News
CAT Leadership Announcement
August 3, 2017
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Jeanne Houck has been appointed as the Executive Director of the CUNY Creative Arts Team, succeeding CAT’s founder Lynda Zimmerman, who is retiring from the position after 42 years of leading CAT. Jeanne comes to CAT with 24 years of experience in development and management in the arts and culture field. With a strong background in fundraising, Jeanne’s career includes a lifelong dedication and commitment to organizations and projects that focus on the arts and social change.
On starting her work at CAT, Jeanne has said that she will “carry forward the team’s already tremendous impact in using drama to transform lives by building on existing relationships and fostering new partnerships within the CUNY community and with New Yorkers from the five boroughs, as well as national and international audiences.”
Most recently, Jeanne held the position of Director of Foundation Relations and Grants at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. Prior to that, she served as the Director of Individual Giving for the Museum. She has been a longtime board member and current chair of the board of trustees for Waterwell, a New York City theatre company with a drama education program for public middle and high school students at the Professional Performing Arts School (PPAS). In 2017, Jeanne acted as associate producer for the musical Blueprint Specials, a Waterwell production premiered as part of the Public’s Under the Radar Festival in association with the Intrepid Museum. Jeanne received her PhD in history from New York University, specializing in U.S. social, cultural and urban history.
