News

FY15 Commission Board Goodbyes

By Anne B. Pope, Executive Director –

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From left to right: Anne B. Pope, Donna Chase, Patsy Camp, Ed Gerace and Chancellor Carol McCoy

The leadership of the Commission serves for a one-year term as voted by the board. Patsy W. Camp has been our chair and champion this past year. Patsy fortunately will be continuing to serve on the Commission board, but passed the gavel to her successor effective July 1 (more about that later).

I want to emphasize my deep gratitude to Patsy and her dedication to the chair position. She jumped into the role with great enthusiasm and came with a depth of experience as a long-time community arts leader in Jackson who understands Tennessee’s arts and cultural assets. Patsy was at the helm for the release of the Commission’s five-year strategic plan, our statewide arts conference and the 2015 Governor’s Arts Awards. She participated in a record number of grants panel meetings and was visible throughout the state. Patsy, an artist herself, truly embraces and champions the arts in Tennessee. To echo the comments of Commissioner Ed Gerace, “Patsy is one of the most involved chairs of the Commission I have ever known.”

Our Commissioners are appointed by the Governor to serve five-year terms. Three Commissioners have completed their terms and each of them has had a tremendous individual impact on the Commission.

Chancellor Carol McCoy was appointed to the Tennessee Arts Commission in 2010 and served on the Allocations Committee and Nominating Committee for the Commission. Carol’s participation in board meetings reflected her deep commitment to the arts. She always asked the tough questions that ultimately led us in a better direction. In the planning process for the Commission’s five-year strategic plan, Carol’s questions helped set our course for the future. Carol has a keen sense of how a government entity should fulfill its obligations to the public. Carol was always about doing the right thing in the right way.

We fondly call Ed Gerace our gentleman. A genteel man, Ed is a great advocate for the arts and for his beloved Northeast Tennessee. Ed championed the importance of arts and culture, including public art, as a driver of economic and community development. His footprints are all over the Northeast Tennessee region. Leaving after a ten-year commitment to the Commission in two different administrations, Ed was appointed to the Tennessee Arts Commission in 2010 for his second five-year term, having previously served from 2003-2008. He chaired the Commission in FY 2008 and served on the Allocations, Nominating and Audit Committees.

Donna Chase also completed her second tour of duty. Tapped by two governors, Donna was appointed to the Tennessee Arts Commission in 2010. She previously served on the Commission from 2004-2009. She was the 2009 Chair of the Commission, Chair of the Nominating Committee as well as a member of the committees for Allocations and the Governor’s Arts Awards. Her strong, often quiet, behind the scenes leadership style led many of us on the Commission, including myself, to follow the WWDD Test—“What Would Donna Do.” She brought an extensive marketing, design and business perspective to the Commission that proved invaluable. If Donna were a compass, she would always point true north.

We joke at the Commission that we say goodbye to our Commissioners, but we never really let them go. We know they will all remain leaders continuing to create, participate and cultivate the arts and culture in their respective communities and the state. The Commission and Tennessee communities are stronger because of all of them. And we thank them.

Patsy Camp
Patsy Camp
Donna Chase
Donna Chase
Chancellor Carol McCoy
Chancellor Carol McCoy
Ed Gerace
Ed Gerace