Carolyn Gora is now President of the Alliance for the Arts Board of Directors. An award-winning arts instructor, Gora has held leadership roles with the Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties, Temple Beth El, and the Fort Myers Public Art Committee. She brings decades of experience as an educator, artist, and community leader to the role.
The Alliance has also welcomed to its board Justin Thibaut, president and CEO of LSI Companies, and Brian Williams, a partner at the law firm Cole, Scott & Kissane.
“This is an exciting new season for the Alliance, and it’s wonderful to have such respected community leaders step into these important roles,” said Executive Director Neil Volz.
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Gora is a lifelong Floridian and passionate advocate for arts education. She holds both a bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees in art education from the University of South Florida and spent nearly 40 years teaching at all levels, including adjunct positions at FSW, USF, and FGCU. A founding art teacher at Cape Coral High School, she has received multiple honors, including the Golden Apple Award and Florida Middle School Art Teacher of the Year. As an artist, her mixed media artwork has been showcased in juried exhibitions locally and internationally, and she is the author and illustrator of three children’s books.
Thibaut is a graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in Construction Management. He brings experience from the nuclear power and petroleum industries, where he managed major capital projects ranging from $500 million to $1 billion. He specializes in real estate analysis, commercial acquisitions and dispositions, and all stages of land development and vertical construction.
Williams holds a BBA from Emory University and a JD from George Washington University Law School. Williams previously served as associate general counsel for Collier County Public Schools and chief legal counsel for the School District of Lee County. He also served as chief economic development officer and as an assistant state attorney in Miami-Dade County.
The Alliance for the Arts is celebrating 50 years as a nonprofit community visual and performing arts center located in the heart of Fort Myers. The Alliance campus and galleries are open to the public from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Its 10-acre campus is located at 10091 McGregor Blvd. just south of Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers.
For more information, telephone 239-939-2787, visit www.ArtInLee.org or follow the Alliance for the Arts on Facebook, MeetUp and Instagram.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
