GLOUCESTER — The Cook Foundation, a non-profit that promotes and funds the arts in Gloucester, has named Elizabeth Blackney as its Executive Director.
As a twenty year veteran of the media relations industry, Blackney has previously worked as the Senior Media Advisor to Nobel Peace Price Co-Laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege. She was also the communications director at the Panzi Foundation, which provides holistic services to help survivors heal from sexual violence.
In her role as executive director, Blackney will oversee planning for the 2022 Gloucester Arts Festival and continuing to work with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra to expand youth access to arts. She expects to begin work in the coming months on a strategic plan to commemorate the Cook Foundation’s 25th anniversary in 2024.
“I am honored to be here, in the place where Pocahontas was from, where so much cultural history began,” Blackney said. “I really want to spend the next 25 years giving back to the communities where I live, work and play.”
