The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council Announces New Board Leadership
The Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council is pleased to announce its 2024-2025 Board Officers and four new Directors to the Board.
Beth Bershok, Chief Marketing Officer at CPA firm Louis Plung & Company, has been named Board Chair of the Arts Council. Beth has served on the Board since 2018 and was previously the Chair of the Marketing & Development Committee.
Prior to her career in professional services marketing, she earned a degree in Speech Communications from California University of Pennsylvania (now PennWest California) and went on to a 26-year career in radio. From 1990 to 2008, Bershok served as co-host and producer of “Gary & Beth in the Morning” on Lite Rock 92.9 FM.
“The importance of the arts in the Pittsburgh region cannot be underestimated,” says Bershok. “At the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council, we’re about to embark on a new five-year strategic plan, and as we reimagine our role in the Pittsburgh arts ecosystem, I’m honored to work alongside the rest of our incredible Board and staff.”
Bershok replaces former Board Chair Dr. Veronica Morgan Lee, Director of Fund Development at Hill Dance Academy Theatre, who served as a Board member since 2014, and as Board Chair since 2021. The Arts Council is grateful for Morgan-Lee’s service and is pleased to announce she will remain on the Board of Directors. As Immediate Past Board Chair, Morgan-Lee will also continue to serve on the Executive Committee.
The new Vice Chair of the Board is J. Thomas Agnew III, co-founder of BOOM Concepts, a co-working and community arts space in Pittsburgh, and former editor in chief of JENESIS Magazine, a media outlet focusing on youth culture lifestyle and young creative entrepreneurs.
“As the newly appointed Executive Vice Chair, I want to make sure that the Arts Council sticks to its core values, supports the communities we say we represent, and delivers the resources and tools that will help the arts ecosystem succeed,” says Agnew. “Our organization can only be as good as the work we deliver to the arts community and I am happy to lead and work in any capacity on this Board.”
Originally from Fremont, OH, Agnew completed his B.A. in Graphic Design at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. His passion is “to create forums of expression to represent and build up underrepresented voices in media, entrepreneurship, and art businesses.” Agnew is known for his track record of early start-up mentorship, design and marketing, operations management, and content creation/management targeted to young adult audiences.
Monteze Freeland has also been named an Officer of the Board, serving in the role of Secretary. Originally from Baltimore, Freeland is a multi-disciplinary artist and is the current Co-Artistic Director of City Theatre Company. In 2021, he was named City Paper’s Person of the Year for Theater. Freeland was also previously named Performer of the Year in 2017 by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Robert Rak continues to serve as Treasurer, a role he accepted in November 2023. Rak is the Managing Director of the Pittsburgh Opera, and previously served as their Director of Finance and Administration.
“For the first time in the organization’s history, one half of Officer positions of the Arts Council’s Board of Directors are held by People of the Global Majority. This is particularly exciting as the Arts Council recently adopted a bold strategic plan, and diverse perspectives will help ensure we remain diligent to the findings brought forth by Workhorse Collaborative and Shannon Parris Consulting and that we are successful in implementing their recommendations,” says Arts Council CEO Patrick Fisher. “I’m thankful for the leadership of Beth, Thomas, Monteze, Robert, and Veronica, and look forward to working with each of them as members of the Executive Committee.”
As a 501(c)(3), the Arts Council is governed by its Board of Directors. Each Director serves a term of three years and they are eligible to serve two consecutive terms. Directors have a legal obligation to act in the best interests of the Arts Council and they work collaboratively to steer the organization towards a sustainable future by adopting sound, ethical, and legal governance and financial management policies. The Board also works alongside the CEO and staff to make sure the Arts Council has adequate resources to advance its mission.
Effective July 1, 2024, new Directors at Large of the Arts Council’s Board include:
Jeanine McCreary
President, The McCreary Group
Nicholas Ng
Banker, JP Morgan Private Bank
Nayli Russo-Long, PharmD, MBA
Vice President, People & Strategy, Pittsburgh Pirates
Michael E. Sawyer, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of African American Literature & Culture, Director of Graduate Program for Cultural Studies, University of Pittsburgh
They join fellow Directors at Large:
Rob Hippert
Surety Manager & Account Executive, Henderson Brothers Inc.Olivia Lammel
Senior Communications Manager, PNC Financial Services GroupElsa Limbach
Dance Educator and Community VolunteerRichard Parsakian
Owner, Eons Fashion AntiqueJack Tomayko
President & CEO, The Tomayko GroupSusan Tsu
Bessie F. Anathan University Professor, Carnegie Mellon University
The staff and Board thank Michael Wessell, Clayton Merrell, and John Bonaccorsi, all of whom concluded their terms as Directors on June 30, 2024.
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