SAN FRANCISCO (June 1, 2026) – The Board of Directors of the African American Art & Culture Complex (AAACC), the venerable Western Addition-based showcase for Black creativity and Black artists, and vital community resource, announced today that Dr. Murrell D. Green will take over as permanent executive director.

Dr. Green is an educator, cultural leader, and community advocate with more than 20 years of experience advancing equity, leadership, and opportunity across education and community institutions. A native of the Fillmore/Western Addition neighborhood, Dr. Green has dedicated his career to empowering Black communities through education, mentorship, civic engagement, and cultural development.

As incoming Executive Director of the African American Art & Culture Complex, Dr. Green said he will “bring a vision rooted in culture, legacy, community, and the continued elevation of Black arts and institutions in San Francisco and beyond.”

Dr. Green currently serves as Dean of Counseling and Wellness Services within the California Community College system. He previously served as an elected Trustee of City College of San Francisco, after first being appointed by then-Mayor London Breed. He holds degrees from Drexel University, San Francisco State University, and Clark Atlanta University.

Dr. Green also has longstanding ties to AAACC, where he previously served as Office Manager, Youth Leader – and both “Santa” and “Wakanda Claus” at the center’s holiday fairs and other community events and programming.

“I do not return to the African American Art & Culture Complex simply to occupy a position of leadership,” he said. “I return in service to a community that poured into me long before I ever carried a title. The Fillmore and Western Addition did not merely raise me; it shaped my consciousness, my purpose, and my responsibility to our people.”

The AAACC Board of Directors selected Dr. Green after a six-month, open and well publicized recruitment process for the permanent ED position, which drew more than 300 applicants from all over the country. Ultimately, the Board turned to a familiar face.

“Following a thoughtful and community-centered search, it became clear that Dr. Green brings the vision, experience, and deep relationships needed to lead AAACC into its next chapter,” said Ayo Suber, President of the Board of Directors. “While the center remains vibrant, beautiful, and full of life, these are challenging times for the arts, for the Black community, and for the Western Addition. Dr. Green’s leadership will help ensure that AAACC continues to be a sacred, safe, and accessible space for the community for generations to come.”

In addition to his job as a college dean, Dr. Green serves as President-Elect of African American Male Education Network & Development (A²MEND), a nationally recognized organization dedicated to empowering students through mentorship, leadership development, and academic support. He also serves as Board Vice President of Alive & Free/Omega Boys Club; Advisory Board Chair for the Bayview YMCA; and member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and 100 Black Men.

AAACC’s Board of Directors decision follows on the successful tenure of Niquole Esters, a highly experienced nonprofit professional who was hired as Interim Director last August,

following the departure of co-Directors Melonie and Melorra Green (no relation to Dr. Green), who left after eight years of service.

The Board praised Esters for her remarkable work in a short period of time. Her tenure was marked by several challenges, which the Board credited her with tackling head on, and many successes, including:

• Opening a building-wide exhibition that has drawn large crowds and extensive media coverage, “Emory Douglas: In Our Lifetime,” which includes monthly programming opportunities involving the celebrated artist himself, as well as other programming and tours.
• Rolling out a comprehensive, updated communications strategy, including a revamped AAACC website, an increased social media presence across multiple platforms, a refreshed community newsletter, and expanded donor communications.
• Supporting, promoting and servicing community partnerships and opportunities, through the expanded Community Day program and other community initiatives.

“I came into the Interim Executive Director role excited to do what I could for AAACC and the Fillmore community,” Ester said. “I’ve learned so much from so many people, and I want to thank the AAACC team and those in the community that have supported me, and us. This is a critical time for black spaces in the Fillmore. I am committed to supporting Dr. Green’s leadership, the AAACC team, our partners, and the Western Addition to make sure those spaces stay in the right hands.”

Located in the heart of the historic Fillmore district, AAACC is one of the premier Black arts and cultural institutions in the Bay Area. The center provides a wide variety of art and cultural programming for youth, adults and families, including visual, digital, and performance works.

AAACC is housed in a historic, 32,000-square-foot former local brewery built in 1935 and transformed into a community gathering place over the course of the ’80s and ’90s. The building is owned by the City & County of San Francisco. AAACC has operated the facility since the early 1990s, when it formally launched as one of the City’s seven neighborhood cultural centers, as part of the San Francisco Arts Commission’s Neighborhood Arts Program.

The center is also home to the 206-seat Buriel Clay Theater which serves as a site for theater productions, dance performances, concerts, film and video screenings, seminars, and workshops; and the Sargent Johnson and Hall of Culture galleries, which are dedicated to exhibiting artwork from and about the African Diaspora. The building, at 762 Fulton Street, is slated to close temporarily for seismic renovations, starting in January 2027.

“Our Black communities in San Francisco are in crisis, especially the Fillmore,” said AAACC Board Vice-President Mattie Scott. “Dr. Murrell Green is from our Fillmore community and he is a visionary. His leadership will help us navigate through this major crisis. We welcome Dr. Green back to our AAACC family. He understands that, when we close, people need to know that we will open – stronger than ever!”

Dr. Green noted he comes to the position of AAACC Executive Director at a turbulent time for the arts, and for the Black community and its institutions.

“At a time when Black cultural spaces across this country continue to disappear, we must be intentional about protecting the institutions that carry our history, our creativity, our brilliance, and our voice,” he said. “The African American Art & Culture Complex must remain not only a cultural anchor for San Francisco, but a living testament to the resilience, beauty, and future of Black people in this city.”