The Norman Arts Council announced Leslie Nottingham as its next executive director, succeeding Erinn Gavaghan.
Gavaghan announced her impending departure in August, just before her graduation from OU with a doctorate in art history.
According to a Norman Arts Council press release, Gavaghan plans to move to the Pacific Northwest to be closer to family and to become the executive director of The Arts Center in Corvallis, Oregon.
Gavaghan has spent 13 years as executive director of the Norman Arts Council, and her work for the arts community has included the transfer of the Norman Music Festival from the Norman Arts Council to the Norman Music Alliance. She also guided the city’s art community through the COVID-19 pandemic and advocated for funding at the state, regional and federal level.
Additionally, under Gavaghan’s jurisdiction, the Walker Arts District of downtown Norman became a certified cultural district by the Oklahoma Arts Council.
Nottingham will be moving to Norman from Ocala, Florida, where she currently serves as the city’s cultural arts manager, according to a press release.
Nottingham’s previous work had a similar set of duties to the one she is set to take on as Norman Arts Council executive director. Her education includes a bachelor's in theater from California Institute of the Arts and a master’s in history of decorative art from Corcoran College of Art and Design.
Nottingham is to begin May 1 and will shadow Gavaghan for a few weeks before fully taking over the role.
This story was edited by Shelby Emery and Karoline Leonard. Grace Rhodes copy edited this story.
