Professional leadership for fine arts education.

Dear TFAA Members and Colleagues,

It is a profound honor to step into the role of President for the Texas Fine Arts Administrators. As I begin this journey, I am struck by the incredible foundation laid by our past presidents and previous boards. Their vision, coupled with the tireless dedication of our membership as a whole, has transformed TFAA into the thriving professional home it is today.

We are entering a transformative era. The Board will continue gathering input across the organization to empower our members with top-tier information and support services. As the Texas public education landscape evolves, we remain a steadfast resource, helping every member adapt and respond to the unique needs of their district and community.

As we look toward the future, our initiatives are focused on elevation and connection. We are committed to expanding sponsorship support to create more revenue for the organization, which allows us to reinvest in you. We are also working to expand our Cohort opportunities as we examine other sub-groups that may have specific needs not yet addressed. Our mission remains rooted in supporting arts advocacy across our state and empowering school leaders—especially those who may not have an arts background—to directly support and champion their arts educators.

By strengthening our partnerships with state and national arts organizations, we can better communicate, educate, and advocate for our students and staff. We aim to be a space for sharing ideas and concepts that further excellence in the arts at all levels. Most importantly, TFAA serves as the unifying agent for all our distinct strands—Art, Band, Choir, Dance, Elementary Music, Mariachi, Orchestra, and Theatre. By bringing these voices together, we create a powerful, singular force for arts education and advocacy for Texas and beyond.

In the busy rush of administration, I want to ask you to take a moment and think back to when you were an arts educator in the classroom. Why did you love what you were doing? What helped you create excellence in your specific space? What did you need or even expect from your administrators back then? As we reflect on those answers, we find the roadmap for our current work. How can we continue to strengthen each other so that our collective knowledge and voices impact every child and every district across Texas?

I encourage each of you to reach out to the TFAA board members who serve you whenever you have ideas, questions, or concerns. I also invite you to volunteer your time, knowledge, and unique talents to serve this organization. We are at our best when we lean on one another. None of us has to know it all, but we do need to seek out the answers and knowledge together to better support our students, staff, and communities. Let's find mentorship in each other and continue to build something extraordinary.