President & CEO Marsha Dobrzynski to Retire Summer 2021
DOBRZYNSKI LEAVING STRONG FOUNDATION FOR NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERSHIP
CLEVELAND, Ohio (February 23, 2021) – After 27 years of devoted service as President and CEO of the Center for Arts-Inspired Learning (CAL), Marsha Dobrzynski, a resident of Cleveland Heights, is set to retire in the summer of 2021.
“It has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my life; second, of course, to my family,” says Dobrzynski about her leadership at CAL. Dobrzynski extends her thanks to the CAL Board of Directors, the staff, and the artists for supporting the vision to bring the creativity and joy of the arts to students and families.
Board Chair Jeanne Shatten expresses gratitude for Dobrzynski’s exemplary leadership. “Through years of organizational change and growth, she has kept a focus on the heart of what is most important: supporting and inspiring our youth to engage, learn, and grow through the arts.”
Pointing to Dobrzynski’s wonderful talent for finding community partnership and collaboration opportunities, Shatten elaborates, “With great success, Marsha has grown our programming from the classroom to recreation centers, libraries, universities, and beyond. It has been an honor to serve on the board and learn from Marsha about the region’s arts community and what is possible for our youth through the arts.”
Dobrzynski reminisces about some of the many opportunities CAL has been part of under her leadership: ArtWorks, Cleveland High School for Digital Arts, the name-change to Center for Arts-Inspired Learning, and the opening of the Studio 105 Community Arts Center at the Glenville Arts Campus. During Dobrzynski’s 27 years leading the organization, CAL has made a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of youths in Northeast Ohio. Futures have been changed.
“We are so very appreciative of Marsha’s legacy,” says Shatten. “She leaves a strong foundation at CAL for the next generation of leadership.”
To honor Marsha and to sustain her legacy, all are invited to join in establishing an endowed fund that will ensure that CAL’s youth programming, including ArtWorks, will have the resources to grow for many years to come. The Fund will be housed at The Cleveland Foundation alongside CAL’s existing endowment and under the direction of the Board of Trustees. Click here to contribute to the Marsha Dobrzynski Tribute Fund. Your participation will be a deeply meaningful message of gratitude to Marsha as she prepares to complete her distinguished tenure.
About the Center for Arts-Inspired Learning
Currently in its 68th year, with the mission to ignite student learning, creativity, and success through the arts, CAL, an affiliate of the Young Audiences Arts for Learning Network, uses the arts as an imaginative and engaging vehicle for promoting a deeper understanding of academic subjects, advancing social-emotional learning, and building students’ 21st century skillsets. Offering thousands of customizable programs across disciplines including visual arts, digital arts, literary arts, theater, music and dance, CAL’s programming expanded in 2020 to include virtual offerings. Responding swiftly to stay-at-home orders, remote schooling, and the changing needs of students, CAL teaching artists reimagined their programs to engage students through both live and pre-recorded virtual formats. Among these are:
ArtWorks: Arts and technology college and career readiness program building youth apprentices’ 21st century skillsets
In-school: Short-term workshops integrating arts into a standards-based curriculum
Residencies: Extended-term workshops focusing on students’ physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development
Afterschool: Arts programming providing students extended day learning
Play It Forward! ® Cleveland: Free lessons and musical instruments for students
Academic Learning Pod: Students receive support with school assignments, engage in structured arts activities, and participate in safe, socially-distanced peer interaction while schools are remote. Technology and lunches are also provided.
In fiscal year 2020, CAL delivered 5,662 programs at 190 venues reaching 111,281 students including 405 virtual programs after schools shut down in March.