Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 7264 S G M A G A Z I N E | FA L L 2 0 1 6 B U S I N E S S + C U LT U R E 65 The Lowndes/Valdosta Arts Commission Inc. (LVAC) has served as a cohesive promoter of the arts for more than 50 years. Today, the Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts represents a place that inspires both artists and art enthusiasts. Standing as the symbol of influence and inspiration for cultural arts within the region, the 17,000-square-foot facility houses six galleries, two classrooms, meeting space, a gift shop, and an art studio. Members of the LVAC Board of Directors are responsible for overseeing the general policies and procedures of the Turner Center, as well as ensuring its continued growth and success. In 2014, the LVAC board embarked on a journey that would create a strategic plan to take the organization to a new level of excellence in presenting the arts in various forms to citizens throughout the region. “The benefits of our strategic plan are that now we know where we are going and have a plan to get there,” said Gail Hobgood, past-president of the LVAC Board of Directors. “It opens up new opportunities to partner with businesses and other organizations as well as making us attractive to the various agencies that offer grant opportunities. Also, this strategic plan allows us to better serve the needs of our community.” A Strategic Planning Task Force was appointed, comprised of selected board members and Turner Center staff with expertise in strategic planning and management. Task force members were introduced to Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats method of strategic planning, which is focused on a parallel thought process that encourages participants to be more productive, focused, and mindfully engaged. Dr. Ronald M. Zaccari, an LVAC board member, served as chairman of the 10-member strategic planning task force. Zaccari, who served as president of Valdosta State University for seven years, is a nationally recognized leader in assisting institutions of higher education, corporations, and nonprofit organizations in identifying and establishing purpose-driven strategic goals. LVAC Envisions a Learning, Living, Thriving Arts Community Developing a Strategy for Artistic and Cultural Growth for the Turner Center for the Arts Cheryl Oliver, executive director of Turner Center for the Arts; Rebecca Miller, Turner Center for the Arts communications administrator; Bob Goddard, LVAC president; Gail Hobgood, LVAC past president; and Ronald M. Zaccari, LVAC board member. PHOTO: PAUL LEAVY “The Six Thinking Hats process provides wonderful dialogue and interaction from the entire group,” said Zaccari, a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Nonprofit Organizations and Executives. “Dr. Edward de Bono’s concept is that thinking can be confusing because everyone is trying to do too many things at one time. The Six Thinking Hats method forces everyone into thinking within one category at a time. As the facilitator, it was my responsibility to keep participants focused in each category and not going in different directions.” The categories are identified by six different colored hats—white, black, red, green, yellow, and blue—each with a specific objective. Within the six hats, white represents data and information gathering; black distinguishes the time for identifying problems and potential barriers; red involves feelings, hunches, and intuition; green is creativity, offering solutions, and new ideas; yellow describes values and benefits; and blue manages the thinking process and establishes action steps. Each LVAC board and Turner Center staff member was required to attend one of the five sessions and be actively engaged in the discussion and strategic planning process. “As we moved through the process each board and staff member had to respond to each section. Everyone had to fill out at least three post-it notes (ideas) for each section and then stand up and discuss,” Zaccari said. “When we got to the discussion points the group brought up a lot of ideas. I tried to identify things they maybe didn’t see. We wrote everything down on post-it notes that were placed on the wall. We kept expanding and exploring. When we got to the green hat (creativity), there were some really visionary ideas. That is part of the process.” At the end of the five sessions, there were 324 verbatim/recorded entries from the group. All entries went through an analysis. The redundant statements were removed and similar themes and comments were moved into a more manageable list of 30 entries. In the final phase, a ranking system was used to move the 30 entries to eight outcomes that were then incorporated into five strategic goals: Strategic Alliances, Marketing, Arts Education, Facilities and Land Use, and Organizational Structure. The LVAC Board of Directors adopted the five goals in early 2015 and assigned responsibilities to various committees for oversight and eventual completion. “We have made incredible progress in our goals this past year,” said Cheryl Oliver, executive director of the Turner Center. “This is a long- term commitment, and we will need constant motivation. The Lowndes/ Valdosta Arts Commission is an active board, and members play a major role in moving the strategic plan forward.” Oliver explains that within the category of organizational structure nearly all the assigned action steps have been completed, including hiring an arts education administrator. Debi Davis, a former middle school art teacher, began in July and is charged with developing art education programs for people of all ages within the community. Building Momentum for the Arts Shortly after the strategic planning process began, the Turner Center received a tuition grant from the Georgia Council for the Arts to participate in an 18-month program sponsored by the Georgia Center for Nonprofits (GCN). The GCN Momentum for the Arts project was developed to increase the impact and sustainability of the arts for nonprofits across Georgia. “Being part of the Momentum for the Arts project helped us stay focused and motivated us to finish the strategic plan within a reasonable period,” Oliver said. “Through the grant, we received tuition money to participate in the GCN program, and since we maintain a culture of not wasting money, we committed to wholehearted involvement in the process.” Hobgood, Zaccari, Oliver, and Rebecca Miller, Turner Center communications administrator, attended the monthly Momentum for the Arts meetings and participated in the program, which required trips to Albany where the majority of the meetings were held. “Stallions Running” by Carol Jo Smidt