By Peter E. Leggett, Walker West Music Academy

This October, Walker West welcomed five new members to the Walker West Music Academy Board of Directors.

• Greg Finzell – Rondo Community Land Trust
• Harold Minor – Wilder Foundation
• Dameun Strange – Bush Foundation
• Nesret Shu-Ankh Theba – Kingfield Dental
• Karen Welle – Minnesota Dept. of Health

With these five new members, the Walker West Board is now 18 members strong.

The expansion of the Board comes at a pivotal time for Walker West Music Academy. With the move to the organization’s new facility at 760 Selby Avenue in June 2014, the Academy is poised to enter a new era for the organization. The Academy adopted a two-year strategic plan in 2014. The plan focuses on four core pillars that are critical to the Academy’s continued success.

The first pillar is the improvement of programming which will be done through the implementation of the Youth Program Quality Assessment (YPQA) tool. The second pillar is the enhancement of the Academy’s administrative infrastructure through the expansion of staffing to include a full-time development director.

The third pillar is the installation of interior and exterior artwork at the Academy’s new facility which will help welcome a broader base of supporters to Walker West. The fourth and final pillar is the increase in fundraising capacity through the work of a Development Committee of the Board.

The five new board members bring with them a vast array of professional backgrounds, significant access to new supporters, and critical skill sets that will ensure a healthy future for Walker West.