ArtWorks is starting the new year with new leadership. In December, Jeff Sperry, was welcomed as the organization’s senior director of advancement. He brings more than 25 years of nonprofit leadership experience to the arts group.
“Jeff is the ideal leader to help ArtWorks grow,” said Colleen Houston, ArtWorks CEO and artistic director. “He will surely impact ArtWorks’ future success contributing to the vibrancy of our region.”
Sperry will be responsible for strategy, planning and execution for successful development and marketing activities. Prior to ArtWorks, Jeff worked in fundraising and marketing at the Cincinnati Nature Center and Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in North Carolina.
He completed a Master of Music degree in Piano Performance and a Master of Arts degree in Arts Administration from the University of Cincinnati. He has taught nonprofit management courses at the University of Kentucky and the University of Akron.
“ArtWorks has a history of creating positive transformation throughout our region,” Sperry said. “I’m excited to have this opportunity to amplify the organization’s mission.”
In addition to the senior director of advancement role, ArtWorks has a new pair leading its board of directors for the next three years. Lauren Hannan Shafer, who served as the organization’s CEO in 2019, has been voted in as board president. Shafer has also been involved with other area-nonprofits including our region’s Make a Wish Foundation chapter and Cincinnati Youth Collaborative.
Duke Energy Convention Center general manager, Ric Booth, will serve as the vice president. He is entering his ninth year on the ArtWorks board. In cities across the country, Booth has worked in private management, the NBA, and city and state governments. Most recently, Booth previously managed Houston, Texas’ Reliant Park and George R. Brown Convention Center.
Individuals who joined the ArtWorks board last fall include Bethany Hartman, senior vice president and treasury management area sales manager of Fifth Third Bank, P&G’s Ohio community relations manager, Barbara Hauser, FC Cincinnati’s director of community development and former Cincinnati mayor, Mark Mallory, and Connie Ross, vice president and chair of diversity, equity & inclusion for Empower Agency.
This new lineup is carrying ArtWorks into its 26th year. Over 20 projects are planned for ArtWorks in 2022 including new exhibitions in the ArtWorks V² Gallery which opened last spring.
About ArtWorks
ArtWorks is an award-winning Greater Cincinnati nonprofit that transforms people and places through investments in creativity. The organization collaborates with community organizations and residents, businesses, governments, foundations and nonprofits to build creative works of art that bolster the region’s global reputation as an arts destination. ArtWorks employs professional artists who inspire and mentor diverse teams of youth, ages 14-21, helping them build 21st century career-readiness skills. These teams have completed more than 14,000 public and private art projects in its 25 years, including more than 200 permanent outdoor murals. Learn more at ArtWorksCincinnati.org.
