CMU School of Drama


Tuesday, March 05, 2013

Postcard from Retirement

Art Works: I’ve been officially retired now for 27 days, which seems like as good a time as any to reflect on my time at the NEA. I felt from the outset that if you were ever going to do public service, if you didn’t do it now in this administration, when you would ever do it? It was by chance, completely out of left field that the opportunity came up. Margo Lion—who was the chairman of the President’s Advisement Committee during the campaign—after the 2008 election came in and said, “Can you think of someone who’d be a really good NEA chair?” I put my hand up and said, “I’ll do it!” It struck me that this would be a real chance to do something different than I had ever done in my life. It would be an opportunity to meet new people and people who are very dedicated to making the country a better place. And that’s exactly what happened.

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