The nonprofit organization Americans for the Arts has appointed multiple people to its board of directors in leadership positions. Succeeding Edgar Smith, Kristina Newman-Scott will be AFTA’s new board chair. Multiple vice chairs have been combined into a single position, now occupied by Marc Folk. Theo Edmonds succeeds Newman-Scott as secretary, and Robert Newman III succeeds Chris Cutler as treasurer.
Newman-Scott is vice president of arts at the Knight Foundation, a philanthropic organization that funds journalism, arts and community development programs nationwide. She is also the former president of Brooklyn’s BRIC, a cultural institution that offers free theater and other arts programming throughout the borough. From 2022 to 2024, she was the inaugural executive director of New York Public Radio’s Jerome L. Greene Performance Space. She is a member and former chair of New York’s Department of Cultural Affairs Advisory Commission, which helps fund cultural programs and institutions throughout the city.
Newman-Scott has received numerous honors, being named among City & State New York’s Telecommunications Power 50, the Observer’s Arts Power 50, and Next City’s Urban Vanguard. She received AFTA’s Selina Roberts Ottum Award in 2018 in recognition of her leadership in the arts.
“Arts and culture are essential civic infrastructure, helping to shape how communities connect, find their voice, and thrive,” said Newman-Scott in a statement. “They create space for dialogue and spark the imagination that allows people to see themselves as agents of their own future. I’m honored to work alongside my fellow board members and the Americans for the Arts team to expand access and strengthen the role of the arts in communities across the country.”
New AFTA vice chair Marc Folk is president and CEO of the Arts Commission in Toledo, Ohio. Secretary Theo Edmonds is the creative executive in residence at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. Treasurer Robert Newman III is the director and lead curator of the Artfulwalls Fine Art Gallery in Harlem.
“Kristina and this exceptional group of leaders bring a powerful combination of vision, experience, and commitment to the field,” said Erin Harkey, AFTA’s CEO, in a statement. “At a time when the arts are both under pressure and full of possibility, their leadership will help us champion policies, investments, and partnerships that ensure artists and cultural organizations can thrive in every community.”
Americans for the Arts is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit dedicated to advancing the arts. It offers advocacy tools, research and networking services to artists and cultural institutions around the U.S.
