NCAA History
Our Founding Story
The National Council of Arts Administrators (NCAA) was founded in 1973 to create a national forum for academic leaders in the visual arts. The idea was born on July 4, 1972, during a visit to the University of Kansas by Peter A. Jacobs, then Chair of the Art Department at Northern Arizona University. Inspired by earlier regional gatherings and a shared need for dialogue among peers, Jacobs and his wife Nanci, a public school art teacher, envisioned a national organization dedicated to the unique challenges of arts administration in higher education.
With encouragement from mentor Dr. August Freundlich, Dean of Fine and Performing Arts at Syracuse University, Jacobs convened a group of colleagues to explore the idea. In March 1973, the first organizational meeting was held at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Founding board members included Donald Irving, Donald Staff, Richard Scherpereel, James Roy, and Freundlich, with Jacobs elected as the first Chair.
Funding came in the form of one hundred, 1972 dollars from Peter Jabob's personal checking account and a lot of help from the Art Department at Northern Arizona and Texas A&M Universities. Nanci and Peter typed over five hundred personal letters to Art Department Heads and Deans around the country, inviting them to attend the inaugural meeting at the Midland Hotel in Chicago. One hundred (out of 204 charter members) attended that first conference
The inaugural NCAA conference took place later that year at the Midland Hotel in Chicago, drawing 100 attendees from across the country. The theme, “The Unique Problems of an Art Administrator,” set the tone for decades of meaningful exchange and community building. Annual membership dues were just $10, and the conference’s lone female attendee was a Catholic nun—an early indicator of the need for broader inclusion that continues to shape the organization today.
From its grassroots beginnings—funded by a personal $100 check and over 500 hand-typed invitations—NCAA has grown into a vibrant network of arts leaders, committed to advancing leadership, dialogue, and equity in the field of arts administration.
Recent Presidents
2025 Lauren Lake, Alfred University
2024 Lauren Lake, Alfred University
2023 Jeni Mokren, SUNY New Paltz
2022 Jeni Mokren, SUNY New Paltz
2021 Jeni Mokren, SUNY New Paltz
2020 Jeni Mokren, SUNY New Paltz
2019 Lynne Allen, Boston University
2018 Lynne Allen, Boston University
2017 Elissa Armstrong, Virginia Commonwealth University
2016 Elissa Armstrong, Virginia Commonwealth University
2015 Amy Hauft, University of Texas-Austin
2014 Amy Hauft, University of Texas-Austin
2013 Jim Hopfensperger, Western Michigan University
2012 Jim Hopfensperger, Western Michigan University
2011 Jim Hopfensperger, Western Michigan University
2010 Sally McRorie, Florida State University
2009 Sally McRorie, Florida State University
2008 Jean M.K. Miller, Towson State University
2007 Richard Tichich, Western Carolina University
2006 Paul Lee, University of Tennessee
2005 Joe Seipel, Virginia Commonwealth University
2004 Joe Seipel, Virginia Commonwealth University
2003 Joe Lewis, Fashion Institute of Technology
2002 Judith Thorpe, University of Connecticut
2001 William Lew, University of Northern Iowa
2000 William Lew, University of Northern Iowa
1999 Kenda North, University of Texas at Arlington
1998 C. Roy Blackwood, Southeastern Louisiana University
1997 Melody Weiler, Texas Tech University
1996 Melody Weiler, Texas Tech University
1995 Mary Jane Edwards, University of Wyoming
1994 Mary Jane Edwards, University of Wyoming
1993 Charles Fensch, University of Texas at El Paso
1992 Margaret Lucas, West Virginia University
1991 Robert Milnes, San Jose State University