B U S I N E S S + C U LT U R E 65 out a lot in public, especially while I had this very toxic fusion of chemotherapy that zapped my energy.” While the cancer treatments may have diminished Zaccari’s physical stamina, it energized his creativity. “Art began to take on a new meaning,” he said. “I have always had a passion for art; it is a big part of my life. During the cancer treatment, being able to go to my studio and have an important day of feeling sustained, in terms of creative energy, the art became part of my healing process.” Zaccari credits his wife, Nancy, as being the true champion through the entire cancer recovery. “We have been married 54 years, and I can honestly say we are closer now than we have ever been,” Zaccari said. “She understands what it means to me to be in my studio for six or seven hours a day.” Zaccari said had it not been for cancer he is not sure if the retrospective exhibit would have taken place. “I know that I wouldn’t have spent the time going through my old portfolios and stretching the day with something positive,” he said. “I knew that I wasn’t going to let cancer define me.” Creative Energy For Zaccari, the creative process involves more than his art. He is a nationally recognized leader in assisting institutions of higher education, corporations, and nonprofit organizations in identifying and establishing purpose driven strategic goals. He also currently works in community and regional relations with Guardian Bank. “My background in art, along with the innovative process of strategic planning both helped me through my career as a university president and brought me through a tough time battling cancer,” said Zaccari, who assisted the Turner Center for the Arts with completing its strategic plan in 2015. “I enjoy strategic planning, the process of working with a business or organization to build a plan that has some creativity and structural function. My art background allows me to help others create a vision for their organization.” Zaccari said it might seem odd for some people to understand that art and strategic planning process works to balance each other. “If you look at my bookshelf you will see books focused on anthropology, structuralism, and functionalism,” said Zaccari, who earned a Doctor of Education at Pennsylvania State University. “In graduate school, I began to look at anthropological methods in the study of the artistic process. Just like an anthropologist goes into a different culture and looks at how the people get their food, symbolism, ceremonies, all of these aspects are what an anthropologist examines. In much the same way, I look at the artistic process of people and start to pull out all these pieces. This is structuralism, and it is how I became involved with examining things the way an anthropologist views a group of people or a culture.” Zaccari said preparing for the retrospective exhibit has allowed him to not only reflect on the past, but to also look at the present and future with a more defined focus.