Dean’s Advisory Council Returns for Homecoming

New Councilmembers toured FSU’s campus. Pictured: Sara Dimmick, Nicole Crane, Barbara Heard, Lynn McWilliams

The College of Fine Arts’ Dean’s Advisory Council returned to Florida State University to meet in person for the first time since Fall 2019. Current membership includes:

Jennifer Guy-Hudson, Chair • Brett Player, Vice Chair

Blythe Adreon • Nicole Crane • Sara Dimmick • Andrea Friall • David Gilchrist • Barbara Heard • Howard Kessler • Jonathan Klepper • Cricket Mannheimer • Lynn McWilliams • Fred Salancy • Marcia D. Thornberry • Chuck Whited • Tirrell D. Whittley

“The pandemic may have derailed our ability to see each other in person, but it did not stop this amazing group of volunteer leaders from working hard on behalf of the College of Fine Arts,” said Dean James Frazier.

The Dean’s Advisory Council was first established in 2007 to advocate for the College and help communicate the aspirations, vision and goals of the College to external constituents. Members include alumni, arts professionals, community leaders, and invested supporters of the arts at FSU. In the 15 years since its founding, 55 members have served.

“The impact of this Council is remarkable. Members have spearheaded dozens of Tallahassee-based and regionally-focused events to engage alumni and friends, in addition to providing valuable advice to the Dean and his communications and development teams. What really jumped out at me is that our volunteer leaders have collectively invested more than $1.3M into the College in their lifetimes,” said Council Chair Jennifer Guy-Hudson.

One of the Council’s new initiatives draws from membership’s experience and expertise, in addition to their financial resources. Through the Council’s Student Engagement Committee, members are connecting with student leaders to provide mentorship, networking opportunities, and advice. On Friday, the two groups of volunteer leaders met over lunch and will continue to connect throughout the year.

“Meeting the accomplished individuals of the Dean’s Advisory Council was incredibly inspiring, especially as young emerging professionals. We are beyond grateful for the opportunity to lean on these professionals as we continually learn about and experience the transition from college to our various fields of interest,” said student Brittney Pieper.

While in town for their bi-annual meeting, Council members attended a performance of the School of Theatre’s fall musical Newsies, toured the Museum of Fine Arts’ exhibits A Shared Body and Napoleon at the Movies, and explored the career achievements and work of Associate Professor in Dance Donna Uchizono.

“Among other titles, Donna [Uchizono] is a Guggenheim Fellow – one of three in the College of Fine Arts. Her accomplishments are among those that we [as volunteer leaders] talk about all the time, so it was great to hear directly from her about her current work-in-progress and why she chose FSU as her academic home,” said Bret Player, Vice Chair of the Council.

The weekend was made complete with the traditions that come with Homecoming at Florida State University.

(L to R): Back Row (L to R): Dean James Frazier, Chair Jennifer Guy-Hudson, Jonathan Klepper, Nicole Crane, Barbara Heard, Blythe Adreon. Front Row (L to R): Vice Chair Brett Player, Sara Dimmick, Chuck Whited, Tirrell Whittley, David Gilchrist, Marcia Thornberry, Cricket Mannheimer, Jessica Comas