Sue Hildick New Cultural Advocacy Coalition Executive Director

Dear Friends,
It has been a privilege to serve as the Executive Director of the Cultural Advocacy Coalition since 2011 and it is time for me to transition to new opportunities for service to my community and state. This role has allowed me to support creative work, community engagement, historic preservation and Oregon culture in the Oregon Legislature. With your help, we have protected and modernized the Oregon Cultural Trust, expanded investment in cultural infrastructure, protected Oregon’s percent for art program and supported the health of our sector in policy and funding bills at every opportunity. Thank you to the cultural community for your tireless commitment to your work, but also for your advocacy, community engagement and friendship.

As I prepare to move on, I am happy to report I am leaving you in truly excellent hands. The Coalition board has hired a new Executive Director and a new lobbyist to serve your interests in Salem. Paul Cosgrove a veteran lobbyist with ties to the Coalition’s formation, will lead the Coalition’s efforts to renew the Historic Property Special Assessment program and the tax credit that funds the Oregon Cultural Trust in 2019. You will meet him during next year’s advocacy day, if not sooner and I am confident you will find him knowledgeable, engaging and effective.

Sue Hildick will take over as Executive Director on September 1. Sue comes to the Coalition with substantial nonprofit and political experience and will be getting up to speed on the intricacies of the cultural sector’s funding and policy work over the course of the summer. Sue’s background is perfectly suited to this work and she is experienced in achieving ambitious political goals in collaboration with engaged stakeholders and sector leaders. Since 2003 Sue has led the Chalkboard Project, a collaboration among major foundations focus on education outcomes. Hildick, a fourth generation Oregonian is passionate about building Oregon’s quality of life through creative, innovative public policy-making and investment. She has worked in many different sectors – nonprofit, philanthropy, government – and has learned collaborative problem-solving and leveraging of state and federal resources. Sue has a BA in government from Georgetown University and a MBA from Marylhurst University. Hildick’s awards while at Chalkboard include being named Nonprofit CEO of the Year by the Portland Business Journal, twice recognized as one of Oregon’s Fifty Leaders to Watch by Oregon Business Magazine, and named one of Oregon’s Fifty Power Women by Willamette Week.

When asked why she wanted to work with the Coalition Sue said, “Oregon is a state rich in many ways and prime among those ways is in its cultural assets. Preserving them, supporting them and seeding the development of the next generation of these resources is important to building and maintaining the fabric of our state. These assets crosscut our educational and economic goals and can weave together the Oregon story for each one of us. Working to tell this story and to make sure our cultural resources are recognized for their value and contribution to our key quality of life goals as Oregonians is why cultural advocacy is so important.  I’m eager to work with the members of the CAC to learn more about their work and to help tell their story to policymakers.”

You can see why I am so confident you are going to love working with her.

Paul is equally passionate about the cultural sector, brings decades of experience and exceptional professional credentials. Born in Seattle, but raised in Klamath Falls and Clackamas County, Paul is an attorney licensed to practice in the states of Oregon (since 1981) and Washington (since 1984), Paul has been affiliated with Lindsay Hart, LLP since 1987.  Paul leads the Lindsay Hart State Government Affairs team.  The team represents leading national and local trade associations and companies before the Oregon Legislature, agencies and local governments. Paul attended Antioch College, Portland State University, and Western Washington University (Fairhaven College), where he got his BA with honors in 1974; he got his law degree from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis and Clark College in 1981. Paul has recently served as Chair of the Board of Directors of State Law Resources, an international network of independent law firms with special expertise in government affairs. He is a former President of the Capitol Club, the association of Oregon’s 400+ professional government relations advocates and has been named by Portland Magazine as one of Portland’s Best Lawyers in Government Affairs on every list published since 2008.

Paul and Sue will make an exceptional team and starting September 1, the Coalition will rest on their capable shoulders. Thanks again for your work and the opportunity to work with you to create a thriving environment for art, heritage and the humanities across Oregon.

All my best,
Christine Drazan
Executive Director
Cultural Advocacy Coalition