ArtsQuest has announced that Jane George is the new Executive Director of the ArtsQuest F6oundation. George, selected for the position following a national search, is the first full-time Executive Director in the Foundation’s history. She began her new role Dec. 4.

For the past 17 years, George, a resident of South Whitehall Township, worked for St. Luke’s University Health Network, most recently as Assistant Vice President of Government Relations & Capital Development.

As executive director, George is responsible for the management and leadership of the Foundation, established to strengthen and support the long-term sustainability of ArtsQuest, the ninth-largest nonprofit arts organization in the state. George will also be responsible for the Foundation’s strategic plan.

“Over the past few years, ArtsQuest has made building and strengthening the ArtsQuest Foundation one of its main priorities, and adding a full-time executive director is a major step toward achieving this goal,” said ArtsQuest President and CEO Kassie Hilgert.

George has worked as Development & Community Affairs Director for the Lehigh Valley Chapter of the American Red Cross, as well as in economic and community development for local government.

George received a Bachelor’s in Marketing from Ohio University in 1984, and a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government in 2013. She and her husband, Von, live in South Whitehall Township and have four adult children.

Founded in 1984, ArtsQuest presents Musikfest, the arts and education programs of the Banana Factory arts center, and the majority of the concerts and programs at SteelStacks arts and entertainment district on the former Bethlehem Steel plant.