News…

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Debbie Rainey Haught has been named acting director for the Arts Section of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, replacing Renee Margocee, who is leaving the agency to become the executive director of the Tamarack Foundation for the Arts.

Haught, who has almost 30 years of service with the agency, was most recently the Cultural Facilities Grant coordinator and the ADA and Section 504 coordinator.  She has served as administrative assistant to the Arts director, media relations coordinator, and community arts coordinator.

“I am pleased to announce Debbie’s appointment and to extend congratulations to Renee on her new position,” said Randall Reid-Smith, West Virginia Division of Culture and History commissioner. 

“With her experience, I believe Debbie will maintain the exceptional level of service the arts community has come to expect from our agency,” Reid-Smith said. “Renee has served this community tirelessly as individual arts coordinator and arts director; we look forward to working with her in her new position.”                             

“Arts organizations, arts administrators and artists throughout the Mountain State are familiar with Debbie Rainey Haught,” said Susan S. Landis, chair of the West Virginia Commission on the Arts. “A dedicated member of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, she has been a responsive resource for those seeking assistance in strengthening arts programs and personal artistry. Her experience as an actress and a director bring additional understanding of the role of the arts in our communities.  As chair of the West Virginia Commission on the Arts, I welcome her appointment as the Acting Director of the WVDCH Arts Section.”      

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the Office of Secretary of Education and the Arts with Gayle Manchin, cabinet secretary. The division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

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