Laura Riding Jackson Foundation has named Louise Kennedy to its newly created position of executive director, which becomes effective July 5, 2020.
“After completing a milestone move of the Laura Riding Jackson historic home to its new location on the Mueller campus on Indian River State College, we felt it is time to step up our Foundation initiatives and enhance what we can provide to our community,” said Marie Stiefel, President of Laura Riding Jackson Foundation. “Once our Board made the decision to create this new position to lead us in the coming years, Louise Kennedy was a natural choice.”
Ms. Kennedy will continue her post at Saint Edwards School through the end of the school year. She has served Saint Edward’s School for well over a decade as a teaching professional and full-time teacher where her innovation, creativity, and acumen as a teacher inspired many students during her career.
“Education is my passion. I have had the privilege of working with students at Saint Edwards School in my day job for thirteen years and with students from all over the county in my work as a volunteer at LRJF. I’m excited to bring my experience and my love of the legacy of Laura together to help build community in Indian River County through writing,” said Ms. Kennedy.
Recently Ms. Kennedy was recognized with a Richardson Fellowship award for teaching and has completed her own TEDx Talk “Empathy and Education.”
Her relationship with LRJF began as a volunteer when she was only fifteen but she has played a key role in LRJF Teen Writers Workshops over the past seven years and she joined LRJF Board four years ago where she showed her exceptional leadership and strategic abilities.
Ms. Kennedy will step off the LRJF Board as she begins her new position on July 5, 2020, as LRJF executive director.
LRJF mission is to preserve the historic home of poet and critic Laura (Riding) Jackson, LRJF not only maintains the author’s home but seeks to honor LRJ’s legacy by creating a center to advance the literary arts in Vero Beach.
The Laura (Riding) Jackson Foundation Writing Center at 1914 14th Ave., Vero Beach, provides a gathering place for writers by offering teen and adult writers workshops, programs like Teens Listen, ongoing weekly Tuesday writers groups and community wide events such as an annual Poetry BBQ and monthly “Celebrate a Local Author” during Friday Art Stroll.
Visit www.lauraridingjackson.org or call 772-569-6718.