The U.S. Senate has voted to confirm Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson as the 13th chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. She had been nominated for the position in early October. Dr. Jackson has had a long career in strategic planning, policy research and evaluation with philanthropy, government and nonprofit organizations. Her work appears in a wide range of professional and academic publications, this website included.
She has been a speaker at scores of national and international conferences. She has served as an advisor on philanthropic programs and investments at national, regional and local foundations. Dr. Jackson is a tenured Institute Professor in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (HIDA) at Arizona State University where she also holds an appointment in the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions.
“I am honored to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve as chair of the National Endowment for the Arts and excited to build on the arts endowment’s strong work to serve all communities across our nation through the power of the arts,” Dr. Jackson said in a statement. “The work of the NEA and the need for arts and creativity are more important now than ever. In addition to serving as an economic engine, arts and creativity are core to what it takes to heal our nation, our communities, and ourselves. The historic American Rescue Plan investment in the arts, together with the longstanding work of the NEA, is an enormous responsibility and opportunity.”