Jennifer Evins is the president and CEO of United Arts of Central Florida, a nonprofit founded in 1989, with a mission to enrich the community through investing in arts, science, and history. United Arts is the local arts agency that serves Lake, Orange, Osceola, and Seminole Counties. Evins leads a staff of 24 full-time employees and oversees an annual budget of $18 million while serving more than 100 nonprofits and professional artists in Central Florida. Through intentional leadership, 20% of United Arts’ board represents the Hispanic community. Evins works each day to build community through her collaborative spirit and creative and innovative solutions to opportunities and challenges facing the arts community and beyond.
Jennifer currently serves on the boards of Orlando Economic Partnership, Visit Orlando, Downtown Orlando Partnership, as well as on the advisory boards of 4Roots and the UCF College of Arts & Humanities. Jennifer has also served on the Orlando Economic Partnership’s 2045 Community Vision task force and served on the Orlando Destination Master Planning Committee with Visit Orlando and other regional hospitality and tourism leaders.
Prior to joining United Arts in June 2021, Evins was president and CEO of Chapman Cultural Center, Inc, the local arts agency in Spartanburg, South Carolina for 10 years, preceded by a 15-year career in marketing and public affairs in the for-profit sector. Evins authored and was project director for the inaugural Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge $1 million grant to fund Seeing Spartanburg in a New Light. She has also won numerous National Endowment for the Arts Grants for both communities in South Carolina and Florida. In addition to community and arts leadership, she is a private developer focused on new urbanism and redeveloping historic properties.
Born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana and a graduate of Hanover College, Jennifer is a Diversity Leadership Fellow of the Riley Institute of Furman University and a Hull Fellow of the Southeastern Council on Foundations. She is the proud mother of two adult children.
Jennifer is a graduate of Leadership Orlando 102 and of the Inaugural class of the Black Boardroom Institute for Nonprofits. Jennifer also was named one of Orlando Magazine’s top 50 Most Powerful people in Orlando in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. In 2025, Orange Appeal named Jennifer a Woman of the Year and she was awarded Woman of Pride by the Orlando Pride. She also received i4Business Magazine’s Women’s Inspired Leadership Award in 2022. While living in South Carolina, Jennifer received many notable awards, but the pinnacle was the South Carolina Governor’s Award for the Arts, the highest arts award in the state