At its annual meeting in Portland, Oregon, in October 2017, the NASAA membership elected a new chair and three new members to its board of directors, along with electing several board members for a second term. In addition, the board elected new officers.
The NASAA board is the governing body of NASAA as a nonprofit professional association and guides NASAA’s fulfillment of our strategic plan. The board also is a nationally representative policy forum that advances public funding for the arts for all American communities. The board includes representatives from 20 states and U.S. jurisdictions who come together to advocate for state and federal support for the arts and to broaden opportunities for arts participation across America in geographically, artistically, culturally and economically diverse settings. Board members are elected through a rigorous and highly competitive national nominations process that considers candidates’ public service experience; leadership accomplishments; cultural, geographic and gender diversity; and depth of arts and policy expertise.
Learn more about NASAA’s 2018 board of directors.
New Chair and Directors
The new chair will serve a two-year term. The three new directors each will serve a three-year term.
Chair
Benjamin Brown
(Board term 2012-2019)
Benjamin Brown has served on the Alaska State Council on the Arts since 2004, and has served as chair since 2007. He is an attorney-at-law and is a company member at Juneau’s Perseverance Theatre. More… Photo: GeorgeLong.com
Directors
Donna S. Collins
(Board term: 2018-2020)
Donna S. Collins became executive director of the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) in 2014. Prior to leading OAC, Collins served as the executive director of the Ohio Alliance for Arts Education since 1998 and as the executive director of the Ohio Citizens for the Arts and Foundation since 2001. More…
Kristina Newman-Scott
(Board term: 2018-2020)
Kristina Newman-Scott is executive director of the Connecticut Office of the Arts and director of culture for the State of Connecticut. Prior to this she served as the director of marketing, events and cultural affairs for the City of Hartford, the director of programs at the Boston Center for the Arts, and director of visual arts at Hartford’s Real Art Ways. More…
Julie Vigeland
(Board term: 2018-2020)
Julie Vigeland is the former chair of the Oregon Arts Commission, having served from 2010-2017. She has spent the last 40+ years as a civic volunteer in the Portland community. Currently, she is the chair of Oregon’s Building Public Will for Arts and Culture Team. More…
Directors Renewing Terms
These directors each were elected to serve an additional three-year term on the NASAA board:
Newly Elected Officers
The NASAA board elected these officers to serve on its Executive Committee:
Serving as immediate past chair is Gary Gibbs, Ph.D., executive director of the Texas Commission on the Arts.