News
NC Humanities Board Trustee Appointed to the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts
March 2022
(March 31, 2022) CHARLOTTE, N.C. – North Carolina Humanities Board Trustee Diane M. Robertson has been appointed by President Biden to serve on the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts. The announcement came from the White House on March 11, 2022.
Diane is one of 14 members to be appointed and is the only member from North Carolina.
The President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts (PACA) was established in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Members serve as representatives for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, located in Washington, D.C., and for the arts across the country.
According to a White House release, “Acting as a national network for the Center, the PACA helps to broaden the Center’s influence and extend its vision across the country. The Committee serves as a national forum, giving its members the opportunity to share with the Kennedy Center their views on the Center’s artistic programming.”
“Diane Robertson is a remarkable board trustee for North Carolina Humanities, and I am delighted that President Biden has appointed her to the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts,” said Sherry Paula Watkins, Executive Director of North Carolina Humanities.
“Diane joined North Carolina Humanities’ board in 2019 and is helping guide North Carolina Humanities with her unique perspectives, thoughtful expertise, and exemplary leadership to further enhance the cultural and civic life of North Carolinians,” Watkins continued.
“Diane M. Robertson lives in Carrboro, North Carolina where she is a proprietor of a horticultural design firm and plays an integral role in the state’s voting rights initiative. She is an award-winning documentary film producer and serves on nonprofit boards for arts and civic organizations that include the North Carolina Humanities Council Playmakers Repertory Company, East Coast Greenways, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, and the NAACP. She has committed her time and efforts to the boards of Democracy North Carolina, and the Southern Documentary Fund, where she also served as Interim Executive Director. She also served as the Director of Development for the American Dance Festival. Ms. Robertson was born in Jamaica, West Indies, and grew up in Queens, NY. She studied history at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio and pursued a graduate degree in Latin American history at Indiana University. She lived in the Rio Grande Valley, before moving to North Carolina, where she raised her family. She is motivated every day by her belief that she should leave the world a better place for her grandchildren and future generations.” – White House release
About North Carolina Humanities: Through public humanities programs and grantmaking, NC Humanities connects North Carolinians with cultural experiences that spur dialogue, deepen human connections, and inspire community. North Carolina Humanities is a statewide nonprofit and affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Learn more at www.nchumanities.org.
NC Humanities Press Contact: Melanie Moore Richeson; (704) 687-1520; mmoore@nchumanities.org