Worcester youth arts nonprofit replaces long-time executive director and co-founder
Photo I Courtesy of Main IDEA
Saharra Dixon, executive director of Main IDEA in Worcester
For the first time since its founding in 2011, Worcester nonprofit Main IDEA Youth & Arts in Worcester has named a new executive director.
Saharra Dixon has taken over leadership of Main IDEA from Joy Murrieta, who co-founded the organization and was its day-to-day leader for its first 13 years of existence, according to a Thursday press release from Main IDEA.
Murrieta, who was WBJ’s Nonprofit Leader of the Year in 2022, stepped down from her position in May to join the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sonoma-Marin in Santa Rosa, California as area director.
“After leading Main IDEA through so many different phases of growth over the past decade, I am excited to pass the torch to Saharra Dixon and allow Main IDEA to enter a season of new growth!” Murrieta wrote in an email to WBJ. “This next step in my career is bittersweet, as Main IDEA has been such a big part of my life in Worcester, having built it from the ground up and investing years of energy into making the arts more accessible to local youth. I am so grateful to have been part of the Worcester community for so long and will always consider it part of home,”
Prior to her new role, Dixon worked with organizations including The Hanover Theatre & Conservatory for the Performing Arts in Worcester, Planned Parenthood of Delaware, and The Front Porch Arts Collective in Boston.
“The arts are a great way to boost the health and wellbeing of young people, especially those from historically excluded backgrounds. I hope to bridge the gap between arts and health programming for young people in central Massachusetts,” Dixon said in the release. “This role combines my passion for arts education, wellness, and my commitment to supporting our youth. I can’t wait to work with the Board to advance our mission of inspiring and empowering the next generation through arts and culture.”
MAIN Idea mission is to provide an accessible arts and culture education to youth, including free programming to school-aged youth in Worcester. The nonprofit is formally named Render Creative and generated $89,445 in revenue in fiscal 2023, according to the nonprofit data provider Guidestar.
Dixon earned her bachelor’s degree in health behavior science from the University of Delaware and her master’s degree in educational theater from New York University. She is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Health Promotion and Policy at the UMass Amherst.
“We are thrilled to welcome Saharra as our new Executive Director,” Pamela Daly, president of Main IDEA’s board of directors, said in the release. “She will bring experience, enthusiasm, great communication skills, and a fresh air to our organization. We feel very lucky to have her and look forward to a successful and spirited future with her at the helm.”
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.
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