Dr. Karen Shumway, dean of the UNT Dallas School of Business, was honored by the North Texas Business Council for the Arts by successfully completing nine months of training to become a Leadership Arts Institute graduate.

Dr. Shumway joins the hundreds of business professionals who have prepared annually over the last 30 years to assume board leadership positions in the region's nonprofit arts community. Now among the next generation of arts and cultural leaders in the region, Dr. Shumway was selected from a field of applicants who seek to learn valuable skills in leadership, nonprofit board best practices and knowledge of of critical needs of North Texas cultural organizations. 

"Leadership Arts Institute helped me build the skills to advocate for the arts in North Texas," Dr. Shumway said. "Arts and culture impact the economic health of North Texas by over $1.5 billion annually. As Dallas continues to grow, the arts will play an increasing role in its development as a cultural center in the U.S. and internationally. But more than that, my class completed an impactful project that brought arts and a significant contribution to the work of Café Momentum here in Dallas."

The Business Council for the Arts and its Leadership Arts Institute were founded in 1989 by philanthropist and noted art collected and NorthPark Center developer Raymond D. Nasher, for whom the city's Nashar Sculpture Center is named. Each year, the Leadership Arts Institute class selects an art project. This year, Dr. Shumway participated in successfully raising more than $20,000 for construction of a contemporary light and art installation in the new Café Momentum Service Center in the Dallas underground beneath Thanksgiving Square. The Center serves at-risk youth who are employed by Café Momentum.

North Texas' nonprofit arts and cultural organizations contribute $1.5 billion annually to the region's economy, making it the fifth-largest regional arts economy in the United States, according to Business Council for the Arts CEO Katherine Wagner.

Arts enthusiasts interested in applying for the 2020 Leadership Arts Institute class can submit applications up to July 21, 2019, at https://ntbca.org/lai.