Beck Center for the Arts Board Selects New Chair-Elect, Mary Kim Elkins

Beck Center for the Arts is pleased to announce the election of board member Mary Kim Elkins as the chair-elect of its board of directors.

The position of chair-elect was created to help ensure a smooth leadership transition over the next few months in preparation for Elkins to succeed the current board chair, Frederick Unger, who has been board chair since 2005 and will continue to serve as a member of Beck Center's board.

"I believe the Beck Center is one of the most important arts organizations serving Northeast Ohio and especially valued by those who live in Cleveland's West Shore communities," says Elkins. "Under Mr. Unger's leadership, the Beck Center board and staff and its financial condition have strengthened significantly. I look forward to building on this foundation and positioning the Beck Center to benefit from future growth in exciting professional theater and expanded arts education programming."

Elkins, vice president, Operational Tax Strategy for Eaton Corporation, has a strong arts performance background. Winner of several solo dance competition awards while in high school and college, she studied classical ballet for 16 years at Carole Ogg Dance Studios in Mt. Vernon, OH, BalletMet's in Columbus, and New York's Joffrey Ballet School, and was a member and president of the Troy University Dancers. She instructed classical ballet for five years at Carole Ogg Dance Studios and has volunteered to choreograph various dance routines for Ohio's Junior Miss Scholarship Program and the Mt. Vernon Players amateur summer theatre productions.

A graduate of Troy University and Capital University Law School, Elkins is a member of the Ohio Bar Association, Ohio Society of Certified Public Accountants, American Bar Association, and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

"The Beck board of directors is proud of the progress we have made in upgrading the managerial competence and volunteer leadership of the organization. We are confident that in Mary Kim Elkins, we have chosen a person whose skills, passion for the arts, and commitment to quality programming make her uniquely qualified to provide the leadership needed to achieve the organization's goals," says Unger. "I've enjoyed serving as chairman of the board and look forward to continuing my Beck board involvement and heading up strategic planning."

"Mary Kim Elkins and Fred Unger are key leaders in the community, and the Beck Center is well-positioned for the future thanks to their commitment to the organization," says Beck President & CEO Lucinda Einhouse. "We are especially thankful that the Eaton Corporation has continued its longstanding commitment to the Beck Center through our board leadership."

Beck Center for the Arts is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization that offers professional Theater Productions on two stages, arts education programming in dance, music, theater, visual arts, early childhood, and arts therapies for special needs students, and gallery exhibitions featuring regional artists.

For more information on the Beck Center for the Arts, visit online at www.beckcenter.org.

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