Postelection Analysis and Impact on the Arts at the Federal, State, and Local Levels |
About the Program–UPDATE!
A unique combination of federal, state, and local governments; private business; and the nonprofit sector provides an infrastructure for the arts that is critical to the economic vitality and cultural well being of the country and individual communities. The results of the November election present vital implications for the support of arts funding and policy at all levels of government.On November 5, 2004, Americans for the Arts President and CEO Robert L. Lynch, Vice President of Government and Public Affairs Nina Ozlu, and our entire Government Affairs team hosted an informative and interactive audioconference to discuss the election and its implications on arts funding and policy. They gave a short analysis of election results and opened the conversation up for audience participation in a question-and-answer session.
Based on this program, Americans for the Arts Action Fund has released an analysis of the impact of federal, state, and local elections on arts policy. The 2004 Election Impact on the Arts report looks at the makeup of Congress and state legislatures as well as at the outcome of 34 state and local ballot initiatives that either directly or indirectly impact the arts. While the federal election resulted in a status quo for arts policy, the state and local elections produced clear and impressive gains for the arts.
Speaker Biographies
Robert L. Lynch
President and CEO
Bob is the president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, where he has served since the organization’s inception in 1996. Previously, he was executive director of the National Assembly of Local Arts Agencies for 12 years, and managed the successful merger of that organization with the American Council for the Arts to form Americans for the Arts. Now in his 30th year of work for the arts industry, he has been motivated by his personal mission to empower communities and leaders to advance the arts and appreciation for the arts in society. He has delivered and presented more than 1,000 speeches and workshops in 49 states and eight countries for audiences ranging from Native American tribal gatherings to the U.S. Armed Forces in Europe to the President of the United States. He is currently on the boards of the Craft Emergency Relief Fund and the United Arts Organization of Washington, DC.
Nina Ozlu
Vice President of Government and Public Affairs
For more than 11 years, Nina has been Americans for the Arts’ chief lobbyist, managing all of its federal government and public affairs, grassroots advocacy work, policy development, and national coalition-building efforts with both cultural and civic organizations to advance the arts in America. Nina produces several programmatic events annually, including National Arts Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill; the Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; and the National Public Leadership in the Arts Awards, which are presented in partnership with the United States Conference of Mayors.
Nina is additionally involved in developing the organization’s strategic messages on arts policy issues that are released to Congress, the media, and the general public. In January 2002, she launched a million-dollar, multimedia public service advertising campaign in partnership with the Ad Council entitled "Art. Ask for More." The campaign is designed to increase the public’s involvement in championing arts education both in school and after school.
She is an attorney and a member of the Virginia State Bar, serving on the boards of the State Arts Advocacy League of America and the National Association of Counties' Arts and Culture Commission. Nina earned her J.D. from the University of Richmond School of Law and her B.A. from George Washington.
Government Affairs Staff
Andy Finch
Senior Director of Government Affairs
Andy serves as Americans for the Arts’ chief lobbyist on Capitol Hill and at the federal executive agencies. Prior to joining Americans for the Arts in 2003, he served as a special assistant and arts education advisor to U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley from 1999 to 2001, and as a lobbyist for the American Association of Museums from 1990 to 1999. His political experience includes a stint as legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. Michael Strang (R-CO) as well as a series of campaigns throughout the 1980s, including Elliot L. Richardson’s bid for the U.S. Senate and the presidential campaigns of Michael Dukakis and Al Gore in 1987 and 1988. Andy holds a B.A. from Brandeis University in history and classics, and a M.A. in Latin from U.C.L.A. He worked toward a Ph.D. in classical philology from U.C. Berkeley before thinking better of it.
Narric Rome
Director of Federal Affairs
Narric is responsible for promoting Americans for the Arts’ message to Congress and the Administration, with the goal of influencing public policies that advance direct and indirect support for the arts and arts education. He serves as lobbyist for a portion of Americans for the Arts’ legislative portfolio, and researches and pursues untapped federal funding opportunities. He also leads the planning for the annual Arts Advocacy Day and associated events.
Narric has 10 years of experience in the public policy and congressional arena, having most recently worked on the policy staff of Howard Dean's presidential campaign in Vermont and as a legislative aide to Secretary Riley at the U.S. Department of Education. Narric holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Vermont and a master’s in public administration from Columbia University.
Jay H. Dick
Director of State Arts Policy
Jay is responsible for building working relationships with state arts advocacy and service organizations and with state elected officials. With the mandate to influence the policies that promote state funding for and expansion of the arts, Jay works closely with the 50 State Arts Advocacy Captains and the State Arts Action Network and Council to accomplish this goal.
Prior to joining Americans for the Arts, Jay was an account manager at Capitol Advantage (Capwiz), where he was responsible for building working relations with clients to enable them to fully use their online legislative action centers to build strong grassroots advocacy programs. Previously, Jay was the manager of member advocacy at the Society for Human Resource Management, where he was responsible for overseeing activities relating to organizing and implementing initiatives and member legislative involvement.
Jay received his B.A. in political science with a concentration in American history from Grinnell College in Grinnell, IA, in 1993. He currently lives in Fairfax, VA.
Lina Garcia
Director of Local Arts Policy
Lina is responsible for working with local arts agencies, sharing information and promoting local polices that advance direct and indirect support for the arts. Lina was the press secretary for the 2004 Democratic National Convention Committee in Boston, serving as the on-the-record spokesperson for the convention. Prior to her responsibilities at DNCC, Lina was deputy communications director for the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and before that she worked for Fleishman-Hillard, an international public relations firm based out of San Francisco. She also served as press secretary for Congressman Silvestre Reyes (TX) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Lina received her bachelor’s degree in International Studies from George Washington University at Mount Vernon.
