NEFA Launches Advisory Council

(Boston, MA) The New England Foundation for the Arts announces the establishment of a new advisory council. 

The inaugural meeting was held on November 29, 2017, at NEFA. Discussion included NEFA’s latest creative economy research, The Jobs in New England’s Creative Economy and Why They Matter, a preview of strategic planning goals, and an overview of the Creative City grant-making initiative.

The Advisory Council members agree to serve as NEFA’s strategic advisors and community ambassadors. Members of the Advisory Council are charged with providing their professional expertise and diverse knowledge, including of artists and cultural enterprises, philanthropic practice, nonprofit business practice, and policies that impact artists, the cultural sector, community development and entrepreneurship.

“I believe this council, which includes representation from all six New England states, will strengthen NEFA in multiple ways,” said NEFA board chair Larry Simpson, senior vice president for academic affairs & provost, Berklee College of Music.

“I join the NEFA board of directors and staff in welcoming this council,” said NEFA executive director Cathy Edwards. “An advisory council enables NEFA to tap into expert advice and fill knowledge and connectivity gaps. The council is part of our strategy to increase the impact of our work and expand our partnerships, networks and learning.”

The 20 new members are:

• Sandra Burton, Williams College, Williamstown, MA (co-chair)
• Sara Coffey, Vermont Performance Lab, Guilford, VT (co-chair)
• Molly Davies, AM Foundation, Stowe, VT
• Maurice Decaul, Theatre Communications Group, New York, NY
• Pamela Diamantis, Curbstone Financial Management Corp, Manchester, NH
• Stephen Duprey, Foxfire Property Management, Concord, NH
• Ana Flores, Earth Inform Studio, Charlestown, RI
• David Howse, ArtsEmerson, Boston, MA
• Karina Kelley, McFarland Johnson, Concord, NH
• Felicia Knight, The Knight Canney Group, Scarborough, ME
• Liana Krupp, Krupp Family Foundation, Boston, MA
• Angie Lane, Red River Theatres, Concord, NH
• Rania Matar, Rania Matar Photography, Brookline, MA
• Roberta McCulloch-Dews, Mayor's Office, City of Pittsfield, MA
• Ellen McCulloch-Lovell, EML Consulting, Montpelier, VT
• Denise Menton, Attorney, New York, NY 
• Frank Mitchell, The Amistad Center for Art & Culture, Hartford, CT
• Mariko Silver, Bennington College, Bennington, VT,
• Sydney Skybetter, Brown University, Providence, RI
• Anita Walker, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Boston, MA

About NEFA
The New England Foundation for the Arts invests in the arts to enrich communities in New England and beyond. NEFA accomplishes this by granting funds to artists and cultural organizations; connecting them to each other and their audiences; and analyzing their economic contributions. NEFA serves as a regional partner for the National Endowment for the Arts, New England’s state arts agencies, and private foundations. Learn more at www.nefa.org.

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Contact: Ann Wicks | 617.951.0010 x534