WS Chronicle

Following a national search, Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County has named Samantha Howard president and CEO. Howard has served as executive director of the Bayonne Economic Opportunity Foundation in Bayonne, New Jersey, since 2015 and will assume her new role in Winston-Salem beginning September 23, 2024.

“We conducted an extensive search that included candidates from across the country and believe that Samantha is the ideal executive to lead the Arts Council toward a very bright future,” Arts Council Board of Trustees Chair Chad Cheek said. “I want to thank the members of the search committee for working with us as we completed a methodical process of making this decision. 

“I would also like to extend thanks to Howard Upchurch, the incoming board chair, for serving as interim president and CEO of the Arts Council. We both look forward to working closely alongside Samantha to further the momentum and excitement that the Arts Council staff has created as we continue to celebrate our 75th anniversary this year.”

At the Bayonne Economic Opportunity Foundation, Howard transformed and rebranded the organization to become a high-performing agency, increased services, and met compliance standards. In addition, she implemented emerging technologies and streamlined financial donations. Howard also championed a design-thinking and evidence-based approach for the Foundation’s grantmaking and program development, securing and allocating multi-million-dollar funds for a wide range of innovative projects.

Earlier in her career, she served as director of community development for the City of Bayonne, the deputy clerk of Superior Court in Dobson, North Carolina, and a paralegal and private attorney initiative coordinator for Legal Aid of Winston Salem.

“I am passionate and results-driven with extensive experience working with nonprofit organizations like Arts Council,” Howard said. “Throughout my career, I have fostered strategic partnerships across public, private, and nonprofit sectors, including collaborations with Amazon, Costco, and United Way, to co-create and implement sustainable solutions to demonstrate my capacity to unify diverse stakeholders around common goals.

“My husband and I are thrilled to return to Winston-Salem, where we have family,” she added. “Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County is widely known and respected on a national level for its groundbreaking accomplishments, and I look forward to doing my part to assure the organization’s success and impact for many more years to come.”

A native of Mount Airy, Howard received a master of business administration degree from Centenary University in Hackettstown, New Jersey, a bachelor of science degree from Winston-Salem State University, and an associates of applied science degree from Surry Community College in Dobson.