Welcome to David W. Wharton New Executive Director of the Arts Council

Please join me in warmly welcoming David W. Wharton to the Florida Keys Council of the Arts as our new President and Executive Director, succeeding Monica Haskell. Yesterday was David’s first day as our new executive.

As chairman of the Arts Council board, I’d like to tell you how lucky I believe we are to have recruited this seasoned professional to join our organization and become our new leader. We are truly fortunate to find such a multi-faceted and highly skilled arts administrator.

David has been deeply involved in virtually every area of the arts for more than twenty-five years -- as a visual artist, as an executive-level administrator, as a grant-writer and fund-raiser, as a program/special-events coordinator, and as a professor of the arts.

A few highlights --

- MFA from the Cranbrook Academy of Art.

- Founding Director of Fine Arts for the Sun Valley (Idaho) Center for the Arts and Humanities.

- For 10 years, owned his own firm--with offices in both Sun Valley and Westport, Connecticut--working as a designer, artist and non-profit consultant. He developed events and programs for clients such as the Idaho Nature Conservancy, Bank of America, GTE Corporation, Turner Design, Ogilvy & Mather, Outward Bound USA, and the Teton Valley Arts Council.

- Director and Master Printer for Harvey Littleton, considered the founder of the modern studio glass movement. (Dale Chihuly studied under Harvey Littleton.)

- Designed and built a nationally acclaimed Book Arts facility at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington and received a grant from Epson USA to build the digital media lab there.

- Skilled in grant writing and soliciting new and in-kind contributions.

I’m proud to make this introduction of David to our membership. I know that you will all be available to help him in the coming months to expand and extend the reach of the arts throughout the Florida Keys.

As always, if you have any comments, suggestions, or questions, please feel free to email or call me at any time.

Connie “C.J.” Groth

Chairman