FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 1, 2009
PAE Welcomes Beth Leibrick as New Executive Director
Partners for Arts Education (PAE) is very pleased to announce the appointment of new Executive Director Beth Leibrick. She officially takes the position effective September 1.
Former Executive Director Laura Reeder moves to the post of Founding Creative Director. All other personnel remain in place.
"The change in leadership structure reflects our ability at PAE to be flexible and respond to new conditions in the not-for-profit world," says Leibrick. "Moving to a more entrepreneurial model will help us grow stronger and be even more responsive to our constituents."
Under Reeder's leadership, PAE has grown in ten years from a kitchen-table start-up to an agency with an annual budget of over $500,000 that has state-wide reach and national recognition. As a re-granter for the New York State Council on the Arts, it has distributed more than $267,000 to Central New York schools for partnerships between teachers and artists in all media, and more than $263,000 in funding for technical assistance to improve partnerships statewide. It has also coordinated the statewide conference for the field for the last five years.
PAE is currently spearheading the Arts in Mind initiative, a collabortion with Syracuse City Schools that is providing equitable access to the arts to district students. Bringing together cultural organizations, funders and schools, it streamlines the process of bringing arts experiences to students and supports teachers as they enrich their curricula. Leibrick was brought on as a consultant with Arts in Mind last year.
"Beth's experience with Big Thought in Dallas, which was a key inspiration for Arts in Mind, made her the perfect person to shepherd the initiative," says Reeder. "She has a particular ability to get to the heart of an issue and see beyond the distractions to solutions."
Beth Leibrick has worked in education for over 25 years, including positions as an elementary and high school teacher and coach and in college administration. Before coming to PAE in 2008, she was Vice President, Executive Editor for Examgen, the Syracuse educational software and publishing company. She also served as President of the Board of Directors for the Syracuse Children’s Theatre, which serves approximately 1,000 children in Central New York with K - 12 programs in creative dramatics, dance and voice. Her expertise relates specifically to the areas of evaluation, organizational assessment, strategic planning and capacity building.
Leibrick holds a BA from Bethany College in Communications/Marketing and an MALS (Masters of Arts and Liberal Studies) with a focus on Early Child Development and Philosophy from Duquesne University. She is currently working on her doctoral dissertation at Capella University, specializing in Professional Studies in Education.
You can find out more about Partners for Arts Education at their website, www.arts4ed.org, and about Arts in Mind at
www.artsinmind.net.
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