The arts group tapped Karen Gahl-Mills for the top spot, citing her business acumen, her own past as an artist, and her previous successes guiding artistic institutions, including the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, where she currently serves as President.
Gahl-Mills will oversee an organization which has given grants of more than 33 million dollars to area arts concerns in its' two year existence.
The grants are funded by the cigarette tax county voters authorized in 2007. Gahl-Mills says that track record of strong community support for arts and culture strongly influenced her decision to accept the offer to come to Cleveland.
In taking the helm, Gahl-Mills says one of the first orders of business is to increase public awareness of the organization, and how it operates.
KAREN GAHL-MILLS: "CAC is doing great work, and to a certain extent it is a bit invisible in the community, so one of the things that we can do is to raise the profile of CAC, and help folks understand how their tax money is going to work in their communities."
Gahl-Mills selection from among 81 candidates is a bit of a homecoming, as she spent her teen years in Northeast Ohio, graduating from Westlake High School.
The Arts Council gave Gahl-Mills a four year contract. She'll begin her new job in February.
