The Studios of Key West to Enter Next Phase
Announces Leadership Transition for 2010
The Studios of Key West board of directors recently announced the appointment of Jay Scott as the organization’s next Executive Director, succeeding founding chief executive Eric Holowacz after the current program season.
Holowacz, who joined The Studios of Key West in May 2007, has announced plans to return to his home in Wellington, New Zealand in July 2010. He will work with Scott and both board and staff to ensure a smooth transition over the coming months.
“I thought it would take three to five years to build staff, programming, and a diversified funding base for The Studios,” said Holowacz, “but after our first full season things began to take shape. By the second, the organization was humming. While my mission has been accomplished, the hard part will be leaving the exciting and diverse creative community that now surrounds the Armory and its place on the island.”
Jay Scott brings years of experience to the position, having most recently served as the Executive Director of the Fleck Foundation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which granted over $2 million per year. Scott’s also had a long career as university administrator, specializing in campus programming and student affairs, at the University of Florida and The University of Wisconsin La Crosse. He also served as a trainer at the Martin Luther King Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, at the invitation of Mrs. Coretta Scott King.
Scott and his family relocated to Key West full-time last year, and immediately began volunteering and supporting the local arts scene. He began working as volunteer Development Chairman with The Studios of Key West staff in May 2009, and embraced the challenge of building business and corporate relationships for the coming season.
“Until Jay joined us, our fundraising pace was slow and deliberate,” said Holowacz. “He jumped right in, picked up the tempo, and soon had half the island joining us as friends, sponsors, and major donors. His enthusiasm, smarts, and creative soul will surely drive the organization into an even brighter future.”
The Studios of Key West board chair, Rosi Ware, expressed deep appreciation for Holowacz’s foundational tenure: “We wish Eric well as he returns home to New Zealand. In his three years at the helm, Eric has turned a nascent organization into a major player on the arts stage, building a local and national reputation for creative pursuits on the island.”
Ware also commented that existing staff and ongoing programming will not change, and the Key West community can continue to expect diverse and dynamic cultural programming from the organization.
“There is no doubt that The Studios of Key West is an amazing, extraordinary place,” said Scott, “and we’re going to keep it that way, for a long, long time.”
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