HAGERSTOWN, Md. — Nicole Abuhamada has been selected as the new executive director of the Washington County Arts Council, the council board of directors announced.
Abuhamada is an interdisciplinary artist and has worked as a gallery manager for Doug Zaruba in Downtown Hagerstown and a creative arts program manager for MADE by Itineris in Baltimore. She expressed exciting ideas for new initiatives to help WCAC grow in new directions, expand its footprint in the community and strengthen support for community artists, arts council board members said.
Abuhamada will replace retiring Executive Director Mary Anne Burke. Burke’s passion for the arts and her dedication to fostering creativity and nurturing local artists have driven the arts community forward, board members said. Her legacy will be tough to follow, they added, but her spirit of encouragement and commitment to growth will continue.
The search committee was impressed by Abuhamada’s energy and the types of activities she had initiated in the past to foster growth in the arts community. Her ideas for expanding e-commerce and online presence and her demonstrated ability to forge partnerships with other organizations and
relationships with artists were crucial factors for the committee, board members continued.
WCAC received a great deal of interest in the executive director position and engaged in a
vetting process to determine which candidates seemed to have the combination of business
management and arts experience required for this position. After a two-round interview process, the screening committee recommended and the board concurred with Abuhamada’s selection. She will begin her new position on Aug. 26.
