About this Virtual Conversation

Tuesday, April 10th at 1:00PM (ET)

While many states have just finished their budget processes, the time for advocating for next year’s budgets is not too far away. This ArtsU program will offer tips and tools to help arts advocates work to influence their state’s budgeting process to advance the arts and culture. Massachusetts State Senator Stan Rosenberg, a former Budget Committee Chair and President of the Senate will answer your questions and offer advice on how you can work with your state’s elected officials during the budget process. This session will be moderated by Jay Dick, Americans for the Arts Senior Director of State and Local Government Affairs.

Presenter:

Stan Rosenberg, Massachusetts State Senator, Massachusetts State Senate

Website: https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Profile/SCR0
Email: Stan.Rosenberg@masenate.gov
Twitter: @SenStan

Senator Stanley C. Rosenberg has represented the Hampshire, Franklin & Worcester County district in the Massachusetts Senate since 1991 and served as Senate President from 2015-2017. Throughout his career in public service, he has remained steadfastly committed to Massachusetts values – like supporting working families, protecting our environment, increasing government transparency, and ensuring all students have the opportunity to succeed. 
Stan believes that government works better when a diversity of viewpoints are heard. During his time as Senate President, he transformed the culture of the Senate by empowering and engaging his colleagues in a model he calls “Shared Leadership,” which encourages participation and cooperation. He has embraced technology and community outreach, creating a more accessible, modern and engaged Senate which reacts quickly to the needs of voters. Stan’s push to make government more responsive stretches back to 1993, when he co-authored the “Motor Voter” bill to modernize our voting system and boost voter turnout. He was later asked two times to redraw Massachusetts’ political boundaries during the redistricting process, earning high praise the second time for an exceptionally transparent process which created a new minority-majority district.
Stan’s attention seldom strays far from fighting for working families and growing our economy from the bottom up. As Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways & Means, he passed a long-overdue wage hike for the Commonwealth’s lowest-paid human service workers. His tireless work to increase funding for education from early childhood to college has driven the creation of an innovation economy which keeps Massachusetts competitive.

Moderator:

Jay Dick, Senior Director of State and Local Government Affairs, Americans for the Arts

Website: www.americansforthearts.org
Email: jay@artsusa.org
Twitter: @JayAFTA

Jay Dick is the Senior Director of State and Local Government Affairs at Americans for the Arts where he works to educate and inform elected officials about the value of the arts and culture.  As a twenty-five-year veteran of K Street, Capitol Hill, the private sector, and federal, state, and local campaigns, Jay possesses a tremendous body of knowledge in the field of arts policy, government, the legislative process, and grassroots advocacy.  He is a nationally recognized speaker on these topics having designed and overseen many initiatives. Jay is regularly interviewed by the media and testifies in front of legislative bodies as an expert on these topics and on Americans for the Arts’ legislative positions.

With the mandate to positively affect the policies that promote state and local funding and expansion of the arts, Jay works closely with the Americans for the Arts’ members, local arts agencies, state arts advocacy organizations and other key stakeholders to accomplish this goal.  Further, he oversees Americans for the Arts’ Public Partnerships and works closely with the members and staffs of the National Governors Association, National Lt. Governors Association, National Conference of State Legislators, National Association of Counties, The United State Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities and ICMA (city/county managers).