Napa, CA. September 14, 2009 - After 5 years at the helm, Arts Council Napa Valley's Executive Director, Michelle Williams, will be leaving her post as of September 30th to accept a position as Executive Director at the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County. The ACNV Board of Directors will work closely with ACNV staff to manage a strong transition to new leadership for the organization.
"I've loved working in this community and with the incredible ACNV board and staff team," says Williams. "I will miss living and working here, and have learned a great deal from my excellent colleagues in this arts community."
Under Williams' leadership, ACNV reorganized into an umbrella agency for all of the arts in Napa County and has had numerous accomplishments in the areas of programming and advocacy. Williams and the ACNV team created new partnerships with the Napa County Office of Education to increase arts access for schoolchildren; created a new rotating Children's Art Exhibition at Napa City Hall; and identified and dispersed over $100,000 in matching grants to schools for arts education. ACNV also launched the first-ever Artist Teacher Training program in Napa County, focused on critical skills artists need to successfully teach in the classroom.
During Williams' tenure, ACNV launched the online Master Arts & Culture Calendar at www.nvarts.org, as well as a comprehensive online Artist Registry and Artist Opportunities board. ACNV spearheaded the first Economic Impact of the Arts study in Napa County, which will be completed late this year. Williams also worked with local arts leaders and elected officials to create the Napa County Commission for Arts and Culture, now in its second year. Williams coordinated the Public Art Committee, formed to advocate for the creation of a public art ordinance for the City of Napa, which will go to the Napa City Council this fall. ACNV also supported emerging and innovative community programming through new fiscal sponsorship clients, such as the Cameo Cinema in St. Helena and Wandering Rose in Napa. Williams oversaw the professionalization of the annual Open Studios tour into a juried program with extensive local, regional, and national media attention.
Williams served as the coordinator for the first-every county-wide cultural planning initiative, a process that took over 1 1/2 years, involved over 800 individuals, and resulted in the Community Cultural Plan for Napa County, designed to strengthen and enliven the arts sector over the next 3-5 years. Williams worked closely with the Napa Valley Community Foundation to launch and implement this plan and to build ACNV's Arts Advisory Board, comprised of Executive Directors of arts organizations across the county. Williams also created and facilitated an Arts Marketing Committee, comprised of arts marketing staffers across Napa County, who work collectively to market local arts to Napa Valley visitors. Williams also participated in local, regional, and national arts advocacy, and served on teams that helped to support increases in funding to the National Endowment for the Arts as well as public funding for the arts here in Napa County.
Williams was named "2009 Nonprofit Employee of the Year" by the Napa Chamber Foundation, and Arts Council Napa Valley was voted "Best Non-Profit" in Napa Valley by the North Bay Bohemian in 2008 and 2009. Finally, Williams was instrumental in encouraging new funders and foundations to join ACNV as major supporters, such as the Napa Valley Community Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, the California Arts Council and NEA, the Koret Foundation, the Sato Foundation, the Umpqua Foundation, the Napa Valley Heritage Fund and the Jewish Community of Napa Valley.
Arts Council Napa Valley is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization that supports a thriving and diverse creative community by expanding arts education, nurturing the development of artistic talent, and collaborating with arts and community organizations across the county. It serves as the supporting organization to the Napa County Commission for Arts and Culture, which reports to the Napa County Transportation and Planning Agency. Its major programs include the annual Open Studios tour, Arts in Education, Revolving Door Art, Master Arts & Culture Calendar, local, regional and national arts advocacy, and county-wide cultural planning. The Council's programs are made possible by foundation and governmental grants and corporate and individual contributions from its community, the county, state of California and beyond. Please visit www.artscouncilnapavalley.org.
For more information, please call 707-257-2117, or .
