Cleveland, OH – Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne submitted to County Council today two nominations for service on the Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) Board of Trustees. Pending County Council approval, Karolyn Isenhart will be reappointed and Leonard DiCosimo will be appointed to serve three-year terms ending in March 2027.
The County also announced Gina Vernaci will join the CAC Board of Trustees, pending future nomination and Council approval. She will replace CAC Board President, Nancy Mendez, who will serve until replaced. CAC’s Board of Trustees will nominate and approve a slate of 2024 officers at its upcoming (April 17) annual meeting.
“It is an honor to serve on the Board of Cuyahoga Arts & Culture,” said Nancy Mendez, president of the CAC Board of Trustees. “I have the utmost confidence in this agency, and I am proud of what we have accomplished in recent years, even though it has been difficult at times,” she said. “CAC’s public investment in our arts nonprofits must continue, and I urge our arts community to use their passion to bring people together and help CAC continue its important work. I thank the County Executive and Council for their support of CAC.”
About Cuyahoga Arts & Culture Board of Trustees
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) is a regional arts and cultural district and an independent political subdivision of the state; it is not part of City or Cuyahoga County government. Established by voters in 2006, CAC is the largest arts and culture funder in the region. To date CAC has made over 4,000 grants, totaling over $246M in tax dollars, to more than 480 nonprofit organizations serving County residents. CAC can only make grants to nonprofits.
CAC is authorized in the Ohio Revised Code, chapter 3381. It is governed by a board of trustees comprised of five members who, as a matter of historical practice, have been nominated by the County Executive and then appointed by County Council as required by statute.
ORC 3381.05 outlines the qualifications for the Board of Trustees as a set of persons who:
- Have broad knowledge and experience in the arts or cultural heritage;
- At least two members shall be persons who devote a major portion of their time to practicing, performing, or teaching any of the arts or who are professional administrators in any field of the arts or cultural heritage;
- Shall be qualified electors in Cuyahoga County.
As outlined by Ohio Revised Code, Cuyahoga Arts & Culture exists to provide grants to nonprofit organizations in Cuyahoga County that meet the definition of arts or cultural heritage which includes, but is not limited to, literature, theater, music, dance, ballet, painting, sculpture, photography, motion pictures, architecture, archaeology, history, natural history, or the natural sciences.
Cuyahoga Arts & Culture (CAC) is a regional arts and cultural district and a political subdivision of the State of Ohio. Established by voters in 2006, CAC is the largest public arts and culture funder in the region. To date CAC has made over 4,000 grants, totaling over $246M in tax dollars, to more than 485 nonprofit organizations serving County residents.
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About the author
CAC Staff