a letter from the executive director
Dear Friends,
As you may know, I plan to retire from my position as executive director of the Maine Humanities Council at the end of 2006. A thorough national search for a new executive director has recently been completed, and I am so very pleased to announce that the Maine Humanities Council board unanimously selected Erik Jorgensen as my successor.
Erik has served as Assistant Director of the Council since 1999, and several years before that was a member of the board. You are likely to have met Erik through his work advising applicants on their grant proposals, or testifying before the Legislature on behalf of the Cultural Affairs Council, or visiting your community library, museum, and school. If you have ever had the opportunity to meet this energetic, good-humored, wise, and creative man, you will be as confident as I that he is the right person to lead our organization into a bright future.
In this issue of the newsletter, you will find articles about many special programs being organized by the Humanities Council during our thirtieth anniversary year. The next few months will be a celebratory time for me, too, although the transition that will take place through December 31 is something quite new. I’m now what is known as a lame duck, and (with disregard for mixing metaphors!) I must confess to feeling a bit like the Cheshire Cat, who “vanished quite slowly, beginning with the end of the tail, and ending with the grin, which remained some time after the rest of it had gone.” I hope my own “grin,” prompted by many happy memories of working with a superb staff and board in a most wonderful state, will remain long after I leave this office.
With great affection for the people and institutions of Maine,
Dorothy Schwartz
Executive Director
