Bill PorterBill Porter Elected ArtsGreensboro Board Chair, Succeeding Florence Gatten

Bill Porter

ArtsGreensboro Board elects full slate of officers

and several Board members at its June meeting

"Greensboro, N.C., June 28, 2016 —The ArtsGreensboro Board elected a new slate of officers at its June meeting for the 2016-2017 fiscal year.

Bill Porter, who recently retired from Cone Health, was elected to a two-year term as Board Chair. Porter spent more than 40 years in senior advancement roles in Washington, D.C., and North Carolina, and established the first organized fundraising program and the first permanent endowment for Cone’s six-hospital system. Before that, Porter served as Vice Chancellor for Development and Public Relations for the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Porter succeeds Florence Gatten, who served as Board Chair for nearly three years. During that time, ArtsGreensboro—as part of a consortium including the City of Greensboro, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Action Greensboro—was awarded the National Folk Festival’s first-ever three-year residency in North Carolina. Gatten also was instrumental in bringing the vision of local choreographer Jan Van Dyke to fruition by overseeing the creation and construction of the Van Dyke Performance Space, which will open at the Greensboro Cultural Center in the fall of 2016.

Other officers were elected to one-year terms, including:

·      Lawrence Czarda, Ph.D., President – Greensboro College: Vice Chair

·      Barbara Ruby, Partner – Smith Moore Leatherwood: Treasurer

·      Jill White, Associate – Womble Carlyle: Secretary

The Board elected a new member, Madison Carroll – Project Engineer for The Carroll Companies’ mixed-used Bellemeade Village project, which is being built downtown across from NewBridge Bank Park. Carroll will serve a three-year term as part of the Class of 2019, which also includes four returning Board members:

·      Rebecca Buffington, Board of Education member – Guilford County Schools

·      Laura Collins, Senior Manager – KPMG

·      Simonne Ritchy McClinton, Owner – M’Coul’s Public House

·      Denise Sumner, Financial Controller – VF Corporation

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About ArtsGreensboro

With an annual budget of approximately $4 million, ArtsGreensboro is a catalyst for innovation to build recognition and support for the arts. Through its ArtsFund-supported grant programs, the 17DAYS Arts & Culture Festival, the Levitt AMP Greensboro Music Series, I HEART ARTS Month, and other opportunities including the National Folk Festival, ArtsGreensboro is driving the health and vitality of our community by supporting arts education, celebrating the diversity of Greensboro, and driving economic impact through excellence in arts programming. artsgreensboro.org"

- A Press Release

ArtsGreensboro Announces $1.1 million ArtsFund Goal and Introduces Honorary Campaign Co-Chairs

Songwriter/singer Laurelyn Dossett and Cone Health

VP Bill Porter will oversee the campaign

Greensboro, N.C., December 9, 2015 — ArtsGreensboro President and CEO Tom Philion announced a $1.1 million goal for the organization’s 2016 ArtsFund campaign.

Monies raised through the ArtsFund enable ArtGreensboro to provide major support to more than 50 arts organizations, artists, and teachers each year. For fiscal year 2016 (running July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016), ArtsGreensboro will provide local grants and community support totaling approximately $1.03 million. When the National Folk Festival and the Van Dyke Performance Space are taken into account, ArtsGreensboro will invest approximately $3 million in the community in FY16.

At a Campaign Kickoff event held at VCM Studio in Greensboro this evening, Philion introduced the 2016 ArtsFund Honorary Co-Chairs:

·      Songwriter/singer Laurelyn Dossett, who has collaborated on six original Triad Stage productions, including Beautiful Star, which is running through December 24, and

·      Bill Porter, Vice Chair of ArtsGreensboro’s Board and Vice President – Office of Fund Development for Cone Health.

Dossett provided an artist’s perspective. “I write songs to find new ways to communicate timeless concepts of joy and sorrow, love and longing, grief and celebration,” she said. “That’s what artists—no matter their medium—aspire to do.” Dossett underscored how important ArtsGreensboro’s support is to our entire community—especially artists, who receive funding through the Regional Artist grant program, and students, who benefit from dynamic K-12 arts education programs funded by Teacher Art grants, Mission Support grants, and Project Support grants.

Donations to the ArtsFund make all these grants possible.

Porter discussed the importance of the arts from a business perspective. “The arts are the lifeblood of our community and are a catalyst for accelerated investments in downtown. They are a major contributor to Greensboro’s renaissance,“ Porter said. “Businesses want to invest in strong communities—and the ArtsFund strengthens our community every day.”

Philion recognized ArtsGreensboro grant recipients in the audience, telling them how honored ArtsGreensboro is to support their efforts. One grant recipient, David Holley, Artistic Director of the Greensboro Opera, gave an impromptu testimonial for ArtsGreensboro, explaining that the grants awarded to the Opera support its educational programs, including “Meet Cinderella,” an event that took place in conjunction with the Opera’s production of La Cenerentola in August 2015.

Philion closed the evening by underscoring the importance of supporting the ArtsFund. “What many people don’t realize is that the ArtsFund is ‘real-time’ fundraising. ArtsGreensboro has already committed to provide grants this year to more than 50 arts organizations, teachers, and artists. And now—with the leadership of Laurelyn and Bill, and with the community’s help—we must raise the funds to fulfill those critical grants.”

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About ArtsGreensboro

With an annual budget of approximately $4 million, ArtsGreensboro is a catalyst for innovation to build recognition and support for the arts. Through its ArtsFund-supported grant programs, the 17DAYS Arts & Culture Festival, I HEART ARTS Month, and other opportunities including the National Folk Festival, ArtsGreensboro is driving the health and vitality of our community by supporting arts education, celebrating the diversity of Greensboro, and driving economic impact through excellence in arts programming. artsgreensboro.org"

- A Press Release