NORWICH – The Chenango Arts Council, Norwich, announces that Diane Batson-Smith will join the Council as Executive Director effective July 1st.

With the planned departure of long-time Executive Director Victoria Calvert Kappel announced last January, the Board of Directors embarked upon a 5 month local and national search for her replacement.

Diane Batson-Smith has enjoyed a varied career in the arts starting with her formation of a repertory company in Roanoke, Virginia, to receiving a variety of Emmys and Academy Awards for Hollywood motion picture studios, and as an independent film producer. She was the Senior Producer and Project Supervisor for Dreamworks SKG, a Project Director and Producer for Home Box Office, a studio executive for Walt Disney Productions, and a Co-Producer for Paramount Pictures.

Prior to joining the Chenango Arts Council, Diane held many positions at arts organizations in New York City. As the Executive Director for Kennedy Center Honoree Martina Arroyo’s foundation, she managed strategic planning, fundraising, and accelerated the foundation’s financial capacity to twice its original size. As the manager of season sales and patron giving for Carnegie Hall, American Ballet Theatre, NY Philharmonic, and Jazz at Lincoln Center, she increased overall donations by more than twenty percent annually.