FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:  Pat Verner Program Director

Arts Council President:  Staff Is Second to None

As president of the arts council, I can attest to the fact that our staff is second to none.  We are so fortunate to employ five of the most dedicated, hard-working individuals I have ever met.  Let me tell you a little more about them:

Noelle Scott joined our organization as executive director in September of 2000.  It is no coincidence that the last six years have been full of phenomenal growth and programmatic excellence for the Cabarrus Arts Council.  Noelle’s leadership has been an integral factor in this success.  A graduate of Wake Forest University, she quickly became a star in the arts council world beginning with her North Carolina Arts Council internship and National Endowment for the Arts fellowship.  She is highly respected in her field and in our community.  Her energy and vision are inspiring.

Pat Verner, our program director, first became involved with the arts council by editing our newsletter.  The quality of this quarterly publication is a product of her diligence and her writing skills.  Pat majored in journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill and began work as a newspaper reporter after graduation.  In 2003 she was hired to oversee our expanding programs, particularly our Students Take pART in the ARTs series.  The planning and implementation of our many different programs is a time-consuming, logistical challenge.  Pat handles it all with expertise and exuberance.

Jill Irvin came on board in the winter of 2001 as Noelle’s “right hand.”  She is a master at multi-tasking and a mathematical wiz.  Jill graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in mathematics; her professional experience includes bank accounting and finance.  She is truly an asset as the arts council’s financial officer.  She is a meticulous record-keeper, especially when it comes to tracking contributions or charting our strategic planning process.  Board members definitely rely on Jill’s budgetary knowledge.

Carrie Myers is our office manager extraordinaire.  In this position she wears many different hats, each with style and grace.  On any given day she may be planning a special event, answering phones, running errands, coordinating schedules, answering phones, entering data, answering phones, compiling organizational records, answering phones, creating sponsor scrapbooks, answering phones….you get the idea.  She also hopes to work with Historic Cabarrus to establish a docent program for the Historic Cabarrus Courthouse where the arts council’s offices are located.  Carrie holds both undergraduate and masters nursing degrees from Ohio State University. 

Lin Barnhardt received undergraduate and graduate degrees in art education from Appalachian State University.  He is an accomplished artist and a veteran art teacher.  When we heard of his impending retirement in early 2006 (after nearly 30 years in the classroom), we asked Lin to become our visual arts director.  He began planning gallery exhibitions almost immediately and instituted our very popular Art Walks.  His regional and local connections have enabled him to schedule well-known artists for future shows, even though the arts council’s galleries are still awaiting improvements such as lighting and picture molding.  Lin’s boundless enthusiasm is obvious in all that he does.  He is already searching for treasures for our soon-to-open gift shop.

What a team!  I know you share my confidence in their ability to lead our arts council to new heights in the years to come.