SUMMER 2007

Americans for the Arts Economic Impact Study

Partner Profile

  ARC/NEA Gateway Initiative

2007 List
11 Most Endangered
Historic Places

National Conservation Summit

Scanning the States

Transitions

Washington Buzz

Calendar

Mission

Partners in Tourism: Culture and Commerce is a coalition of cultural service organizations, the travel industry, and federal agencies that provides a forum for collaborative research, education, promotion and advocacy with the common goal of advancing the role of culture and heritage in the travel and tourism industry.

National Partners

and

Federal Corresponding Partners

Cultural Heritage Tourism News

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© 2007

Partners in Tourism: Culture and Commerce

Editor

Carolyn Brackett

Assistant Editors

Amy Webb

Verna Romero

GOT NEWS?

Send program updates, new initiatives and case studies to cht@nthp.org

Transitions

American Association of Museums Appoints

Ford Bell as New President and CEO

The American Association of Museums (AAM) has appointed educator, scientist and Minneapolis civic leader Ford W. Bell to the position of President and CEO.

"Ford Bell comes to us with a breadth of experience in our field combined with a vision grounded in public service and scholarship," said Irene Hirano, AAM Board Chair and President and CEO of the Japanese-American National Museum. "He is quite simply the right leader at the right time as AAM looks to the next 100 years and the complex challenges facing our members nationwide." Bell succeeds Edward H. Able, Jr. who retired last year after 20 years of service.

Bell has more than 30 years experience as a nonprofit executive, board chair, donor, trustee, educator and scientist.  He was previously President and CEO of the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, a prominent clinical cardiovascular research organization, and one of the largest providers of community heart health education in the United States.

He has also served as a trustee of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. While board chair Mr. Bell helped raise $103 million as part of the Institute's "Bring Art to Life" capital campaign. Among the boards he has served are the Special Projects Foundation, The Minnesota Veterinary Medical Association Foundation and the James Ford Bell Museum of Natural History. Most recently Bell was a Clinical Assistant Professor of Oncology at the University of Minnesota's College of Veterinary Medicine. In 2006 Bell was a candidate for the U.S. Senate.

For more information, visit American Association of Museums.

Linda Donavan Harper

Named Executive Director of Cultural Tourism DC

Cultural Tourism DC has selected Linda Donavan Harper, an experienced leader in the fields of historic preservation, economic development, and nonprofit management, as its new executive director. She joined the nonprofit coalition of 185 arts, heritage, cultural, and community organizations on July 1, 2007.

“We are fortunate to have found in Linda an expert with an outstanding national reputation and extensive experience in the fields of community revitalization and cultural tourism,” said Michael Fitzpatrick, Chair of Cultural Tourism DC’s Board of Directors. “And we found her right in our own backyard, leading one of our member organizations, the Historic Congressional Cemetery. We can’t imagine anyone better suited to lead our organization.”

“For more than 20 years I have supported and advocated for nonprofits that help communities grow and achieve meaningful change,” said Harper. “I am thrilled by this opportunity to put the full breadth of my skills and passion to work for Washington, DC’s neighborhoods. Cultural Tourism DC is poised to make a significant impact in promoting arts and heritage as tools for community and economic development. In concert with our members, partners, and funders, we have great things ahead of us.”

Over the last decade Harper has led LHarper & Associates, a consulting firm assisting nonprofit organizations, state and local government agencies, and corporations with organizational management and community development issues. She has worked with more than 200 communities, state agencies, corporations, and non-profits in 30 states and three countries.  Since 2000, Harper has also served as Chair of the Board to The Association for the Preservation of Historic Congressional Cemetery.

Previously, Harper was at The Countryside Institute in New York (now the Glynwood Center), where she expanded a professional exchange program to support economic, social, and environmental sustainability. As a part of the management team at the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s National Main Street Center (between 1987 and 1994), Harper provided comprehensive training and support for program development staff in communities throughout the nation.

For more information, visit Cultural Tourism DC.

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