The Board of Trustees of the Arts Council of the Morris Area is delighted to announce that Tom Werder will succeed Anne Aronovitch as Executive Director of the Arts Council, effective May 21, 2012. His selection caps a thorough search and review of many highly qualified candidates. “We are delighted that Tom is joining the Arts Council of the Morris Area. The timing could not be better, given that we are in the process of completing a 5-year strategic plan and that next year marks our 40th Anniversary,” said Alan Levitan, President of the Arts Council’s Board of Trustees.
Werder brings broad-based and extensive experience at the helm of nonprofit arts organizations to the Arts Council. He served as the Managing Director of Two River Theater Company in Red Bank, as Executive Director of the Carolyn Dorfman Dance Company, based in Union, and as Managing Director of George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick. Prior to that, he was the Managing Director of Portland Stage Company in Portland, Maine, where he was also a member of the Executive Committee for the Portland Arts and Cultural Alliance, an organization charged with the creation of a Downtown Arts District and credited with the revitalization of the city’s downtown area. On a national level, he was twice an Executive Committee member of the League of Resident Theaters (LORT) and a member of numerous collective bargaining committees. He has served on the board and executive committees of Dance/USA and Dance New Jersey. Tom received his MFA in Theatre Management from the Yale School of Drama and his BFA from Purchase College (SUNY) where he was lighting designer and stage manager. “I’m thrilled to be joining the Arts Council of the Morris Area. I’ve admired the Arts Council’s work for years and I’m excited to work with the community, the dedicated board and talented staff to continue to find creative ways to bring the arts to the center of community life in Morris County.”