Young Audiences of Houston Appoints Deborah Lugo as Director of Arts Access Initiative

Young Audiences of Houston is pleased to announce the appointment of Deborah Lugo as the Director of the Arts Access Initiative, a collective effort to ensure equity of arts access for all children in Houston ISD's K-8 schools.

In this newly-created position, Ms. Lugo will advance and implement the Arts Access Initiative's vision, adopted by the Community Arts Team, that all children should have the opportunity to benefit cognitively, creatively, emotionally and academically through the arts.

"I believe this initiative will play a crucial role in strengthening the overall education of every student and reshape our community through the arts," Lugo said. "By experiencing the arts in a meaningful way, children will develop needed skills to become life-long learners and the creative global citizens of tomorrow."

Ms. Lugo, originally from Puerto Rico, recently returned to Houston from Princeton University, where she completed a Master in Public Policy at the Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs, and is coming to Young Audiences from Dini Spheris (formerly Dini Partners) where she served as a consultant. From 2005 to 2013, Ms. Lugo was the Executive Director of Mercury - the Orchestra Redefined.

"We are delighted to be able to engage Deborah in the exciting work developed as a result of the Community Arts Team's year-long endeavor to increase arts education across Houston for all children," Young Audiences of Houston Executive Director Mary Mettenbrink said. "In this new role, Deborah will work directly with a Steering Committee and the community of diverse arts education leaders from many community sectors in Houston towards a collective vision for Houston."

About the Arts Access Initiative - Young Audiences of Houston (with funding support from The Houston Endowment) in partnership with Houston Independent School District (Dr. Terry Grier) and the City of Houston established a Community Arts Team (CAT) committee to assess the current landscape of arts education in Houston ISD. The committee consisted of business, philanthropic, civic, education, arts and higher education leaders across the city. Houston recognizes the importance of arts education as a critical component to every child's development and in leading America's creative economy.

The Community Arts Team adopted the vision that all children should have the opportunity to benefit cognitively, creatively, emotionally, and academically through the arts. The committee assessed the current needs within HISD schools and created action steps around bridging any gaps in a sustainable and transformative way, reaching beyond schools into our community to work together in collective action.