Kelly Carnes
Introduction
Kelly Carnes is a Baltimore arts-public-relations specialist whose nine-day tenure as executive director of the Baltimore Rock Opera Society ended in a termination email sent just after midnight on Sept. 23, 2026 — roughly two weeks after she started the job — after members of the theater group’s community complained that the cornrow braids she wore home from Burning Man were an act of cultural appropriation . The organization has never publicly stated that her hairstyle was the reason; its termination letter cited fit, and Carnes says she was fired because of her hair and the reaction to it . She is “exploring those issues with counsel” .
Background Information
The Baltimore Rock Opera Society, known as BROS, is a fixture of Baltimore’s do-it-yourself arts scene, producing original rock operas with a mostly volunteer workforce and five part-time salaried staff; its 2024 tax filings showed revenue of $221,609 against expenses of $209,146 . Carnes, who also goes by the moniker “AWOL,” brought more than two decades of experience in arts leadership, nonprofit strategy, communications and fundraising. She found the job posting in the group’s newsletter, went through three rounds of board interviews over three months plus a budgeting exercise, and took over Sept. 8 from predecessor Patrick Staso, telling supporters her goal was “a more sustainable future for the group” . BROS publicly welcomed her on Instagram Sept. 14: “BROS is excited for the new stories about to unfold under AWOL’s leadership as she supports us in our 7,000 year mission of incredible rock theater” .
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
Contested termination. The firing itself is documented and acknowledged by both sides: BROS removed Carnes as executive director on Sept. 23, 2026, and she confirmed it. What remains contested is why. The organization’s termination letter gave no reason beyond the position “not [being] a good fit,” while Carnes says the decision was made over her physical appearance; no lawsuit has been filed and nothing here has been adjudicated in court.
Carnes, who is white, had her hair braided in cornrows — a style that traces its roots to numerous African cultures — as what she calls a “protective style” against the wind and dust of Burning Man, the nine-day Nevada desert festival she attends annually. She says her fellow campers, who included people of color, approved of the look . On Sept. 10, still braided, she attended a puppet-karaoke fundraiser for the group at Baltimore’s Meander Art Bar: “Nobody at the event, including staff members I met that evening, raised any concern about my hair,” she said .
Four days later BROS posted a short video featuring Carnes, and her hairstyle drew “concerns” online from the group’s community, according to the organization’s own later social-media posts; the video was subsequently taken down . Two days after its welcome post, BROS changed course, declaring it was “taking action”: “We regret removing the video without an explanation and take responsibility for the confusion that [it] caused” . The board held a town-hall meeting on Sept. 18 and directed Carnes not to attend, she said. After an extensive board meeting on Sept. 22, the termination email arrived “just after midnight following that meeting,” citing the position as “not a good fit” .
“I believe the circumstances surrounding my termination raise serious questions about discrimination, governance, and whether the values BROS presents publicly are actually extended to the people it employs,” Carnes said. “I am exploring those issues with counsel” . She added in an email to The Banner: “People can have different opinions about my hairstyle. But someone’s personal opinion about my hairstyle is one thing. Making an employment decision based on my physical appearance is another” .
Public Reaction and Consequences
The abrupt firing — nine days after the group’s celebratory welcome post — ignited spirited debates on Instagram, Reddit and in The Banner’s comments about the limits of cultural appropriation . BROS announced internal responses: revising its anti-discrimination policy “to more clearly address cultural representation and dress,” enforcing anti-racism leadership training, and creating a working group “for Culture, Community Voice, and Racial Equity” . Marketing and communications director Cat Litten declined to answer questions: “Our focus is internal at the moment and we are not engaging further with the press at this time” . An email to volunteers obtained by The Banner revealed deeper turmoil: four of the six board members — Chair Naomi Davidoff, Treasurer Aran Keating, Secretary Dom Cerquetti and Dana Carr — are leaving at the end of 2026, and the group warned that without replacements “BROS [cannot] continue” as a nonprofit; an “URGENT NEED” call for qualified volunteers was issued .
Current Status
As of publication, Carnes has filed no lawsuit but is “exploring those issues with counsel,” and BROS has not commented beyond its internal-work statement . The organization continues to operate: it was still promoting its upcoming production “The Orb of Pondering,” scheduled to run Oct. 30 to Nov. 7 at Zion Church of the City of Baltimore . No court filing, EEOC charge or public adjudication of Carnes’ discrimination questions has been reported .
Impact on Their Career/Life
Carnes lost a leadership job she had held for nine days and spent three months interviewing for, at an organization she says she still believes in . Her case has become a flashpoint in the cultural-appropriation debate — she frames it as an employment decision made on physical appearance; the group that hired her for its “wonderfully weird” creativity has not explained what “fit” meant . For BROS, the departure of its hand-picked director compounds a governance crisis that threatens its nonprofit standing .