Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I am writing on behalf of the entire National Arts Strategies board to share exciting news with you. At the start of 2015, NAS will have a new leader! The board has chosen Gail Crider to become our next President and CEO. She has been a Vice President with us for over a decade and has been leading NAS with Russell Willis Taylor for the past five years. Gail will become President and CEO on January 1, 2015, and has been named CEO Designate. Russell will stay on as President until the end of 2014.
Gail’s leadership, knowledge of the field and of organizational strategy make her a natural successor. In her tenure at NAS she was instrumental in the transition from the National Arts Stabilization Fund to National Arts Strategies and in the development of the range of services we offer today. She has the full confidence and support of the board. The transition has been carefully planned, and we are very excited about the future of NAS under her leadership.
Russell is not retiring. She is taking what she describes as a "gap year," spending 2015 thinking and researching on the issue of governance in our field. The board couldn’t be more pleased with her 14 years as our President and CEO. She has not only been a transformative leader for NAS but has also had an enormous impact on the cultural sector internationally. One of Russell’s greatest legacies has been her role in developing a remarkably talented team of staff colleagues—most especially Gail.
In a recent note, Russell stated: "Leading NAS has been the most rewarding work I have ever done. Meeting the thousands of extraordinary leaders who take part in our programs and working with an unequalled board and staff have made the past 14 years fly by, and the privilege of learning from such gifted faculty has been more gratifying than I can say. I will be leaving knowing that the next chapter of NAS will be its best yet."
Gail is eagerly anticipating the challenge. She noted: "All my past experience with shaping our programs and seeing their impact on leaders has taught me that NAS’ value to the field is unparalleled, and I am deeply honored to lead this organization. We will expand and deepen the programs that help our field move forward, introducing new programs as needs change."
It is an exciting new chapter at NAS. In fact, look for an announcement soon about a new program that we believe is a true game changer. My board colleagues and I look forward to working with Gail and the entire NAS team in the days ahead.
Sincerely,
Ken
Kenneth C. Fischer
Chair, Board of Directors
National Arts Strategies
www.artstrategies.org
2000 Duke Street, Suite 115
Alexandria, VA 22314
571-482-5789