Six New Members Join Roster Of Region's Only Privately-Supported United Arts Fund

The Arts and Education Council (A&E) announced today that C. Brendan Johnson, partner at Bryan Cave, LLP, has been elected as the nonprofit's new Board Chair. Johnson previously served as A&E board vice chair since 2016. A&E also announced six new board members: Mark C. Anderson, president, MCA Consulting; Sara Burke, founder, The City Studio Dance Center; Ken Haller, M.D., professor of pediatrics, Saint Louis University; Gordon Myers, senior vice president, U.S. Bank; Kit Sundararaman, principal, Edward Jones; and Paul Ziegler, J.D., executive director, EducationPlus.

With the exception of Sundararaman, their terms of service began at the nonprofit's annual board meeting on January 18. Sundararaman's term began in November 2017 with the departure of former board member Eric Koestner. Newly-elected Young Friends of the Arts President Adam Stanley, financial advisor at Edward Jones, will also be joining the board as an ex officio member.

"We are thrilled to welcome Brendan as our new Board Chair. Under his leadership and with these new board members, A&E is positioned to better serve our dynamic community in the 21st century and enhance the ripple effect of the arts across the bi-state region, " said Cynthia A. Prost, A&E president and CEO.

"I am honored to serve as Board Chair of the Arts and Education Council, an organization that recognizes and supports the power of the arts in our community," said Brendan Johnson, A&E Board Chair. "As chair, I welcome these community leaders to our board. They join a dedicated group of individuals who are committed to A&E's vision of shaping a vibrant arts community for all."

Mark C. Anderson, president of MCA Consulting, is a business, technology and management consultant. He is a progressive, results-focused, senior executive that enjoys bringing people and life-changing technology together through leadership, collaboration and strong team engagement. Anderson is an active arts participant enjoying Jazz St. Louis (an A&E grantee) and other organizations supported by A&E.

Sara Burke, founder of The City Studio Dance Center, served as a commissioner of the Regional Arts Commission for 15 years. She is a longtime board member of The Diversity Awareness Partnership. Burke and her husband, Jack, founded the Katherine Dunham Fellowship, a program A&E now manages that aims to create a more diverse pipeline of arts leadership.

Ken Haller, M.D. is a pediatrician and professor at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Division of General Academic Pediatrics. In his spare time, he is a cabaret singer and director. Dr. Haller, a Renaissance man whose talents go beyond medicine to theater, music, teaching and activism, has created five original, critically acclaimed cabaret shows, the first of which focuses on the music of composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim.

Gordon Myers is a senior vice president at U.S. Bank with a passion for the arts and community involvement.

Adam Stanley is a life-long musician who performed professionally for a decade prior to his career as a financial advisor at Edward Jones, where he joined the planning committee for A&E's annual workplace giving campaign. As president of A&E's Young Friends of the Arts, Stanley is committed to engaging other young professionals in the region who want to support and explore the arts.

Kit Sundararaman serves as principal of client insights and client experience strategy at Edward Jones. Previous experience includes roles at Express Scripts, Anheuser-Busch, CSC Consulting and Andersen Consulting. Sundararaman led the record-breaking 2018 Edward Jones workplace giving campaign for A&E as Partner Chair.

Paul Ziegler, J.D., executive director of EducationPlus, has more than 20 years of experience serving area public schools. His school administrative experience has been primarily in the Northwest R-1 School District and Dr. Ziegler was an assistant school principal and teacher in the Francis Howell School District. He also holds a law degree from Saint Louis University and worked for two years as a legal counselor at Tueth, Keeney, Cooper, Mohan & Jackstadt P.C. He additionally serves on the Boards for SSM's St. Clare Hospital, Vantage Credit Union and on the MSD Rate Commission.

For more information about the Arts and Education Council and a complete board listing, visit KeepArtHappening.org.

About the Arts and Education Council: The Ripple Effect of the Arts. - The Arts and Education Council (A&E), is the St. Louis region's United Arts Fund providing financial, technical and educational support for arts organizations. A&E's mission is to build appreciation, participation and support for arts and arts education throughout the St. Louis community. A&E is the only privately funded arts umbrella organization that serves the 16-county, bi-state St. Louis region. A&E builds a thriving arts community and impacts millions of people through multi-faceted programs, including: Operating and Project Grants; Arts Education Grants for Teachers; Arts Incubation at the Centene Center for the Arts; a Catalyst Innovation Lab; a stARTup Competition for Arts Entrepreneurs; Katherine Dunham Fellowship; Art Education Fund; stARTup-StL Crowdfunding Platform; Arts Leadership Management Academy (ALMA); Executive Directors Roundtable; Arts Marketers Professional Development; the Annual St. Louis Arts Awards; and Young Friends of the Arts.

Since its inception in 1963, the Arts and Education Council has raised and distributed more than $100 million in private funding for the arts - a significant contribution that directly impacts the quality of life in our region. A&E meets all 20 Better Business Bureau Charity Standards and has earned the Wise Giving Seal of Approval, a three-star rating from Charity Navigator and a Guidestar Exchange Silver Participant rating.

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