Archive: Around Town

The Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County (CAP) has appointed Megan Barber as the organization's next Executive Director.

Raised in Tompkins County, Barber has more than 20 years of experience serving in the nonprofit, business, arts, and government sectors. Having grown up in Enfield and Caroline, Barber spent 25 years living in Massachusetts before returning to Tompkins County three years ago. She is the former director of Art at Work Holyoke, an initiative to improve municipal government through strategic arts projects with municipal employees, elected officials, and local artists. As the Director of RSVP of Hampshire & Franklin Counties, Barber managed and grew a network of more than 600 senior volunteers and 60 nonprofit and municipal service partners. Barber most recently worked as a project manager with Concept Systems, Inc., a social research and evaluation firm based in Ithaca.

Barber is a graduate of Williams College and holds a Masters of Business Administration from the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University. She has served on a variety of boards, including the Caroline Town Board and the Pioneer Valley Symphony.

An avid violinist, Barber currently plays with a string quartet and has performed with the Pioneer Valley Symphony, Holyoke Civic Symphony, and Berkshire Symphony.

"The arts are needed now more than ever - to bring people together, to bridge divides, and to remind us of our interconnection," said Barber. "CAP energizes a system of support to put the arts in service to our community, backing artists to inspire, transform, and remind us who we are. It's truly a community partnership, and I am honored to join the team."

Barber succeeds John Spence who led CAP for the last 6 years, strengthening the organization and moving it to its new home at the Tompkins Center for History and Culture.

"The board is delighted to welcome Megan as CAP's next Executive Director," said John Saunders, President of the CAP Board of Directors and Senior Vice President for Corporate Development at Tompkins Trust Company. "Megan brings a wealth of academic and practical nonprofit management expertise to CAP. Her attention to detail, genuine personality, artistic background, and commitment to Tompkins County will be valuable assets as she leads CAP through the next decade."

The Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County (CAP) provides grants, services, and programs to artists and audiences. CAP connects artists and audiences through the Greater Ithaca Art Trail, Ithaca Artist Market, Spring Writes Literary Festival, and the CAP ArtSpace Gallery. CAP provides grants, a professional development workshop series, and other resources for artists.

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