press room

For Immediate Release

01/07/2008

Contact:
Beth Olsen
Goodman Media International for Americans for the Arts
212.576.2700 ext. 243 or bolsen@goodmanmedia.com


New Members Elected to United Arts Funds Council

Washington, DC — January 7, 2008 — Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America, announces the election of six professionals to its United Arts Funds Council, a group which advises the Board of Americans for the Arts about the development of programs, publications, and services designed to meet the needs of the nation’s more than 60 united arts funds. Council members also provide peer-to-peer assistance on the improvement of existing united arts funds and the development of new ones.

“I’m delighted to welcome the leadership of these talented and hardworking professionals to the United Arts Funds Council,” said Robert Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “There is a great need to boost private-sector support for the arts and I believe these six individuals can help make that happen.”

United Arts Funds (UAF) are private agencies that work to broaden support for the arts and culture, promote excellence in the arts and arts management, and ensure that arts organizations are financially stable.  No two UAFs are alike, as this allows each to meet the needs of the community it serves. While UAFs are primarily fundraising organizations, many also use the arts to address community development issues and support arts education advocacy efforts. In 2005, the nation’s UAFs raised $97.5 million.

Following are brief bios on the newly elected United Arts Funds council members:
 
Dan Adolphson
COMPAS, Workplace Campaign Director, Minneapolis, MN
Dan Adolphson’s passion for workplace giving comes from being a participant in arts residencies as a student growing up in Washington state and a music educator in Minnesota and Nebraska. Since joining COMPAS in March, Dan has been instrumental in refining the mission and vision of United Arts.  He brings to COMPAS a background in sales and marketing, education, nonprofit management, and tourism.  Dan has served on various boards and committees including: North Central American Choral Directors Association, Nebraska Choral Directors Association, Valentine Area Arts Council, American Bus Association, Visit Omaha, Greater Des Moines Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Grand Island/Hall County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Benjamin Krevolin
President, Dutchess County Arts Council, Dutchess County, NY
Benjamin Krevolin has been the President of Dutchess County Arts Council since 2003.  Previous to that, Krevolin worked with a number of nonprofit cultural organizations, including New York Stage & Film and the Byrd Hoffman Foundation.  As a freelance director, actor, and producer, Krevolin worked on the premiere of plays and musicals in New York City, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Stockholm.  Krevolin grew up in Dutchess County, received a B.A. from Vassar College and went on to receive a post-graduate diploma from the Juilliard School of Drama.  He is currently a participant in Pattern For Progress' Regional Fellows Program, a member of the Tourism Committee for Dutchess County Economic Development Corporation, a member-elect to the Board of the Poughkeepsie Area Chamber of Commerce, and a member of Americans for the Arts’ Advocacy Captains Network.
 

Bruce E. Whitacre
Executive Director, National Corporate Theatre Fund (NCTF), New York, NY
Since joining NCTF as Executive Director in 2002, Whitacre has expanded theatre access programs, initiated StageVision, a national media partnership and sponsorship campaign, and increased NCTF’s network of theatres.  Prior to NCTF, Whitacre was Managing Director of New York’s Signature Theatre Company for four seasons.  He began his career in theatre in the script department of Manhattan Theatre Club, and previously was a dramaturg at the Mark Taper Forum, ASK Theatre Projects, and other venues.  His corporate experience includes accounting, budgeting and administration in the publishing and banking industries.  He holds an M.F.A. from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Perry Mixter
President, The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg, Spartanburg, SC
Perry Mixter began his position as President of The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg in 2007. Previously, Mixter served as Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations at Appalachian State University (ASU). From 1991 to 2005, he served as Director of the Office of Cultural Affairs at ASU.  Mixter has served in a variety of leadership roles in the arts and civic affairs, including serving as President of the North Carolina Presenters Consortium, President of the Boone Sunrise Rotary Club, and President of the High County United Way.  Mixter earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Denison University, and he holds a Master of Arts Degree from the Arts Administration Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Eleanor H. Jordan
President/CEO, United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County, Raleigh, NC
Eleanor H. Jordan is a professional arts administrator with more than 30 years of experience in nonprofit management, fundraising, and corporate communications.  Since 2002, she has served as President/CEO of the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County, an organization raising $1.8 million annually for arts programming in Wake County, North Carolina.  For the previous 10 years, she managed Raleigh Little Theatre, one of the nation’s largest and oldest continuously operating community theatres.  Eleanor holds a B.A. and M.B.A. from Meredith College.

Rie Poirier-Campbell
Deputy Director, Greater Hartford Arts Council, Hartford, CT
Rie Poirier-Campbell is the newly named Deputy Director of the Greater Hartford Arts Council, and manages the organization’s annual United Arts Campaign, which raised a record $4.2 million in 2007 to benefit more than 150 arts and heritage organizations. Rie has been with the Arts Council for seven years, mostly in the role of Cultural Promotions and Marketing Director.  In 2006, she took on the additional duty of Development Director.  Rie has more that 20 years experience promoting Greater Hartford and its organizations, having held marketing and communications positions in the fields of politics, television, real estate development, insurance, government, consumer products and economic development before joining the Greater Hartford Arts Council in 2000.

Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America. With offices in Washington, DC, and New York City, it has a record of 48 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.

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