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Kara Barnett

Managing Director, Head
General Atlantic Foundation

Kara Medoff Barnett serves as Head of the General Atlantic Foundation at General Atlantic, a global investment firm powering visionary growth for entrepreneurs. Before joining General Atlantic in 2023, Kara was Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at First Republic Bank and Managing Director of the First Republic Foundation. In these roles, she galvanized people and resources to strengthen extraordinary nonprofit organizations in the Bank’s communities. From 2016-2021, Kara led American Ballet Theatre (ABT) as Executive Director, advancing innovation at America’s National Ballet Company. For nearly a decade, Kara was a senior executive at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts leading strategy, new ventures, and global partnerships. She is a Tony Award winner, a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute, a Senior Advisor on the CHANEL Culture Fund Advisory Council, a David Rockefeller Fellow of the Partnership for NYC, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. In addition, Kara serves on the Global Council of American Ballet Theatre and the Duke Arts Board of Advisors, and she is President of Sadler’s Wells America. Born and raised in North Carolina, Kara attended Duke University and received her MBA from Harvard Business School.

kara-barnett

Kara Barnett

Managing Director, Head
General Atlantic Foundation
kara-barnett

Kara Medoff Barnett serves as Head of the General Atlantic Foundation at General Atlantic, a global investment firm powering visionary growth for entrepreneurs. Before joining General Atlantic in 2023, Kara was Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications at First Republic Bank and Managing Director of the First Republic Foundation. In these roles, she galvanized people and resources to strengthen extraordinary nonprofit organizations in the Bank’s communities. From 2016-2021, Kara led American Ballet Theatre (ABT) as Executive Director, advancing innovation at America’s National Ballet Company. For nearly a decade, Kara was a senior executive at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts leading strategy, new ventures, and global partnerships. She is a Tony Award winner, a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute, a Senior Advisor on the CHANEL Culture Fund Advisory Council, a David Rockefeller Fellow of the Partnership for NYC, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. In addition, Kara serves on the Global Council of American Ballet Theatre and the Duke Arts Board of Advisors, and she is President of Sadler’s Wells America. Born and raised in North Carolina, Kara attended Duke University and received her MBA from Harvard Business School.