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PRESS RELEASE -- September 2005

Ms. Holden joins LHAT following her work as an independent consultant in cultural planning and organizational development for communities and cultural organizations. She has served as executive director for the Colorado Council on the Arts, where she directed programs and services of the state arts agency that reaches millions of Coloradans each year, and forged strong alliances with philanthropic, business and community leaders to benefit communities statewide. She was instrumental in receiving a National Endowment for the Arts Leadership Grant for The Healing Power of the Arts, an arts education response to the Columbine High School Massacre, and developed statewide advocacy efforts to ensure survival of state arts funding.

Ms. Holden also served as the director of professional development for the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, directing the educational program of the national association serving approximately 1,100 non-profit arts presenting organizations, 350 artist managers, and 150 other arts organizations. Her other professional experience includes serving as director of performing arts for the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, a nine-state regional arts organization; assistant to the Dean at the College of Fine Arts and Communication at Towson University, managing a university fine arts center with two theatres, concert hall and visual arts gallery; and managing director for Prince George’s Publick Playhouse for the Performing Arts for the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, a 500-seat community performing arts center.

Well known as an educator and spokesperson for the arts and cultural issues, Ms. Holden has served as a grants panelist for the National Endowment for the Arts and as adjudicator, advisor presenter and facilitator for numerous national, regional and state arts associations. She has been a board member and officer for the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and Western States Arts Federation as well as local arts agencies. She received her Master of Arts in Theatre from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Science in Education from Ball State University.