in college through the arts. In fact, for the past six straight years, at least 97 percent of BAA graduates have been accepted to college, with most being first-generation college students. BAA’s dynamic program prepares graduates to be critical thinkers, effective communicators, collaborators, and creators. Students come from all 23 Boston neighborhoods to receive the formal arts training and academic instruction required to become Boston’s next generation of artists and cultural leaders.

In October 2018, the BAA community broke ground on a new $125 million facility at its Fenway location, which will expand from 121,000 to 153,500 square feet and open for students in early 2022. Among many highlights, it will include new and much-needed enhanced theatres, a career center, academic classrooms, dance studios, music practice rooms, as well as fashion technology studios and workspace. When BAA opens its new school building, the number of students enrolled will increase to 500, and eventually grow over the years.