It’s Time to Help Palm Beach County Restart with the Arts
Palm Beach County’s cultural sector continues to be impacted by the devastating effects of COVID-19, but itās also resilient, finding ways to stay creative and provide inspiration to the community at a time when it needs it most.
The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County invites you to join us virtually on Thursday, October 8 at 3 p.m. for this State of the Cultural Sector Town Hall, where we will:
- present findings from our preliminary COVID-19 impact survey
- speak with national and local experts, tourism professionals, and elected officials on the state of the sector
- hear from cultural leaders who are being trailblazers during this time
- and make several special announcements regarding initiatives to facilitate the sector’s recovery.
Please RSVP via Zoom today and join us in helping Palm Beach County restart with the arts.
View a recording of this presentation on the Council’s Facebook page »
FEATURED SPEAKERS
Moderator: Dave Lawrence
President and CEO, Cultural Council for Palm Beach County
Dave Lawrence serves as the chief arts advocate for the arts and cultural community, with work including the development of grants and initiatives for arts and cultural organizations and professional artists, cultural tourism, organizational development, marketing, advocacy and arts policy development, strategic planning, and public art.
Prior to his appointment at the Cultural Council, he was the president & CEO of the Arts Council of Indianapolis. He conceived, created and launched Indianapolisā citywide murals program, 46 for XLVI, which received national and international acclaim and for which he received Indianapolisā NUVO Cultural Vision Award. Dave created innovative arts infusion strategies for major sporting events such as the 2005 US World Swimming Trials, the 2015 NCAA Menās Final Four and the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500. Dave was a member of the Host Committee Co-Chair for Cultural & Arts Programs for Super Bowl XLVI. In August of 2018, Dave was named a Sagamore of the Wabash by Governor Eric Holcomb, one of Indianaās highest honors. Dave received a B.A. in communication from DePauw University.
Randy Cohen
Vice President of Research, Americans for the Arts
Randy Cohen is Vice President of Research at Americans for the Artsāthe national advocacy organization for the artsāwhere he has been empowering arts advocates since 1991. He publishes Americans Speak Out About the Arts, a national public opinion study about the arts as well as the two premier economic studies of the artsāArts & Economic Prosperity, the national economic impact study of nonprofit arts organizations and their audiences; and Creative Industries, a mapping study of the nationās 675,000 arts businesses and their employees. His 10 Reasons to Support the Arts blog received the Gold Award from the Association of Media & Publishingātheir top honor for best blog post of the year.
Randy led the development of the National Arts Policy Roundtable, an annual convening of leaders who focus on the advancement of American cultureālaunched in partnership with Robert Redford and the Sundance Institute. A sought-after speaker, Randy has given speeches in all 50 states, and regularly appears in the news mediaāincluding the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and on C-SPAN, CNN, CNBC, and NPR.
Glenn Jergensen
Executive Director, Palm Beach County Tourist Development Council
Glenn Jergensen, Executive Director of the Tourist Development Council, assumed this tourism industry role in 2013 after spending a year as Senior Vice President of Operations with Discover Palm Beach County, Inc., with oversight for the financial, administrative, contractual, research and visitor-related service functions.
Glenn has 30 years of business administration and operational expertise in a Global capacity for two Fortune 100 companies before assuming a position as president and CEO of the Greater Boynton Beach Chamber of Commerce from 2003 to 2012. In his tourism role he provides strategic direction for one of the largest industries in Palm Beach county through the contractual oversight of Discover the Palm Beaches, the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, the Palm Beach county Sports Commission, the Palm Beach County Film and Television Commission and the Palm Beach county Convention Center. Representing the Tourist Development Council, Jergensen sits on the Board of Directors for Discover, the Cultural Council, the Sports Commission, the Film and TV Commission, along with the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association Palm Beach County Chapter and South Florida Fair.
Jergensen received a degree in Business Administration from Bryant University in Providence, Rhode Island before joining Gulf + Western Industries in 1977. In 1981, he joined Motorola Inc., where he spent 22 years in the financial and operations organizations of the Personal Communications Sector.
Mayor Keith James
City of West Palm Beach
Keith James was elected Mayor of the City of West Palm Beach on March 12, 2019. Focused on creating a community of opportunity for all, Mayor James has a vision for West Palm Beach that is resident-driven. Mayor James is committed to creating a customer friendly culture that focuses on neighborhood initiatives, regional collaboration and community partnerships.
Mayor James is the Cityās first African-American āstrong mayor,ā whereby the Mayor is the Cityās Chief Executive Officer directing the administrative structure, and the Cityās fourth African-American Mayor.
Prior to being elected Mayor, Keith James served as the District 4 City Commissioner from 2011 ā 2019, serving as President of the Commission twice. During this time, Mayor James helped create West Palm Beachās strategic plan, finance plan, water plan and mobility plan. Mayor James has been a part of the leadership that has led West Palm Beach from the depths of the recession to the booming metropolis we have today.
