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Southern Vermont Arts Center names new leader Bob Van Degna
Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester announced Bob Van Degna as its new president of the board of trustees, effective Oct. 20, 2018.
For the last several months, Degna has been acting as board liaison to the staff, helping to create new momentum at SVAC. His backgrounds in both business and fine art photography uniquely position him to lead the arts center in its mission to promote and nurture the arts. He also serves on the board of the Southwestern Vermont Healthcare Foundation.
A native of upstate New Yorker, Degna attended Cornell University, served in the army, and graduated from Harvard Business School. For 30 years, Degna worked at Fleet Bank; he founded and co-led the private equity business line for 20 years, and then spun off the business as a privately-owned entity, Nautic Partners, in 2000. Degna and his wife, Mary-Anne split, their time between Dorset, Arizona, and New York City. In addition to his business background, he has exhibited several times in Vermont, self-published three photography books, and produced an independent documentary film, “Turning Pages.”
“I have a passion for the arts and a desire to give back to the Manchester and Dorset communities. This is an opportunity to re-engage the community with an organization that has great importance to the cultural fabric of our area,” Degna says.
