SEPTEMBER 2024 CO-CHAIR UPDATE
Americans for the Art Search Committee – Chief Executive Officer
As Co-Chairs of the Search Committee, we are pleased to provide an update on the search process for the next Chief Executive Officer of Americans for the Arts (AFTA). Over the past several months, we have engaged in a thorough process to identify the qualities, skills, and characteristics required for this critical leadership role.
As part of this process, we worked closely with our search firm, Koya Partners, in conducting extensive “Constituent Conversations,” soliciting input from a broad range of stakeholders, including staff, board members, committee members, Local Arts Agencies (LAA) representatives, and other key voices within our community. These discussions were invaluable in shaping the Position Profile, which will serve as the foundation for our recruitment efforts.
The Position Profile reflects the key qualities and competencies needed to guide AFTA forward. These include leadership experience, a grounding in arts-related areas, an understanding of the diverse needs of local, state, regional, and national arts organizations, and a vision for advancing equity and innovation across the arts and creative sectors during periods of political tension, technological transformation, and cultural change.
A central part of our commitment throughout this search process is ensuring fairness, inclusivity, and diversity in evaluating candidates. Our process includes checkpoints that allow us to identify and address potential issues related to bias and inclusiveness at every stage. In addition, Koya offers counsel on best practices to decrease bias, bringing intentionality and research-based tools to the process. As we move forward, we are committed to having thoughtful and holistic discussions regarding the diversity of the candidate pool—ensuring that our considerations extend beyond race and gender to include a broad array of perspectives and experiences that could enrich AFTA’s leadership.
We have received an enthusiastic response since launching the search during the week of August 19th. The search was promoted through AFTA’s social media channels, newsletter, and other networks to ensure we reach a broad and diverse pool of candidates.
We have received approximately 90 expressions of interest from across the country. The geographic distribution of candidates includes:
Koya Partners is working with the search committee to carefully vet each candidate through resume reviews, phone conversations, or initial Zoom interviews. The Search Committee has been meeting to begin its initial review process and discuss the evolving candidate pool, which is expected to diversify further and grow over the coming weeks as we continue to make progress in identifying the strongest potential pool of leaders for this role.
In the coming weeks, we will invite an initial group of candidates to participate in first and second-round interviews, ensuring a thorough and thoughtful selection process. We are committed to finding a leader to sustain AFTA’s legacy and elevate its impact in the years ahead.
We look forward to sharing further updates as the search progresses and thank all those who have contributed their insights and expertise to this important process.
Kristina Newman-Scott & Theo Edmond
Co-Chairs, Chief Executive Officer Search Committee
Americans for the Arts
