The Arizona Commission on the Arts, an agency of the State of Arizona, announced on August 7, 2023, four new appointments to their governing board of commissioners:
- Ash Dahlke (Bisbee)
- Regina Ortega-Leonardi (Globe)
- Pats Shriver (Flagstaff)
- Kyung-Lim Turrell (Flagstaff)
Appointed by Governor Katie Hobbs, the new appointees greatly expand geographic representation on the 15-member board.
“I am committed to ensuring Arizona’s diverse communities and cultures have a voice on the Arts Commission,” Governor Hobbs said. “These appointees, who all come from different backgrounds and regions within our state, will each bring with them their own unique perspective.”
The new appointees will replace four outgoing commissioners whose terms expired on July 1:
- Jason Kush (Cave Creek)
- Michael Potter (Surprise)
- Megan Schmitz (Phoenix)
- Ruth Sobranes (Phoenix)
“We are grateful for the dedication and spirit of public service that each of these outgoing commissioners brought to their roles as commissioners,” said Jacky Alling, the Arts Commission’s Interim Executive Director. “We thank them for their contributions and trust each will continue to be a powerful advocate for and ally to the arts sector in their communities.”
Additionally, Art Harding (Phoenix), who was appointed to the Arts Commission by former-Governor Doug Ducey in December 2022, took his oath of office in June.
About the New Commissioners
Ash Dahlke is a mixed media artist and educator currently living in Bisbee, Arizona. She serves as the 2D Instructor of Art and Curator of the Union Gallery on the Cochise College Douglas campus. In 2019 she received her Masters of Fine Arts in Painting from the University of Arizona and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting and Drawing from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2015. Her work has been exhibited at the University of Arizona Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Art in Tucson, Tubac Center of the Arts, and The Land With No Name. She is currently a volunteer programmer at KBRP 96.1 a community radio station in Bisbee and previously served on the board of Border Arts Corridor a local arts non-profit that serves the communities of Douglas, AZ and Agua Prieta, SON.
Art Harding currently serves as the Chief of Operations for the Arizona Department of Education (ADE). In this role, he ensures ADE is focused on being a service-oriented organization. Before joining the ADE, Art served as the Chief of Operations for the State of Arizona, under Governor Ducey. He also worked in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) as the Executive Secretary of the Office of the Executive Secretariat. Prior to his service at USDA, Art served as Director of Policy for the First Lady of the United States. In that role, he focused on policy development, engagement strategies, and youth advocacy.
Art has also been involved in multiple community and professional associations, including the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office Open Meeting Law Enforcement Team, the Arizona Fallen Correctional Employees Memorial Committee, and more. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Arizona.
Regina Ortega-Leonardi is a prominent figure in Globe, Arizona, known for her enthusiasm, contribution to the arts and her dedication to fostering artistic development in rural communities. As the Creative Director of
Love Where You Live, a nonprofit organization focused on placemaking, she excels at uniting communities to transform public spaces into lovable places. Regina’s journey into hope-inspired community-driven art initiatives began when she co-founded
I Art Globe in 2020, resulting in the establishment of Arizona’s
Stairizona Trail and the installation of over 60 public artworks and art events, with a combined value of over $235,000 in support of rural Arizona’s art scene.
Regina completed the highly competitive Project CENTRL training seminars—a year-long rural leadership development program through the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension.
Pats Shriver recently retired as the Regional Director overseeing the Arizona Community Foundation of Flagstaff as well as the Page/Lake Powell Community Fund, Greater Williams Community Fund, and the Tuba City Community Fund. In addition, Pats worked with the Native American Tribes on the Colorado Plateau, including the Hopi Foundation, and worked with donors throughout the White Mountains. Pats worked with donors and fundholders as well as other community partners to grow charitable assets and enhance community impact through strategic grantmaking. Pats joined the organization in 2011 as the grant’s operations coordinator for the Northern Regional and was named Northern Regional Manager in 2013.
Pats came to ACF from the Museum of Northern Arizona where she served as the Human Resources Director, Events and Trip Coordinator during her five-year tenure. She has over 20 years of experience in educational and consulting services in the Silicon Valley software industry, and holds a degree in Business Administration.
Kyung-Lim Turrell emigrated from South Korea to the United States with her family in 1972. She studied at the Pratt Institute and graduated with a BFA in drawing in 1983. Since then, she has exhibited at MoMA PS1 (New York), The Park Avenue Armory (New York), Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (Arizona) and Seoul Art Center (South Korea), among other venues. She is a recipient of awards from the Ford Foundation; the Pollock-Krasner Foundation; the New York Foundation for the Arts; and the Adolph & Esther Gottlieb Foundation.
She serves on the boards of the Turrell Art Foundation and Skystone Foundation, and lives and works in Flagstaff.
A complete list of commissioners currently serving on the Arizona Commission on the Arts can be found at https://azarts.gov/about-us/who-we-are/commissioners/.
