Community Arts Partnership Selects New Executive Director

Community Arts Partnership Selects New Executive Director

July 9, 2013 (ITHACA, NY)— Starting in August, Ithaca’s arts community will have a new advocate. On July 5, the Community Arts Partnership (CAP), the arts council for Tompkins County, said goodbye to Brett Bossard, who is now the new Executive Director of Cinemapolis. On August 19th, John Spence will become the Executive Director of CAP. Spence comes to CAP after spending seven years as Executive Director at Better Housing for Tompkins County. 

For the past 16 years, Spence’s career has focused primarily on nonprofit management and fundraising.  Prior to his years at Better Housing, Spence served as Director of Development at Corning Community College where he lead the faculty and staff’s participation in the college’s first capital campaign.  He has also served as Executive Director of the Tompkins County SPCA and GIVE Tompkins, whose sole purpose was to raise awareness of, and participation in, local philanthropy. 

Between 1998 and 2002, Spence served on CAP’s Board of Directors where, at different times, he held the position of fundraising chair and board president.   

Jamie Ferris, current president of CAP’s board, believes Spence’s background in nonprofit agency management, development, and collaboration will be a great asset to the organization. “We are pleased and very excited about John’s coming on board at CAP. Tompkins County generally, and the arts community specifically, will benefit greatly from his networking and collaborative skills.  Building on the achievements of our past director, Brett Bossard, CAP is ready to expand and deepen its support of the artists, organizations, and artistic events that enrich our lives and community.”

The Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County was founded in 1990 in response to a desire to strengthen and develop the County's arts and cultural community. After an exhaustive, inclusive, community cultural assessment, CAP was launched as a not-for-profit agency that would serve the public by providing services to the arts and artists of Tompkins County. For more information on the Community Arts Partnership and its programs, visitwww.artspartner.org or call Program Director, Robin Schwartz at (607) 273-5072.