In a press release Thursday, Sandra Gajic, president and CEO of Madison’s Overture Center for the Arts, and the Overture Center Foundation (OCF) Board of Directors announced that Edward S. Holmes, PhD. has accepted a newly created position, senior vice president of equity and innovation.
“Dr. Holmes’ former position (director of diversity and inclusion) laid the groundwork for Overture’s next steps in our response to the Racial Equity Initiative implemented in 2016,” Gajic said in a statement. “His new role expands his responsibilities to implement programs that not only shine light on the issues but also use the visual and performing arts as a bridge to understanding and communications.”
In 2014, the OCF Board was moved to action after reading the Race to Equity Report issued by the Wisconsin Council on Children & Families and created Overture’s response, the Racial Equity Initiative. Holmes was hired in August 2016 as the center’s first director of diversity and inclusion; at the time, his position was funded by a grant.
The new position was created with the Board’s Executive Committee approval of a new role in the center’s equity, diversity and inclusion portfolio with the authority to oversee the creation and implementation of an organizational framework. The new position is funded in Overture’s regular budget, Overture publicist Sarah Knab said.
Prior to joining Overture, Dr. Holmes spent 38 years in community-based and public educational programs, including ten years as Principal at Madison West High School.
“I am excited to move to the next phase of this journey at Overture in the role of senior VP of equity and innovation. It is a clear vote of confidence and deliberate message that Overture as an organization is committed to the ideals of equity, diversity and inclusion.” said Dr. Holmes. “While equity is the why and what, innovation is the how. We need to be intentional about utilizing new ideas, creative thoughts, new imaginations and methods in the application of better solutions that address both challenges and opportunities from multiple perspectives using inter-disciplinary views and resources.”
