Vermont Arts Council

Rebecca McMeekin, board chair

Rebecca McMeekinRebecca McMeekin retired in 2014 after serving for sixteen years as executive director at the Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph. The arts continue to play an important part in her life. She was instrumental in the inaugural PoemTown event in Randolph in 2013 and continues to serve as a volunteer for the month-long celebration. She is on the board of the Central Vermont Chamber Music Festival and serves on the Chandler’s New World Festival planning committee. Becky plays the cello and is an amateur poet. She also sings with Cantabile, the Randolph Singers, and her church choir.

During her tenure, the Chandler saw a significant increase in programming and both expanded and renovated the music hall’s facilities by way of a successful capital campaign. At the same time, Becky served as the secretary of Arts Presenters of Northern New England (APNNE) and participated on several Vermont Arts Council grants panels. She was recognized as the Randolph Area Chamber of Commerce’s Executive of the Year in 2007. Becky and her husband Charlie have lived in Vermont since 1973 and have a deep appreciation for the sense of community found in Braintree and throughout the state. They have three grown children.

Becky is honored to be involved with the Council — an organization that was instrumental in her work life. “The arts are a vibrant thread that enriches our life together in community. I’ve seen firsthand the life-changing capacity of the arts — chatting with young students as they leave Chandler, their faces bright with smiles after a performance; witnessing the transformation of an awkward teenager who finds community and confidence through her participation in a stage production; building relationships with a diverse group of volunteers whose lives have a new sense of purpose through their work at a community arts organization. There’s no way to put a price on experiences like these and I look forward to supporting the arts in a new capacity.”

Desmond Peeples March 16, 2023