BOONE, N.C. — After a national search, Elizabeth Auer has been named executive director of arts engagement and cultural resources at Appalachian State University, effective Aug. 15.

Auer will be responsible for administration of the university’s premier arts festival, An Appalachian Summer Festival, as well as the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts and the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts, and all programming in those venues, including The Schaefer Center Presents performing arts series and the APPlause! K-12 performing arts series.

“We are thrilled to welcome Elizabeth to App State,” said Vice Chancellor of External Affairs and Strategic Initiatives Hank Foreman. “Elizabeth brings with her more than two decades in the arts management field, with senior management level experience, responsibility for budgets in excess of $6 million and knowledge across all areas of operation.”

Auer’s background includes a long career at the University of Florida and leadership with the nation’s top arts management organizations.

“Her extensive experience and national network, combined with her dedication to accessible, world-class arts programming and university/community partnerships, position her to be the next leader for App State’s renowned Arts Engagement and Cultural Resources operations,” Foreman said.

Auer will assume the role from Denise Ringler, who is retiring, said Foreman, “after a distinguished career of nearly 30 years, which she has dedicated to elevating the arts in our community, most recently as director of arts engagement and cultural resources.”

Since 2000, Auer has been with the University of Florida Performing Arts. During this time, she expanded community engagement programs, developed performance management and patron-focused operation and retention systems, produced numerous special events and participated in strategic plan development and implementation for the university. Through her work with boards of directors, community leaders and major donors, she matched passions with projects and programs to strengthen the arts at UF and within the local community.

Auer has served as a presenter and panelist for numerous regional and national arts organizations, including the National Endowment for the Arts, the Association of Performing Arts Professionals, the International Society for the Performing Arts and South Arts Performing Arts Exchange. She has held leadership positions with numerous organizations dedicated to cultural exchange, including the Arts Presenters Inaugural Leadership Development Initiative and has led Center Stage Cultural Diplomacy site visits and interviews. She has also presented for numerous organizations on topics related to the arts in medicine and health care, and serves as a team member with the Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases.

Auer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre from Louisiana State University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in theatre management from Florida State University.

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About Arts Engagement and Cultural Resources at App State

Appalachian State University hosts vibrant and diverse arts and humanities programming year-round to enrich the cultural and intellectual climate of the university and region. The Office of Arts Engagement and Cultural Resources oversees programming of App State’s Turchin Center for the Visual Arts and Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts, including the art series The Schaefer Center Presents and APPlause! for K–12 students. Additionally, each summer the office administers An Appalachian Summer Festival — an annual celebration of the performing and visual arts held in venues across the Boone campus. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu/arts.

About Appalachian State University

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.