[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 182 (Wednesday, November 30, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2136]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


 HONORING PEGGY BAGGETT ON HER RETIREMENT AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE 
                    VIRGINIA COMMISSION FOR THE ARTS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JAMES P. MORAN

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 30, 2011

  Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Peggy J. Baggett, who 
will retire as the Executive Director of the Virginia Commission for 
the Arts (VCA) on November 30, 2011. During her more than 30 years of 
service with the Commission for the Arts, Ms. Baggett directed the 
organization in an honest and innovative fashion, ensuring that all 
needs were met with the utmost attention.
  After receiving her Master's degree in Arts Administration, Ms. 
Baggett joined the Virginia Commission for the Arts in 1976 as their 
Regional Coordinator. Her long list of responsibilities included: 
publicizing the programs and services of the Commission; providing 
assistance to arts organizations in applying for funds; evaluating 
activities funding by the Commission; coordinating the statewide 
Artists-in-Schools program; and consulting with non-profit arts 
organizations on a wide range of management problems.
  In 1980, after only four years at the organization, Ms. Baggett was 
appointed as the Executive Director by Governor John Dalton. Her 
capacity to handle complex and long-term projects has been 
exceptionally impressive. Ms. Baggett's accountability oversaw the 
investment of state and federal resources in the arts and built a 
multi-tiered review system that is regarded as effective, fair, and 
consistent by leaders in the arts across the state. She has effectively 
worked with key legislators on both sides of the aisle on issues of 
importance to arts and culture while working in the administrations of 
three Republican Governors and five Democratic Governors. Ms. Baggett 
is nationally hailed as an expert on state resources, keeping the 
administrative costs of the agency low while focusing on providing the 
best possible service to the people of Virginia.
  Peggy Baggett's long list of accomplishments includes numerous 
recognitions and awards. On January 8, 2011, she was awarded the 
Leadership in the Arts Award by the Virginia Center for the Creative 
Arts (VCCA) ``for her dedication and inspiring leadership in the arts 
of Virginia for over three decades and eight governors.'' Additionally, 
she garnered the Anne Brownson Award for Service to the Museum 
Profession from the Virginia Association of Museums in 2002, Award of 
Distinction from the Folk Art Society of Virginia in 2001, the Gary 
Young Award for Leadership in the State Arts Agency field from the 
National Assembly of State Arts Agencies in 1999 and, in 1992, was 
named an Outstanding Woman of Virginia by the James Madison University 
Woman Faculty.
  Along with her work at the Virginia Commission for the Arts, Peggy's 
clear dedication to the arts extends far beyond her regular working 
hours. From 1981 to 2009, she was on the Board of Directors of the Mid 
Atlantic Arts Foundation, which provides arts programs from Virginia to 
New York. During that time, she sat on the Board of Directors for the 
Richmond-First Club, serving as their President from 1995 to 1996, and 
was also on the Board of the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies 
from 1989 to 1995. From 1983 to 1985, she served on the Board for the 
Virginia Women's Cultural History Project. She has been also been a 
member of the Board and Chair of the Advisory Board for the Center for 
Arts Administration at the University of Wisconsin several times.
  Ms. Baggett has continually and generously lent her skill and 
expertise to others by volunteering as an Advisory Panelist for 
numerous National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) programs during her 
career. Additionally, she has worked as an Advisory Panelist and expert 
for other arts institutions across the country. Her recent 
accomplishments are a reflection of her work at the VCA. Ms. Baggett's 
planning, oversight, and coordination surrounding the 2008 Governor's 
Awards for the Arts, the first Virginia Heritage Awards in 2009, and 
for MINDS WIDE OPEN: Virginia Celebrates Women in the Arts, the 
Commonwealth's largest collaboration in history in the arts and 
cultural community, were exemplary. Her industrious oversight and 
coordination of the distribution of the American Recovery and 
Reinvestment Act funds for the arts in Virginia was well-executed and 
effective. Throughout her career at the VCA, Ms. Baggett has continued 
to promote the growth of the arts and cultural districts in localities 
across the state through conferences and training.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to ask my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating Ms. Peggy J. Baggett upon her retirement from the 
Virginia Commission for the Arts as their Executive Director. She has 
brought joy to countless individuals through her support and 
development of the arts in Virginia. I sincerely thank her for her 
service, and wish her the very best in all of her future endeavors.

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