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For Immediate Release
January 4, 2008
Media Contact
- Allison Tratner
- 609.292.4524
- allison@arts.sos.state.nj.us
New Jersey State Council on the Arts Names New Executive Director
Steven R. Runk Accepts Leadership Position
(Trenton, NJ) The Board of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts (NJSCA) has selected Steven R. Runk as the new NJSCA Executive Director. Mr. Runk is the Council’s former Director of Programs and Services and has been serving as the NJSCA Acting Executive Director since September 1, 2007, when David A. Miller, former NJSCA Executive Director, retired.
“The Search Committee conducted an extensive and intensive national search and reviewed a diverse group of qualified applicants,” said Carol Ann Herbert, Board Chair and Search Committee Chair. “We are thrilled that Steve has agreed to accept the position of Executive Director. Throughout his tenure with the Council he has demonstrated a commitment to excellence that has kept this agency at the forefront among our peers. Steve is extremely diplomatic, intelligent and dedicated, and brings to this post key knowledge and a depth of understanding of the agency’s past and a commitment to its mission that will undoubtedly take us to new heights and new directions.”
The search committee was comprised of Council members Carol Ann Herbert, Sharon Burton Turner, Ofelia Garcia, Sharon A. Harrington, Judith Leone, and Germaine Trabert, as well as the following members of the arts community: Dr. Clement A. Price, Distinguished Service Professor of History at Rutgers University Newark who co-chaired the search committee; David Grant, President and CEO of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation; Barry Taylor, Area Director of Government and Community Affairs for Comcast and former board chair of ArtPride NJ; Philip S. Thomas, Executive Director of Newark Symphony Hall and former Vice President of Education at NJ Performing Arts Center; and Jeffrey Woodward, Managing Director of McCarter Theatre, also a former chair of ArtPride NJ. The committee reviewed resumes of 40 potential candidates, six of whom were interviewed. The search committee’s recommendation was forwarded to the Council’s Executive Committee, which then sent its recommendation to hire Mr. Runk to the full Council.
Mr. Runk is a long-tenured member of the NJSCA staff with nearly 20 years of experience as an arts administrator, 16 of which he spent working with the Council. “I am honored and very happy to accept this position and appreciate the Council’s trust and confidence in me to advance the work of the Council,” said Mr. Runk. “With the support of the dedicated Council Board and the hard work of a talented staff, I know we can achieve a smooth transition and continue to deliver a high standard of service to the field. We have an extraordinary arts community here in New Jersey, and I welcome the opportunity to serve them and our State in this new capacity.”
A resident of the Trenton area, Mr. Runk has served as the NJSCA Director of Programs and Services since 1996. In this role he oversaw all funding programs, special initiatives and constituent services, including the management of grant evaluations, funding and monitoring processes. He was also responsible for program activities in the areas of arts education, local and community arts, folk arts, and special initiatives intended to increase access and participation in the arts. Prior to this position, Mr. Runk served the Council in various roles including Grants Coordinator, Program Coordinator, and Assistant Director of Information Services.
Mr. Runk’s previous experience includes serving as Arts Development Coordinator and Assistant Director of the Summer Session at Rutgers University's Camden campus, and Manager of Corporate Communications for a large architectural, planning and interior design firm. He is a founding member of the Cultural Access Network of NJ and has served on grant review panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, Pennsylvania and Ohio State Arts Agencies. He was also a guest lecturer for the Seton Hall University Graduate Program in Arts Administration and is past President of the board of the Arts and Cultural Council of Bucks County. Mr. Runk graduated magna cum laude from Villanova University with a BFA in Visual Arts and a BA in Communications and has earned credits in the Rutgers Graduate Creative Writing Program.
Photographs Available
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