Member News and NASAA Resources

NASAA Welcomes 2026 Board Members

NASAA is pleased to announce the election of a new chair and nine members to its board of directors. As part of a rigorous national nomination process, state arts agencies elected these exemplary leaders at NASAA’s 2025 business meeting.

South Carolina Arts Commission Executive Director David T. Platts was elected chair of the NASAA board, and will serve a two-year term.

State arts agencies elected six new directors to serve a three-year term:

Delaware Division of the Arts Director Jessica Ball
Georgia Council for the Arts Chair Colt Chambers
Kansas Arts Commission Commissioner Karem Gallo
Mississippi Arts Commission Executive Director David Lewis
Arizona Commission on the Arts Executive Director Christina You-sun Park
Alabama State Council on the Arts Council Member Gary Whitley Jr.

For biographical and further information about the 2026 NASAA board, see our press release.

Amy Lewin Is New Director in Oregon

Amy Lewin has joined the Oregon Arts Commission and the Oregon Cultural Trust as executive director. Lewin has two decades of experience in strategic communications, partnership development and organizational leadership. She previously guided major transformation efforts at Oregonian Media Group, including the launch of Here is Oregon, a statewide storytelling platform celebrating the state’s people and places. At the Portland Business Alliance, Lewin led narrative strategy during a pivotal period of regional recovery and cochaired the Mayor’s Recovery & Rebranding Action Table to rebuild confidence and connection across the community. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Oregon and a graduate certificate in Emerging COO Leadership from Stanford Graduate School of Business. Lewin succeeds Brian Rogers, who left in June 2025 after 11 years of overseeing the two agencies.

Leadership Transition in Iowa

In October, David Schmitz departed as director of the Iowa Arts Council after more than five years in the position. The Council extends its appreciation for his service and contributions to advancing the arts in Iowa. Senior Grants and Programs Manager Jennie Knoebel is serving as interim director. Knoebel brings extensive experience in arts administration and program leadership, ensuring continuity in the Council’s mission to support and strengthen Iowa’s creative sector during this transition.

Michael Bobbitt to Step Down in Massachusetts

Mass Cultural Council Executive Director Michael J. Bobbitt will depart the agency on December 31. He has accepted the position of president and CEO of OPERA America. During Bobbitt’s nearly five-year tenure with the state arts agency, Mass Cultural Council has centered equity and access in all programmatic and policy decision making, expanding the agency’s scope of work beyond equitable grant making to establish new economic opportunities for those working in the arts, humanities and sciences. Under his leadership, the agency developed a new strategic plan and a suite of equity plans, and launched the nation’s first statewide social prescribing solution. In 2024 the agency released the Cultural Asset Inventory, a new dataset quantifying the scope, economic impact and needs of creatives and cultural organizations across Massachusetts. Bobbitt partnered with the Healey-Driscoll administration to establish the Governor’s Cultural Policy Development Policy Council, and brokered cross-sector and interstate agency relationships to foster inclusion of the cultural sector in creatively solving and addressing challenges the sectors face. Upon Bobbitt’s departure, Deputy Director David T. Slatery will serve as acting executive director until the Council names a permanent successor.

Creative Aging, Creative Futures Direct Grants to State Arts Agencies

Photo courtesy of E.A. Michelson Philanthropy

NASAA received a robust response from state arts agencies interested in applying for our latest creative aging direct grant program, Creative Aging, Creative Futures, made possible by our partnership with E.A. Michelson Philanthropy. The deadline for application was November 21, 2025, and 39 state arts agencies submitted applications. NASAA expects to announce awards the week of January 12, 2026.

The Creative Aging, Creative Futures grant opportunity will provide funding to state arts agencies to support both emerging and established creative aging initiatives through point-of-service provision of arts learning classes for older adults. In addition to this funding opportunity, the Creative Aging, Creative Futures initiative will continue to support peer learning among state arts agencies through a new Creative Aging Professional Learning Community, and will elevate creative aging issue awareness by collecting data and publishing insights from funded programs. NASAA looks forward to launching the new Creative Aging Professional Learning Community in early 2026.

The long-term partnership between NASAA, E.A. Michelson Philanthropy and state arts agencies has significantly proliferated creative aging programming nationwide and underscores the essential role of the arts in lifelong learning and healthy aging.

Double Your Impact in December!

NASAA’s Moving Forward Together campaign is in full swing—and right now your support goes twice as far! Every gift you make from now until December 31 will be matched dollar for dollar up to $25,000, doubling the difference you can make for state arts agencies and the arts nationwide.

Your generosity helps us provide the advocacy, research and resources state arts agencies need to move forward together. Give now to make your gift go further and keep the arts bright in communities across the country. Thank you!