As we launch our 30th school year, P.S. ARTS is pleased to introduce our Board of Trustees who help guide the organization and advance our mission. Our Board’s primary focus this milestone anniversary year is setting the stage for another 30 years of success by completing a new strategic plan anchored by our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiative. P.S. ARTS’ DEI plan over the last three years has focused on reducing barriers to providing high quality arts education in public schools through fundraising, remote program development, and extended services after school and over the summer.
This year, the P.S. ARTS Board established a new officer position to help oversee our efforts in this domain. We are pleased to announce that Dr. Stephen McCray will serve as our inaugural Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Chair. Dr. McCray is a longstanding P.S. ARTS Trustee and has extensive experience as an educator and administrator in Southern California public schools (Dr. McCray was named by Teacher Magazine as “one of the fifty best minds in education!”). Dr. Mcray is also an anti-racist educator and consultant, and he recently completed the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Certificate program in Leadership and Character in Uncertain Times as a representative for P.S. ARTS. We are so grateful to have Dr. McCray’s guidance and support as we navigate our next chapter! Additionally, we are thrilled to announce that longstanding P.S. ARTS Trustee David Kahn has stepped up to be our new Treasurer and that we added two new Board members, Brielle Block and Lacey Rose, to the team.
As our community collectively enters the strategic planning endeavor, we are mindful that now, more than ever, our students need programs that are engaging and motivating, encourage connection and empathy, and foster creative expression. As one of the largest in-school arts education providers in Los Angeles County, P.S. ARTS is poised and honored to contribute to the wellbeing and healthy development of students in Los Angeles and beyond. In light of this, and the many changes that have arisen from our response to the COVID-19 crisis, we are continually envisioning new ways in which P.S. ARTS can customize services to provide more relevant and inclusive arts instruction and teacher professional development programs to existing and new school and community partners. We are grateful for our Trustees’ thought leadership, generosity, and tireless commitment to the cause!
