The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts is now under new management as it gets ready to celebrate its 50th year.
New officers and members of the board of directors were elected at the annual meeting on Oct. 20.
The new officers are: Steve Watson, board president; Amy Caputo, vice-president; Bob Hicks, treasurer; and Sue Hang, secretary.
“We look to elect people who have a love for the arts festival and who have the time to manage the event,” Executive Director Rick Bryant said. “All of the new officers bring great strengths and ideas to the table. They make up a very strong board and we are lucky to have them.”
Steve Watson is currently a university planner with Penn State’s Division of Campus Planning and Design. Having a love for the festival since growing up in Central Pennsylvania and as a student at Penn State, Watson is eager to take on the new position on the board.
“It’s an honor to be able to now serve as president for the one of the best organizations of its type in the country,” Watson said. “The organization is great from top to bottom with amazing staff as well as volunteers that help the festival be so successful.”
Now serving his fifth year, Watson is excited to continue to work with the board. The board is comprised of people that represent all different parts of the community, Watson said. They will continue to work hard towards maintaining the number one spot on the 100 Best Fine Art and Design Shows in America.
The board has already come up with plans for the upcoming festival in July of 2016. At the annual meeting, a new strategic plan of initiatives was approved, including the kick off of the celebration of the 50th festival, which will be kept a surprise.
Vice-president Amy Caputo is the director of strategic communications for the Penn State Alumni Association. Treasurer Bob Hicks is the chief financial officer of Videon Central, Inc. and secretary Sue Haug is the director of Penn State’s School of Music.
The following individuals were elected to three year terms on the Board: Moses Davis, the Director of the Multicultural Resource Center at Penn State; Jonathan Friedman, Director of Development, Friedman Real Estate Group; and Kathleen Raupach, an instructor in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management at Penn State.
