Earlier today, Americans for the Arts, the nation’s leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts and arts education in America, announced the recipients of the 2015 Americans for the Arts Annual Leadership Awards. Among the honorees is Ann Marie Miller, ArtPride New Jersey Foundation’s Director of Advocacy & Public Policy, who will receive the Alene Valkanas State Arts Advocacy Award. Presented each year, the Americans for the Arts Annual Leadership Awards pay tribute to the achievements of individuals and organizations committed to enriching their communities through the arts. The Alene Valkanas State Arts Advocacy Award, which Miller will receive at the Americans for the Arts 2015 Annual Convention in June, recognizes an individual whose arts advocacy efforts have dramatically affected the political landscape at the state level.
“I am so honored to receive this award, named after a distinguished arts advocate who exemplified national leadership,” said Miller, who served as ArtPride’s executive director for 20 years. “I am grateful to be recognized by Americans for the Arts and by my colleagues who work tirelessly promoting the value of the arts to our country.” Prior to joining ArtPride, Miller served as director of development at McCarter Theatre and as grants coordinator for the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Miller sits on the Executive Committee of Americans for the Arts’ State Arts Action Network; chairs the Hightstown Cultural Arts Commission in her hometown; is a member of the Governance Committee of the NJ Arts Education Partnership; and served on the board of the Center for Non-Profit Corporations in New Jersey. “Our Leadership Awards honorees have distinguished themselves as tremendous leaders and passionate advocates for the arts and arts education,” said Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts. “These leaders have implemented innovative and transformative programs to strengthen the communities they serve, and their unwavering commitment to local, state, and national support for the arts is deserving of this recognition.” For more information on the annual awards and the other honorees, visit AmericansForTheArts.
