Andrew Witt, Executive Director at St Johns Cultural Council 

JOINS AMERICANS FOR THE ARTS FOR ANNUAL EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP FORUM

Executive Leadership Forum Teaches Key Leadership Skills to Advance St. Johns Cultural Council  Nationally

Americans for the Arts, the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, is hosting its annual Executive Leadership Forum September 16-19, 2015, in Sundance, Utah.

Andrew Witt, Executive Director at St Johns Cultural Council, will be one of the 20 top-level arts executives gathering to brainstorm, reflect and strategize on the future of arts administration. A wide range of topics-including equity, cultural democracy, community development, and long-term visioning-will be explored through discussions, presentations, and screenings. This year's Executive Leadership Forum is also part of the larger New Community Visions Initiative, currently being conducted by Americans for the Arts, which seeks to work with groups locally and nationally to envision new ways that arts and culture can be integrated into the making and maintaining of healthy, vibrant, equitable communities.

The Executive Leadership Forum is designed to create opportunities for CEOs, executive directors, and senior staff of local arts advancement organizations to focus on long-term thinking, professional growth, and personal renewal. Witt will benefit from seminars on improving overall strategy, handling transitions, and preparing St. Johns Cultural Council and the St. Johns Arts Community to benefit locally from national trends in the arts world.

Witt's participation is made possible, in part, through a grant from the Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs. 

"This opportunity to be included in this prestigious gathering of top arts administrators from across the country is recognition of the cultural development work the Council is undertaking.  This will have lasting impact on our local arts organizations and artists through our new ArtReaches programs and services for residents, but also assist area groups to better address the tourist development aspect of the Council's business plan."

The Executive Leadership Forum is held simultaneously with the Americans for the Arts National Arts Policy Roundtable. The facilitated conversations, community clinics, and joint sessions with the National Arts Policy Roundtable will be held at Sundance Resort and Preserve. 

For more information on the St Johns Cultural Council, visit www.stjohnsculture.com.

Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.

Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education in America. With offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City, it has a record of more than 50 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.