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Regional Arts Commission Appoints Vanessa Cooksey as President and CEO

Highly respected civic leader brings significant cross-sector experience to execute RAC’s five-year strategic plan and enhance its impact within the St. Louis arts sector

 
ST. LOUIS (Oct. 8, 2020) – The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RAC), the largest public funder of the arts in the region, announced today the appointment of Vanessa Cooksey as President and CEO of the organization, effective November 2.

Cooksey brings to RAC more than 25 years of business and civic experience as a creative communicator and future-focused strategist with marketing, communications and philanthropy leadership positions across a variety of government, non-profit and for-profit organizations. Recognized with more than 50 industry and community awards, her previous experience includes roles with Wells Fargo, Anheuser-Busch Inbev, The City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office, and Cartoon Network.

In her most recent position at Washington University in St. Louis, Cooksey was responsible for developing professional and continuing education outreach programs for University College.

“Vanessa has a reputation as a strategic grantmaker, team builder and widely respected leader throughout our community,” said Mont Levy, Chairman of RAC’s Board of Commissioners. “Vanessa was our unanimous choice. She brings her high-energy personality with the skills RAC needs to build partnerships, facilitate collaboration, and be an effective convener. During this unprecedented time of pandemics, we are confident she is the right leader when the urgency of social justice also demands RAC’s unwavering efforts to address diversity, equity and inclusion in our community.”

Cooksey will succeed Celia Hosler, who served as the interim executive director, and will be responsible for the day-to-day operations and leading RAC’s strategy as the organization continues to execute its five-year strategic plan released earlier this year.

“I’m excited to bring all of my professional expertise, experience and networks as well as my life-long love of the arts to an organization that envisions a full creative life for every St. Louisan. I look forward to partnering with all of RAC’s stakeholders to overcome the present challenges facing the arts and culture community,” said Cooksey. “RAC has a very important role to play in building the capacity of our artists and arts organizations to support St. Louis’ long-term recovery and sustainability.”

With the assistance of Isaacson Miller, a national executive search firm, RAC’s search committee was led by RAC Vice Chair of the board of commissioners, Cheryl D.S. Walker, with assistance from other board members including Rosalind Johnson, Vin Ko, Cynthia Kohlbry, Mont Levy, Andrea Purnell and John Russell. The title change from executive director to President and CEO was determined during the search process to strengthen the pool of candidates and organizational benefits. Throughout the interview process, RAC focused on finding a skilled leader who has proven management experience and one that could make a direct impact during this critical point in history.

Cooksey earned her bachelor’s degree in Radio-Television-Film from the University of Texas at Austin and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Webster University. She currently serves on the board of directors for several local and national nonprofit organizations including the SIFMA Foundation for Investor Education, Harris Stowe State University and The Deaconess Foundation.

Cooksey was the recipient of the 2016 Eisenhower Fellowship and studied in Japan and Rwanda and was named the 2018 St. Louis American Corporate Executive of the Year.

For more information about RAC, visit racstl.org.
 
About the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis
The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RAC) supports artists and arts organizations through grantmaking, strategic initiatives and other programs that build capacity, improve quality and advance diversity, equity and inclusion within the region’s arts and culture sector. Celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2020, RAC has been pivotal in nurturing the vibrant art scene throughout St. Louis, awarding more than 7,000 grants totaling over $100 million since its inception in 1985. Directed by a board of 15 commissioners appointed by the chief executives of St. Louis City and St. Louis County, RAC prioritizes quality in its support of nonprofit arts and cultural organizations, individual artists, and programs and promotes partnerships that strengthen the sector and drive progress throughout the region. Visit www.racstl.org for more information, or follow us on Facebook at Regional Arts Commission or Twitter @RACStLouis.

Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis Launches Two-Year Capacity Building Program

The teaching and mentoring program aims to strengthen the St. Louis arts and cultural sector, promoting increased sustainability and organizational impact.

The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RAC) announced today a diverse cohort that will take part in its inaugural Capacity Building: St. Louis program. Facilitated by the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland, Capacity Building: St. Louis is designed to build a stronger arts ecosystem across all disciplines, providing 31 local cultural organizations with core arts management training and implementation support. The free, two-year program is made possible by the Centene Charitable Foundation.

“To make a difference in the region, we must address significant challenges, including the unprecedented circumstances facing the arts and cultural sector as a result of the coronavirus pandemic,” said Mont Levy, Chairman of RAC’s Board of Commissioners. “Through our generous partners, we’ve developed another strong support system that will allow RAC to positively impact the community at large and build a group of inspiring organizations that will become exemplary models for the region.”

The program will launch this fall, and will include arts leaders and board members from the following organizations:

The following organizations have been selected for the 2020/2022 Session:

  • A Call to Conscience
  • Artists First
  • Bread & Roses
  • Circus Harmony
  • Central Print
  • COCA-Center of Creative Arts
  • Consuming Kinetics Dance Company
  • Contemporary Art Museum
  • Craft Alliance
  • The Griot Museum of Black History
  • HEAL Center for the Arts
  • Ignite Theatre Company
  • Jazz St. Louis
  • Laumeier Sculpture Park
  • Life Arts
  • Metro Theater Company
  • National Blues Museum
  • Opera Theatre St. Louis
  • Perennial
  • Prison Performing Arts
  • Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis
  • The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
  • That Uppity Theatre Company
  • The Sheldon Arts Foundation
  • The St. Louis Children’s Choirs
  • St. Louis Classical Guitar
  • St. Louis ArtWorks
  • St. Louis Shakespeare Festival
  • STAGES St. Louis
  • Stray Dog Theatre
  • Urban Artist Alliance for Child Development

Announced in early 2020 as part of RAC’s five-year strategic plan, the program quickly amassed applications from more than 40 interested organizations. From this competitive talent pool, RAC and the Institute selected candidates based on opportunity or need, while also considering artistic discipline, financial health, programming, communities served, and overall readiness and capacity to fully participate.

The program, which will consist of group training, one-on-one consultation, and peer-to-peer collaboration, is designed to position organizations for sustained success through revenue diversification, aggressive marketing and fundraising, and effective board governance.

Led by Institute Chairman Michael M. Kaiser, the group training sessions will focus on a wide array of disciplines:

  • The Cycle and Long-Term Artistic Planning
  • Institutional and Programmatic Marketing
  • Fundraising
  • Board Development and Engagement
  • Strategic Planning

In addition to addressing core arts management topics, the program will engage meaningfully with issues pertaining to equity, diversity, inclusion, and access in the St. Louis arts and culture sector.

“These are unexplored times for many organizations attempting to navigate new challenges on a daily basis,” said Kaiser. “We are excited to partner with RAC to bring St. Louis organizations the support they need to continue to grow financially and keep the St. Louis arts scene thriving.”

Capacity Building: St. Louis will help organizations stabilize and strengthen their artistic and financial planning, fundraising, board engagement and marketing practices, with a goal to produce a team of thriving organizations that serve as models of governance and financial sustainability for the St. Louis community.

For more information about the program, visit our Capacity Building: St. Louis page.