The Maryland Federation of Art (MFA) Board of Directors has named a new Executive Director of MFA. After an extensive search, they are pleased to announce that Patrice Drago has been selected as Executive Director, as of May 15, 2024.
Drago’s expertise in business management, strategic planning, and negotiation stem from a distinguished career with Marriott International, and subsequently as a Maryland state legislative Chief of Staff. Her deep professional credentials, combined with her service on the MFA Board of Directors, makes her an excellent choice for this important leadership role.
With a deep passion for community-based arts, Drago has been a key player in the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County arts community for over 15 years, promoting local art through her column in the Capital Gazette and her leadership of the Annapolis Gallery Association.
The hiring of Patrice Drago will help to further advance the mission of the organization that will celebrate its 62nd anniversary this year. “We are so excited to welcome Patrice as our new Executive Director,” says Karen Ricketts, MFA’s Board of Directors President. “She embraces innovation and brings enthusiasm, a wealth of experience and superb leadership skills to our organization. MFA is poised for significant growth, and we are extremely fortunate to have Patrice leading us into our next chapter, and we look forward to a successful and invigorating future with her at the helm.”
When Drago officially assumed the role last May, she had been serving as MFA’s Acting Executive Director, succeeding the long-term and distinguished Interim Director Joann Vaughan, who had returned after a previous leadership change. Drago oversees the entire operation of MFA, one of the area’s leading non-profit arts organizations. MFA is known throughout the state of Maryland, and nationally, for their 40+ art exhibitions annually, for hosting a premier Plein Air competition, Paint Annapolis, and for serving as a valuable resource for artists and art enthusiasts.
“As both a practicing visual artist and lover of art in all forms, I deeply appreciate the benefits of providing support to working artists, and to the community, by providing access to visual art that exists today – and embracing new, evolving forms of art. To enable a greater understanding of both the economic and spiritual value of the visual arts is a thrilling endeavor, and I am honored and excited to lead this vital and growing organization”, says Drago.
About Maryland Federation of Art
Located in Maryland’s capital city of Annapolis, it is the area’s oldest visual arts non-profit organization. MFA, a 501(c)(3), was founded in 1963 and moved to the “MFA Gallery on the Circle” in 1968, where it’s main gallery and office resides today. MFA Circle Gallery is located at 18 State Circle, Annapolis, MD