Valley Art Center Staff
 Ann Chaney, Executive Director
Ann M. Chaney has served as the Executive Director of the Valley Art Center from 1996 to 1999 and 2006 to the present.
In addition to her time with the art center, she worked as Program Director for The Littlest Heroes, a not for profit organization serving families of children suffering from cancer. She has learned every single facet of this organization from helping children with crafts at the annual Children’s Holiday Workshop, to shoveling snow, to spearheading fundraisers, to knowledge and hands-on experience executing every task in the office. Ann brought her extensive personal background with the contracting industry to play during the Valley Art Center’s "Art of Renovation," serving as project manager with her husband during the entire undertaking. |
 Laurie Nalepa, Office Manager
Laurie Nalepa came to the Valley Art Center after 20+ years as a professional librarian (Masters in Library Science from KSU in 1983; subject
specialty in Educational Psychology—M.A. from John Carroll University in 2000) in both the academic and public setting. It was her foray into bulletin board design and making crafts for the “Tiny Tots” reading program that led her back to art classes (for the first time since high school--some 30 years ago). Raising 4 children, managing a busy department in one of her library incarnations, and volunteer work for other non-profit organizations helped her learn to budget her time and manage the multi-tasking necessary for the Office Manager at a busy community art center. |
 Bridget Roush, Gallery Director/Communications
Bridget Roush came to the Valley Art Center after staying home for 8 years to raise her three daughters. She simultaneously earned a Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Merchandising/Marketing at Bowling Green State University and an Associates of Arts and Science in Fashion Merchandising/Marketing at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Bridget’s love of fashion and design has open many doors over the years. Bridget has always played to her strengths as a self-starter, coordinator and teacher enjoying positions as a market specialist in New York City, working with Barney’s New York and Saks Fifth Avenue, and back in Cleveland, she ventured into furniture design with Sylvia Potter and Arhaus Furniture. Bridget was accepted into a pilot program, Catholic Emerging Leaders (CEL), which included participating in the Cleveland Civic Leadership Institute (CLI) program as well. She has also completed two leadership programs, ND Vision, at the University of Notre Dame. Bridget has chaired the Chagrin Falls Middle/High School Art Exhibit, volunteered for Art Friends, co-chaired Volley for the Cure and started a Youth Stewardship Committee. |
 Liz Fincun, Office Assitance
Liz Fincun grew up in the Chagrin Falls area, graduating high school from the Kenston School District. After considering fashion design in Boston as a career base, Liz transferred to Miami University of Ohio focusing in Art Education and graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor of Science in Art with Multi-Age Visual Arts Licensure. Liz came to the Valley Art center looking for a teaching position, but in showing her ability to work with both left and right sides of her brain, Liz also took on the role of “Saturday Girl” as well as assisting with office duties during the week. She teaches architecture dream and sewing/fashion design as well as more classes to come. Liz's ultimate career goal is to teach art in a middle or high school.
|
Valley Art Center Volunteer Positions
Darlene Jackson, Adult Education
Kathy Vencl, Child Education
Judith Albert, Bell Street Shop
Joan Rusek, Pottery Studio
Darlene Jackson, Adult Education
Kathy Vencl, Child Education
Judith Albert, Bell Street Shop
Joan Rusek, Pottery Studio
