Arts Council of York County announces new interim executive director
The Arts Council of York County announces Cooper to take over in place of Robishaw who is leaving next month
The Arts Council of York County announces that Melanie J. Cooper will become Interim Executive Director on November 13, following Lori Robishaw’s departure. “Lori has done a wonderful job as Executive Director in bringing us back after the pandemic and preparing us for moving forward with considerably less total public funding from the state, county, and city. As we embark on this next step in the Arts Council’s journey, the board will work with Melanie on strategic planning to set us on our new path,” said Erica Smith, president of the Arts Council’s Board of Directors. Robishaw is leaving to return to her home state of Ohio to resume her consulting business and to take part in some critical 2024 political campaigns.
Cooper has been with the Arts Council since 2012, most recently serving as Director of Programming and Marketing. “We are delighted to place Melanie in this position where we can take advantage of her long history with the Arts Council and her many productive relationships with artists and leaders in our community,” said Smith.
Cooper said, “I appreciate the faith the board and Lori have shown in me, and I look forward to the next month of working with Lori to make the transition as smooth as we can. Even in times of fiscal austerity, we can look forward to the creativity of artists and others in our community to find innovative ways to ensure the vibrancy of the arts in Rock Hill and York County.”
An experienced events, marketing, and communications professional, Cooper currently chairs the Ag + Art Tour of York County and is an active member of the Rock Hill Poet Laureate Committee, Rock Hill Economic Development Corporation’s Placemaking Committee, York County Revolutionary War 250th Committee, and Community Engagement Team for the 2024 BMX World Championships. Prior to moving to South Carolina, she worked for Lottsfeldt Strategies in Anchorage, Alaska, where she worked on campaigns for IBEW, Alaska Communications, IAFF, and for political candidates like US Senator Mark Begich, Alaska Senator Hollis French, and North Slope Borough Mayor Edward Itta. Early in her career, Melanie spent her days in costume, teaching history at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in Virginia, then literally digging up the past as an archaeologist?excavating the only colonial theatre to be unearthed in the United States, Pope’s Creek?George Washington’s birthplace, Patrick Henry’s Red Hill, and Carter Woodson’s boyhood home. Cooper earned her BA in History from the College of William & Mary and has lived in Fort Mill with her son Jakob since late 2009.
The Arts Council is headquartered in downtown Rock Hill, a state-recognized cultural district. For more information on Arts Council events, contact the Arts Council of York County at (803)328-2787, by email at [email protected], or visit our webpage at http://www.yorkcountyarts.org.
