Familiar face selected to lead S.C. Arts Alliance

Inaugural graduate fellow returns to lead advocacy org

The South Carolina Arts Alliance recently announced the appointment of Jeff Robinson as its new executive director.

Robinson (pictured at right) is the fourth individual to fill this role in the organization’s over 40-year history. As executive director, he will lead statewide advocacy efforts for the arts, while managing the operations, programs, and planning for the Arts Alliance.

SCAA Board President Dana Gencarelli said, “Jeff’s experience as a music educator combined with his longtime work with SCAA as a graduate fellow and Arts Advocacy Day team leader really puts him in a great position to champion the role of the arts in education, economic development, and overall quality of life throughout South Carolina.”

A lifelong musician and arts advocate, Robinson holds a bachelor’s degree in music education and his master’s degree in arts administration from Winthrop University. During his graduate studies, he was selected as the inaugural graduate fellow for the SCAA and in 2021 became a Riley Fellow through S.C. Afterschool Leaders Empowered. He is the incoming board chair for Palmetto State Arts Education, is a South Carolina teaching fellow, and serves as a deputy province governor for Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia fraternity.

“I’m proud to have been born and raised in a state that has such a thriving creative sector. The $14.1 billion impact of the creative economy, the undeniable positive outcomes of arts education, and the artists and arts organizations that keep our communities thriving all tell the same story—the arts make South Carolina stronger. I’m thrilled to join a legacy of incredible leaders and advocates as the South Carolina Arts Alliance moves into its next chapter and continues to elevate the power of the arts in our state,” Robinson said in a statement.

Robinson has more than a decade of experience as an arts educator and administrator.

He began his career in his hometown of York as director of bands at York Middle School and assistant director at York Comprehensive High School. Prior to joining the SCAA, Jeff worked in the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities office of outreach, developing professional learning, arts programming, and virtual resources for students and teachers throughout the state. He also worked closely with local organizations to help connect young artists and their community through the Governor’s School’s service learning program, Connecting Arts Through Service.