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For Immediate Release

Washington DC—January 31, 2005—Americans for the Arts announces ten additions to its Board of Directors.  The group collectively includes artists, journalists, and arts leaders from across the country. 

“Americans for the Arts is rejuvenating arts advocacy in this country,” stated Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts.  “The new board members bring and will offer a broad and diverse perspective to our mission.”

List and brief bios of new board members follow:

Alejandro J. Aguirre is the deputy editor and publisher of Diario Las Américas, Miami’s first Spanish language daily newspaper. He is currently in his third term on the Florida State Arts Council and served as chair in his second term.

Maria Bell, a native of Southern California, is a professional writer and journalist and has written for television and magazines, as well as works of fiction. She is on the boards of the Aspen Museum of Art and P.S. Arts, an arts education nonprofit in Los Angeles.

Susan Coliton is the senior director of The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, a regional grant maker focused on the Pacific Northwest. Prior to working at the Allen Foundation, Ms. Coliton was director of the Cultural Facilities Fund in San Francisco, where she managed a loan and grant program for cultural organizations

Giancarlo Esposito is a stage-trained actor, appearing in films and television series since the 1980s. Esposito worked in about half a dozen features before appearing in several Spike Lee films, including School Daze (1988), Do the Right Thing (1989), Mo' Better Blues (1990), and Malcolm X (1992).

Nancy Glaze, the director of the arts program at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, has been a grant maker for the past 20 years with a focus on the field of arts and culture. She has been active at the local, state, and national level on issues of cultural policy, arts education, and leadership development.

Glen Howard is senior vice president and general counsel of the Fannie Mae Foundation. Howard helps lead the Foundation’s collaborative efforts to increase the level and quality of philanthropic investment in and for the benefit of the National Capital Region.  He is also president of the United Arts Organization of Greater Washington. 

Liz Lerman is a choreographer; performer; educator; author; and founding artistic director of Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, a contemporary dance company that tours nationally and internationally. Lerman is a frequent keynote speaker and panelist for arts and community organizations both nationally and internationally.

Mary McCullough-Hudson is president and CEO of the Fine Arts Fund in Cincinnati, OH. The Fine Arts Fund manages an endowment for member arts organizations which serves as a resource for the growth of its member organizations. The Fine Arts Fund is also one of the country’s largest united arts fund with $10.4 million raised in 2004.

Elena Brokaw Myles is the newly appointed director of community services and the former cultural affairs manager for Ventura, CA. Myles has worked on cultural and public art master plans for San Diego, CA; Minneapolis, MN; Reno, NV; and Capitola, CA; as well as on the Arts District Plan for Northeast Minneapolis.

Victoria Rowell is an Emmy-nominated actress; a dancer; and the founding president of The Rowell Foster Children’s Positive Plan. Rowell’s television credits include The Cosby Show, Diagnosis Murder, and The Young and the Restless.

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 more than 40 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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