The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts elected new officers and board of directors members during its Oct. 18 annual meeting.
The new officers are:
■ President Steve Watson, director of Penn State’s Division of Campus Planning and Design in the Office of Physical Plant
■ Vice president Amy Caputo, director of strategic communications for the Penn State Alumni Association
■ Treasurer Bob Hicks, pastor of the Upper Spruce Creek Presbyterian Church and the CEO of Persea Naturals LLC
■ Secretary Diana Malcom, associate in ministry for college-age ministry at State College Presbyterian Church
The following individuals were elected to three-year terms on the board: Renata S. Engel, associate vice provost for Online Programs at Penn State; Jean Galliano, senior vice president, Fulton Bank; and Steve Sampsell, director of strategic communications for the College of Communications at Penn State.
The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts was founded in 1967 by the State College Chamber of Commerce and Penn State University’s College of Arts and Architecture. It now encompasses five days of visual and performing arts programming. Approximately 125,000 people visit the festival each summer, and ‘Arts Fest’ is considered to be a quintessential part of the Penn State student and alumni experience.
In addition to producing the summer festival, the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts also produces First Night State College, an alcohol-free, family-oriented New Year’s festival.
The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts receives state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
The 2017 First Night State College will take place beginning Saturday, Dec. 31. The 51st Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts will be held in July.
