The White House has named CAPE Chicago Executive Director Amy Rasmussen a "Champion of Change".
As a Champion of Change in arts education, Amy was invited to Washington for a "round table" policy discussion on July 19. The President's office named nine arts education Champions nationwide. The group met with representatives from the President's Office of Public Engagement and Domestic Policy office, the US Department of Education, The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, Americans for the Arts, the Arts Education Partnership and the Creative Consortium. The lively discussion included Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President, who joined in for part of the conversation. She pledged the President's support for arts education and applauded all efforts.
An impressive group of celebrities also participated as representatives of the Creative Consortium. Actors Tim Daly, Minnie Driver, Rosanna Arquette, and Omar Epps listened to discussions around a variety of arts education policy issues and pledged public support for improving and increasing arts education.
Each week the White House names a group of Champions in different policy areas, such as Rural Issues, HIV prevention, Green Energy, Immigration, Transportation and much more… The goal of the program is to recognise those who are making a difference across America. Read about the program at whitehouse.gov/champions.
In addition to participating in the meeting, the White House staff interviewed and photographed each Champion. Amy was asked to write a blog post for the whitehouse.gov website, which is now available on the site.
Amy's recognition as a Champion of Change illustrates the impact CAPE Chicago has in the arts education field across the USA.
