Donna McNeil, is the Founding Executive Director of the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation and former Director of the Maine Arts Commission. She has devoted her life to arts advocacy in the for-profit, non-profit and government fields. She holds an undergraduate degree in painting from Syracuse University and a masters degree in art history from Harvard as well as an honorary PhD from Maine College of art where she was commencement speaker. She has curated numerous exhibitions, written two artists books and served as juror and nominator on many panels including the NEA and MacArthur Awards.