Donna McNeil is responsible for overseeing the cultural well being of the State of Maine through support for artists and arts organizations via advocacy, grants, and professional development. She joined the Maine Arts Commission in 2003 as Contemporary Art and Public Art Associate, became Assistant Director and Executive Director before assuming her current post. She serves as State Captain for the Americans for the Arts and on the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies Governance Committee. She has served as a juror for the National Endowment for the Arts, Baker Artist Awards, St Botolph Awards, MacArthur Foundation and worked extensively with Creative Capital Foundation. She is an active lobbyist for the arts in Maine and Washington DC. She holds a BFA in Painting from Syracuse University, an MLA in Art History from Harvard University, a certificate from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government for executives in state and local government and an honorary Doctorate in Fine Arts from the Maine College of Art. Donna has devoted a lifetime to the arts in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, holding directorial and curatorial positions in galleries, museums and the performing arts.
