Oklahoma Arts Council announces members of Leadership Arts XIII
OKLAHOMA CITY (February 27, 2025) – Thirty Oklahomans representing communities across the state will begin convening this month as part of Leadership Arts XIII, the Oklahoma Arts Council has announced. The state arts agency’s nationally recognized flagship leadership development program will bring together individuals from 18 communities for four two-day sessions that will take place each month through May. Class members will learn strategies for employing the arts as tools for boosting economic development, strengthening education, and enriching quality of life.
Leadership Arts XIII members will join more than 360 individuals from over 90 communities statewide who have participated in the program since 2008. The communities of Cashion and Sallisaw will be represented for the first time in this year’s Leadership Arts class.
“Leadership Arts has a proven track record of delivering the curriculum, networking, and inspiration Oklahomans of all professional backgrounds can use to strengthen their communities through the arts,” said Oklahoma Arts Council Executive Director Amber Sharples. “Workforce and community development—areas of emphasis for our state—are at the core of Leadership Arts. We are eager to prepare another group of motivated Oklahomans to use local arts and creative assets to meet some of our state’s most pressing needs in education, quality of life, and economic development.”
The Oklahoma Arts Council places a high priority on geographic and professional representation. Listed by community, members of Leadership Arts XIII include:
Christie Kidder (Altus)
Savannah Whitehead (Cashion)
Stephanie Swicker (Durant)
Madison Stockton (Edmond)
Charlet Ringwald (Enid)
Miranda Huff (Guthrie)
Dana Mosman (Guthrie)
Ginger Cleavinger (Guymon)
Alan Jolly (Lawton)
Kelli Myatt (Medicine Park)
William Lowe (Muskogee)
Susan Adams-Johnson (Norman)
Cher Duncan (Norman)
Bill Noelker (Norman)
Karen Paul (Norman)
Sofia Arenas (Oklahoma City)
Kaleb Benda (Oklahoma City)
Alaina Conley (Oklahoma City)
Amanda Fortney (Oklahoma City)
Kayla Jenkins (Oklahoma City)
Rebecca Kinslow (Oklahoma City)
Caleb Mitchum (Oklahoma City)
Beto Rivas (Oklahoma City)
Alena Jennings (Ponca City)
Lance Montgomery (Sallisaw)
Missy Kaiser (Stillwater)
Trey Hays (Tishomingo)
Abby McNett (Tulsa)
Amber Andersen (Woodward)
Candee Brossman (Woodward)
About Leadership Arts
The Oklahoma Arts Council Leadership Arts program equips individuals working in any field with strategies for using arts resources to strengthen their local communities. Class members convene for four two-day spring sessions where they participate in panel discussions, group activities, hands-on learning, and tours of community art spaces. Class members graduate during the fall Oklahoma Arts Conference. Leadership Arts is offered every two years.
Class sessions for the 2025 program will take place in Medicine Park (February 27-28); Idabel/Hochatown (March 27-28); Stillwater (April 24-25); and Tulsa (May 29-30). Class members will graduate from the program during the 2025 Oklahoma Arts Conference in Enid, October 22-24.
The nationally recognized Leadership Arts program is sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council and funded in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. Scholarships for the program have been provided by Oklahomans for the Arts. The program is a project of the Oklahoma Arts Council in cooperation with the communities of Medicine Park, Idabel/Hochatown, Stillwater, Tulsa, and Enid.