Mayor James is a Past President of the Palm Beach County League of Cities, where he championed a collaborative approach to solving regional and state issues on equality, home-rule, health and addiction challenges, and transportation.
Andrew Kato
Producing Artistic Director/Chief Executive, Maltz Jupiter Theatre
(Producing Artistic Director/ Chief Executive) Andrew Kato is celebrating his sixteenth anniversary at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre as the Producing Artistic Director/Chief Executive. During his tenure, he has produced over 70 productions and subscriptions have grown to over 8,000 patrons. Overall attendance has grown to nearly 100,000 guests annually, securing the Theatre to be one of the most successful regional theatres in the southeast.
He was the Creative Consultant/Coordinating Producer on the Tony AwardsĀ® for 13 years (which has received the Emmy Award nine times). He was a Producing Associate on the Broadway productions of Jellyās Last Jam, Angels in America and the off-Broadway production of Cryptogram. Andrew conceived and developed several musicals, including: Switch!; Academy; 1001 Nights; Street Songs, Diva Diaries and Through the Looking Glass.
Andrew received the 2012 Councilās Choice Muse Award from the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, the 2013 Silver Palm Award from the South Florida Theatre League for Outstanding Contribution, and the 2019 Richard G. Fallon Award for Excellence in Professional Theatre. Andrew was honored as one of the 2014 Leaders of Distinction by Florida Weekly and one of Palm Beach Countyās 100 Most Influential Business Leaders by Palm Beach Illustrated in 2020. He is a proud member of the Society of Directors and Choreographers (SDC).
Kate Arrizza
President & CEO, South Florida Science Center & Aquarium
Kate Arrizza hails from a diverse background. Kate was a previous volunteer at the Science Center in the late 90ās and a proud product of the Palm Beach County public school system. After receiving her Bachelors of Science degree from the United States Naval Academy, she served as an Officer in the U.S. Navy for six years. While in the Navy, she served overseas on the USS Carr, USS Fort McHenry and USS Tortuga; her specialty was education and training in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Upon receiving her honorable discharge from the Navy she moved back to her home state where she continues to further her career in executive administration, and obtained her Master’s Degree from Johns Hopkins University. Kate’s work at the Science Center over the past eleven years has earned her such recognition and awards as South Florida Business Journal’s “40 Under 40ā award, Sun Sentinel’s Top Workplace Professional Award, Women of Worth Award, and ATHENA award finalist.
Irvin Lippman
Executive Director, Boca Raton Museum of Art
Irvin Michael Lippman is Executive Director of the Boca Raton Museum of Art, a position he has held since 2014. He received his BFA from the University of Denver, and an MA in Art History from the University of Texas at Austin.
His more than four-decade museum career began in the Education Department at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. (1975-1983). He went on to be the Public Affairs Manager and then Assistant Director of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas (1984-1994). In 1994 he became the Executive Director of the Columbus (Ohio) Museum of Art (until 2002); and in 2003, he was appointed Executive Director of the Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale (retiring in 2012), after which he returned to live in his native Texas.
He came out of retirement for what was going to be a short-term interim position in Boca Raton that has turned into an enjoyable, fulfilling and surprisingly creative capstone to his career. He was honored in 2015 by the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County as Outstanding Cultural Leader. He chaired the inaugural Boca Raton Art in Public Places Board (2017-2020). Member of the Association of Art Museum Directors (1994 to present).
Lippman is married to William J. Harkins and together they live near the ocean in Boca Raton.
Gregg K. Weiss
Palm Beach County Commissioner, District 2
Gregg Weiss was born and raised in Southern California. After graduating the University of California at Irvine with degrees in Economics and Social Ecology, he made a career in the then emerging computer industry. Gregg worked his way up to becoming a business executive overseeing sales, marketing and strategy for several fortune 500 companies.
Gregg and his wife of 27 years, Rebecca retired while in their forties and decided to sail the world on their 50-foot boat named Kimba. After doing so for several years, they anchored in the Lake Worth Lagoon in 2004 and decided to make West Palm Beach their new home.
Ever since, Gregg has been active in the community as a volunteer and board member for numerous organizations as well as nonprofits. He served as vice-president of the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens and is a longtime SunFest volunteer to just name two of the dozens of causes Gregg has assisted.
Gregg still regularly patrols the neighborhood and serves as its citizen observer patrol captain, while Rebecca foster parents kittens for the Peggy Adams Rescue League. Gregg is a member of Temple Israel.
He was elected County Commissioner for District 2 in 2018. As a public servant Commissioner Weiss strives to be a responsible steward of tax dollars while promoting economic development that support good paying jobs and quality of life for our constituents.
āArts and culture are indispensable parts of life and have tremendous value to society and the South Florida economy thatās why Iām excited to serve on the Cultural Councilās board of directors.ā, said Commissioner Weiss
