Spotlight on Success: John Lawler's First Year as Chief Executive Officer for P.S. ARTS

Our congratulations to John Lawler, who joined P.S. ARTS as Chief Executive Officer one year ago! At the time, we were thrilled to pair John's remarkable vision and passion for the arts and social justice with an organization that had such a distinguished history of impact. In the year since then, we have relished witnessing all that John and the P.S. ARTS team have achieved together.

With John at the helm, P.S. ARTS continues to meet its mission of advancing equity and opportunity for children and youth by providing arts education in systemically under-resourced public schools and communities—and is expanding program offerings and growing the number of people served. During his inaugural year as CEO, John led P.S. ARTS' staff and all stakeholder groups as the community envisioned and planned for its future. The result was an artfully crafted, inclusive, and ambitious three-year strategic plan, charting the path to their goals of servicing 50% more children and expanding beyond Los Angeles County. Under John's leadership, P.S. ARTS successfully established an innovative partnership with California State University, Los Angeles to pilot a Teaching Artist Certificate program that offers rigorous arts education training. This year also saw P.S. ARTS reach another milestone when they received a grant of $2.4 million—the largest single grant in the organization's history.

Seeing innovative and dynamic leaders guide exceptional organizations to reach new heights is what motivates us every day at Shelli Herman and Associates, Inc. Congratulations on an incredible first year, John; we can't wait to see what is ahead for you and P.S. ARTS!