The National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) is pleased to announce the election of four members to its board of directors. As part of a rigorous national nomination process, state and jurisdictional arts agencies elected these exemplary leaders at NASAA’s 2024 business meeting during NASAA Assembly 2024.
SFCA Executive Director Karen Ewald is one of the three new board members elected to serve three-year terms. Her work centers on developing and administering the agency’s budget, planning, and staff and board relations. She also serves as the liaison to the Hawaiʻi State Legislature. Prior to her current role, Ewald served as the director of the Art in Public Places Program and Hawaiʻi State Art Museum at the SFCA, and for 10 years as programs manager for education and exhibitions at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. She served as president of the Hawaiʻi Museums Association, and currently serves on the board of trustees for Creative West. (Board term 2025-2027)
“The 2025 NASAA board represents dynamic and dedicated leadership from our field and allied sectors,” said NASAA Chair Donna Collins. “I am excited to work with these outstanding leaders as we advance NASAA’s mission to strengthen state arts agencies and continue to advocate for the value of arts and creativity across all communities.”
Founded in 1968, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. In collaboration with the nation’s 56 state and jurisdictional arts councils, we advance the arts as a powerful path to economic prosperity, rural resilience, good health, education success and strong communities in which everyone thrives. NASAA serves as a clearinghouse for data and research about public funding for the arts as well as the policies and programs of state arts agencies. For more information about NASAA and the work of state arts agencies, visit nasaa-arts.org.
Read the full NASAA press release: NASAA 2025 Board Press Release (PDF).