Emergent Arts – 2021 Board of Directors
Karen Holcomb, President +
Retired Administrative Assistant, Karen studied costume design and comparative literature at the University of Texas and worked professionally in the theater. In addition to her theater work, Karen is an artist and has performed, displayed, and dabbled in many creative areas. Her professional administrative experience and her understanding of the arts brings a valuable blend of skills to Emergent Arts. Karen is also very involved in the Hot Springs community most notably being a founder and market manager of the Spa City Food Co-op which partners with Emergent Arts as their market location.
Jean Lacefield, Treasurer +*
Retired Procurement Specialist, Jean’s professional background has focused on championing minority and women owned business as suppliers for large corporations, including PepsiCo Inc., Frito Lay Inc., and Temple University. Jean is originally from Hot Springs and has retired here to reconnect with the community. Jean also serves on the Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Hot Springs, the Gateway Neighborhood Organization, R.E.G.A.R.D. (Recognizing Everyone’s Gifts and Respecting Diversity), the United Way of the Ouachitas, and is on the Diversity Advisory Board of the Sam Walton School of Business at the University of Arkansas. Jean supports Emergent Arts as Treasurer of the Board and also serves as community liaison to the surrounding neighborhoods, churches, and African American community.
Carla Mouton, Board Member , Secretary +
Retired Educator, Carla taught history in the public school system for 33 years, 22 in Hot Springs. She has served on the Lakeside School Board since 2010 and is the current Chairperson. Carla is also the current Vice President of the Board of the Mid-America Science Museum and President of the Hot Springs Sister City Foundation. Her dedication to education and the Hot Springs community is clearly illustrated in her current service work as well as her past services on the Oaklawn Single Parent Scholarship Fund board. As a history teacher Carla incorporated art history into her curriculum as she feel that the arts are the greatest documentarians of culture. Carla joined Emergent Arts in February 2018 and will serve as an invaluable resource for expanding our educational outreach and partnerships.
Deborah Griffin, Board Member
Self Employed, Deborah has spent the last 25+ years as a graphics professional in the San Francisco Bay area with the last 10 years as Art Director for an environmentally-focused consulting firm. While in the Bay Area, she served on the board of Alameda Women Artists and Alameda Arts Center and volunteered with the Frank Bette Center for the Arts. Since returning to Arkansas she has assisted other nonprofits with her design services. Deborah joined Emergent Arts in December 2016 and will lend her talents to increasing the visibility and effectiveness of the Emergent Arts brand.
Nan Cameron, Board Member
Nan is a retired professional educator/administrator as well as a life-long theatre professional and advocate. She served the Austin, TX, ISD as a teacher of theatre, speech, street law, and a dropout recovery specialist for 26 years. Concurrently, she acted as director, lighting designer, scenic designer, treasurer, and general manager at Austin’s Theatre Unlimited. As a volunteer, she worked with Austin’s Scare for a Cure, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization raising money for cancer-related charities, as board secretary and talent coordinator for over 200 volunteers. Upon retirement, Nan worked in the private sector while living in Japan, then went back to Texas where she was on the board and was general manager of Cameron Technical Services, an enterprise networking company. After moving to Hot Springs eleven years ago, she was appointed to the Garland County Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee which lobbied for funding and building the new County Jail. For the last nine years, she has been on the Hot Springs Arts Advisory Committee. As a board member of the Hot Springs Music Festival, Nan actively supported classical music and community involvement in fine music. She also has served as a member of the Spa City Locally Grown Food Co-op and as a board member of the Hot Springs Farmers’ Market. A world traveler, Nan backpacked around the world alone four times during jaunts ranging from ten to sixteen months, and has been in over 80 countries. Joyous about life, Nan’s philosophy is, “When in doubt, throw glitter.”