Maryland State Arts Councilors
The Maryland State Arts Council comprises an appointed body of 17 citizens from across the state, 13 of whom are named by the Governor to three-year terms that may be renewed once. Two private citizens and two legislators are appointed by the President of the Senate and by the Speaker of the House. Maryland's nonprofit arts organizations benefit from the expertise of this diverse group of leaders that drive the strategic direction of MSAC programs and funding.
John (Jack) Rasmussen
ChairMontgomery CountyA native of Seattle, Jack Rasmussen earned his BA in Art from Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA, before moving to Washington, DC, and completing an MFA in Painting, MA in Arts Management, and MA and PhD in Anthropology at American University. He worked in the Education Department of the National Gallery of Art before becoming the Assistant Director of the Washington... Read More
Julie Madden
Vice ChairHoward CountyJulia (Julie) Madden is a lifelong arts activist and supporter who, in addition to the Maryland State Arts Council serves on the boards of the Maryland Citizens for the Arts, the Maryland Humanities, the Commission on Artistic Property, the Maryland Historical Society, the World War 1 Centennial Commission, as well as the Walters Art Museum and Baltimore Museum of Art (... Read More
Carole Alexander
Anne Arundel CountyCarole Alexander is a resident of Annapolis, Maryland and formerly of Prince George’s County. She has been active in arts advocacy for the last twenty years. She is an independent consultant specializing in creative special events, marketing, fundraising and community outreach. Carole attributes her professional successes to serving with creative people on numerous boards, including the... Read More
Shelley Morhaim
Baltimore CountyShelley Morhaim was appointed to the Maryland State Arts Council in July 2013. She is a writer and filmmaker. Among her credits are the award-winning documentary The Next Industrial Revolution and the Arts Education in Maryland Schools (AEMS) film Hard Fun: Transforming American Education Through the Arts. Morhaim has served on the boards of the Baltimore Jewish Council, the... Read More
Carla Du Pree
Howard CountyCarla Du Pree is the Executive Director of CityLit Baltimore. Carla is a fiction writer, literary consultant, state arts ambassador, and speaker.
In 2012 she was appointed to the Maryland State Arts Council (MSAC) and serves as the Chair of the Diversity Outreach Committee. She’s currently on the One Maryland One Book Selection Committee, and has served as a county and state judge for... Read More
Senator Ronald Young
Frederick CountyFirst elected to the Senate in 2010. Member of the Senate since 2011.
Current Assignments:
2019 Chair, Executive Nominations Committee
2011- Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee
2019 Chair, Environment Subcommittee of the Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee
Previous Elected Office:
Mayor, City of Frederick, 1974-... Read More
Joan M.G. Lyon
Garrett CountyJoan Lyon is an active supporter of the arts; she is a member of the Garrett County Arts Council and is currently serving her second term as President of its Board of Directors. Lyon also volunteers as a ceramics assistant/mentor in the Art Department at Garrett College.
Zoë Charlton
Baltimore CityZoë Charlton received her MFA degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Her work has been included in national and international exhibitions including the Harvey B. Gantt Center (Charlotte, NC, 2015), Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (Bentonville, AR, 2014), Studio Museum of Harlem (NYC, NY, 2012), Contemporary Art Museum (Houston, TX, 2000), the Zacheta National Gallery of Art (... Read More
Lily Bengfort
Queen Anne's CountyLily Bengfort is an award winning entrepreneur who has co-founded and built two successful firms, both of which were acquired by larger companies. Lily attributes her entrepreneurial successes to innovative and creative partners in business and colleagues on numerous Boards. Currently, Lily is President of UAS Safeflight Inc, a company developing communications technologies for Unmanned... Read More
Jacqueline Copeland
Baltimore CountyJacqueline Copeland has a lifelong passion for art, culture and history. Copeland has served as a senior museum professional for nearly 30 years at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, MN and the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD, where she worked for 15 years. At the Walters where she served as Director of Education and Deputy Director of Audience Engagement, she led the Education Division... Read More
Timothy L. App
Baltimore CityTimothy App received a BFA from Kent State University and an MFA from Tyler School of Art. He has taught painting and drawing at MICA since 1990 at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He is a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship in painting and an individual artist's grant from the Maryland State Arts Council. In addition to his painting and teaching, he has... Read More
Sumita Kim
Montgomery CountySumita Kim, an artist and Professor of Art at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland, was born in Gwang-ju, South Korea. Growing up in Seoul with artist and journalist parents, she developed a deep appreciation for the power of art and language at an early age.
After earning a B.A. in English Literature from Sogang University in Seoul, she came to the United... Read More
Benny Russell
Harford CountyBorn February 21, 1958 in Baltimore, Maryland, Russell started clarinet lessons at age 7 under the instruction of Mr. James H. Holliman.
At 12 he began playing tenor. And by the time he was 15, sitting in with the Morgan State bands, Russell was playing tenor, alto and soprano saxophones as well as clarinet, bass clarinet and flute. 1976 was the year he became a... Read More
John Schratwieser
Kent CountyJohn Schratwieser is the Director of the Kent County Arts Council in Chestertown, Maryland. From 2010 through May 2017, John served as the Director of Maryland Citizens for the Arts, working to secure public funding for the arts (in the form of the budget of the Maryland State Arts Council) in Maryland. During his tenure he helped raise state funding from $13.2 million to $22.7 million... Read More