Irfana Jetha Noorani is the Deputy Director of the 11th Street Bridge Park, a public/private partnership between the District of Columbia and the local nonprofit Building Bridges Across the River to build a civic space that spans the Anacostia River and connects the communities of Capitol Hill/Navy Yard and Anacostia/Fairlawn. Along with fundraising, Irfana works closely with local stakeholders to plan community-driven programs like the Anacostia River Festival and other placekeeping initiatives in the adjoining neighborhoods. She promotes the project’s equity-first model by providing planning and implementation support on the Bridge Park’s Equitable Development Plan—a $56MM+ initiative to ensure that investments in nearby neighborhoods benefit current residents. Irfana recently completed a planning process with local artists and residents to develop cultural strategies to add to the Plan. 

Previously, Irfana worked with The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in the Performing Arts Program and for New York Live Arts | Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company as the Manager of Institutional Giving. Irfana was an Arts Management Fellow at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She holds a BA in Dance & Movement Studies and International Relations from Emory University in her hometown of Atlanta, GA.