Chair, Ohio Arts Council
Cleveland, Ohio
In addition to her position as chair of Arts Midwest, Barbara Robinson has been chair of the Ohio Arts Council since 1987. In 2000, she was elected to the Board of Overseers at Harvard University. She completed three terms as chair of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA), during which time she held the distinction of being the first chair of a state arts council to head the organization. She has continued her involvement with NASAA as a committee chair. Barbara has a long history of arts involvement and achievement. She holds leadership positions in several Cleveland area organizations including the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, and University Hospitals of Cleveland. In addition to continued recognition for arts patronage and civic leadership in the not-for-profit area, Barbara has had significant experience in arts management, business administration, fundraising and as a performing artist. Prior to receiving the 1991 Ohio Governor’s Award, she was elected Volunteer of the Year (1991) by Leadership Cleveland, and was elected to the Shaker Heights Hall of Fame. A piano soloist with the Boston Pops Orchestra, Barbara also performed with the orchestras of the New England Conservatory of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music where she served as a member of the piano faculty. Barbara graduated with highest honors from Wellesley College and from the Harvard-Radcliffe Program in Business Administration.