Rock Hill’s Betty Plumb retiring from S.C. Arts Alliance

After more than 30 years of advocating for the arts, Betty Plumb of Rock Hill is retiring.

Plumb, the executive director of the South Carolina Arts Alliance for 27 years, recently informed her board she will retire Sept. 1, 2016, the month she turns 70 years old.

"Seventy may be the new 50, but it's time for a new phase in life," Plumb said.

The Arts Alliance has been state’s primary private sector coalition for developing leaders to advance the arts, shape public policy for the arts and advocate for public sector support of the arts and arts education.

The alliance has successfully advocated for more funding for the South Carolina Arts Commission and for arts education initiatives within the state’s Department of Education. The alliance has also advocated for the National Endowment for the Arts, arts education programs within the U.S. Department of Education, and other arts policy issues at the national level.

The alliance continues to strengthen its efforts to ensure that students have the opportunity to experience quality arts education regardless of where their school is located or their financial circumstances, Plumb said in a press release.

In October 1989, Plumb was contracted by the alliance to establish an arts education advocacy network, as well as a network for state arts funding. In September 1991, she was contracted as project coordinator to help rural, underserved local arts agencies. On Feb. 24. 1994, the alliance Board of Directors hired her as a full-time executive director.

The alliance will conduct a nationwide search for its next leader, hoping to make an announcement by May 2016 with a start date of July 1.

Plumb is the wife of Terry Plumb, former editor of The Herald.

This story was originally published December 11, 2015 at 1:42 PM with the headline "Rock Hill’s Betty Plumb retiring from S.C. Arts Alliance."