Arts Council Welcomes New Executive Director
Public Invited to Meet Debbie Mikula at Open House
LANSING, Mich., Oct. 28, 2013 – The Arts Council of Greater Lansing is pleased to announce the recent hire of Debbie Mikula as executive director. As a part of the Arts Council’s efforts to lead, advocate for, and advance the arts in the capital region, Ms. Mikula will work to expand the Arts Council’s Lansing presence, foster and build relationships and generate new opportunities for artists, arts organizations and the arts community.
A theatre major with a B.A. from Michigan State University and a graduate certificate in Arts Management from American University in Washington D.C., Mikula has worked behind the scenes (and behind the curtain), doing everything from show production to historic preservation. She’s a native Michigander and has been committed to advocating for the arts across the state, including 10-years serving as executive director of the Michigan Association of Community Arts Agencies.
Debbie joins the Arts Council team with more than 35 years’ experience and dedication to the arts. Most recently, she utilized her skills in event management and fundraising to grow a now thriving recreation organization in Howell, Mich. and is ready to step back on the arts stage.
“I am so happy to rejoin the arts community as the Arts Council’s executive director,” says Mikula. “The organization has so many services and resources to offer the arts community and the Lansing area as a whole,” she says, “and I’m excited to further collaborations that establish sense of place and a thriving economy around the arts. I look forward to opportunities to strengthen the presence of the Arts Council and the arts throughout the region.”
The Arts Council board of directors welcomes Mikula, and is elated to engage a leader for the organization who possesses a strong background in the arts and creative placemaking. “We are pleased to have found a candidate with Debbie’s depth of experience as well as her passion for the arts,” says Julie Pingston, Arts Council board president. “We look forward to Debbie working and collaborating with the local arts community as well as our regional leaders to enhance and elevate the value of the arts in our region.”
The public is invited to meet and welcome Mikula at an open house from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, November 6 at MICA Gallery, 1210 Turner St. in Old Town. Light hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served.
For more information contact Dawn Gorman at the Arts Council of Greater Lansing at 517-853-7584.
Founded in 1965, the Arts Council of Greater Lansing is a non-profit organization whose mission is to lead, advocate for and advance arts and culture in the capital region. For more information, visit www.www.lansingarts.org.