Contact:
Catherine Brandt
Vacovsky 202-712-2054
[email protected]
@AFTAPress

Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education, today announced that Director of the Department of Culture and Creative Development for the City of San Antonio Felix Padrón and former Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Ann Stock have been elected to its Board of Directors.

“I happily welcome Felix and Ann to our Board of Directors,” said Robert L. Lynch, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “Not only are they exceptional community leaders, but they also bring great dedication and commitment to the arts and arts education. I look forward to working with them and our other board members to further expand the reach the arts have in America."

Felix Padrón has led the City of San Antonio Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA) since 2001. During his tenure, OCA evolved and is now recognized as the Department for Culture and Creative Development (DCCD) leading San Antonio's creative sector. In this role, Padrón works with arts and cultural organizations, artists and the business community to anchor the arts as an economic asset in San Antonio. He works to increase the City’s international profile by implementing international cultural programs locally and abroad, and has been charged with leading the implementation of the Mayor’s SA2020 vision for arts and culture. Before assuming his current position, Padrón was responsible for developing the City of San Antonio’s first Public Art Program and served for six years implementing public art projects. A native of Cuba, Padron is an accomplished artist and curator. His artworks have been exhibited widely and published in the New York Times, New Yorker and Noticias del Mundo.

Ann Stock served as Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) from 2010 to 2013. ECA promotes international mutual understanding through a wide range of academic, cultural, private sector, professional, youth and sports exchange programs. Before joining ECA, Stock was Vice President of Institutional Affairs at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts where she oversaw the Center's expanded efforts to increase its national and international profile. She also managed the Center's International Arts Management Programs, and oversaw its Government Relations Office, Press Office and Office of Institutional Affairs.  Prior to that, she served as Deputy Assistant to President William J. Clinton and as Social Secretary at The White House from 1993-1997, and during the 1980 and 1984 Presidential election campaigns, Stock was Deputy Press Secretary to Vice President Walter F. Mondale. She also served as Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Relations for Bloomingdale's Department Stores. Stock started her career as an elementary school teacher.

Americans for the Arts is the leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education in America. With offices in Washington, D.C. and New York City, it has a record of more than 50 years of service. Americans for the Arts is dedicated to representing and serving local communities and creating opportunities for every American to participate in and appreciate all forms of the arts. Additional information is available at www.AmericansForTheArts.org.