Following a thorough regional and national search, the Board of Directors of COPPeR, the Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region, is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew (Andy) Vick as Executive Director, starting February 1, 2014. Andy will be moving from Western Maryland, where he has served as the Executive Director of the Allegany Arts Council since 2003.
During his tenure as Executive Director of the Allegany Arts Council, Andy served as a regional and statewide leader in the arts, serving as the Chairman of the Canal Place Preservation and Development Authority (the State of Maryland’s first certified heritage area), as well as on the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Rotary Club of Cumberland Board of Directors, the Cumberland Downtown Development Commission, and as the Coordinator of the two Arts & Entertainment Districts in Downtown Cumberland and Downtown Frostburg. At the state level, Andy served on the Board of Trustees for Maryland Citizens for the Arts, and was a gubernatorial appointment to the Maryland Tourism Development Board. Andy Vick was born and raised in the Chicago area and is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to his work with the Allegany Arts Council, he worked in businesses in Washington D.C. as a Marketing Director and as a Manager of Human Resources. Later, along with his wife, Beth Piver — a graphic and visual artist — he ran a high-end craft business, Beth Piver Designs.
“I am thrilled to know that Andy will be taking the reigns at COPPeR,” said Christina McGrath. “Our community is poised for growth and development and Andy will help by bringing national best practices and a fresh perspective to COPPeR and our already vibrant arts community.”
“Andy not only has a deep passion for arts but a proven track record of using the arts as a tool for economic development and community revitalization,” said Jenny Stafford, board chair of COPPeR. “We have great confidence in Andy’s ability to help our community grow our rich cultural and artistic resources and expand COPPeR’s mission of connecting residents and visitors to arts and culture to enrich the Pikes Peak region.”
Andy and Beth are excited to move to Colorado Springs; for Beth, it is a homecoming, as she lived in Colorado Springs as a teenager for several years. Andy says, “I am excited to join COPPeR and the Colorado Springs community. I see nothing but opportunity for this community in terms of engaging and expanding audiences and cultural resources. I look forward to working with businesses and civic leaders to grow this community’s support of arts and culture, and in turn, help to grow arts and cultural organizations’ economic impact in the community.”
