The members of the board of directors of the Carnegie Hall Foundation have established a fund with the Greater Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation (GVCF) to honor Executive Director Susan Adkins and to initiate, develop, and promote string education programming in the Greenbrier Valley. Distributions from the fund will support this endeavor in perpetuity.
Susan Adkins is a long-time resident of the Greenbrier Valley as well as a talented musician, teacher, and administrator. She grew up in Rupert, graduated from Greenbrier West High School, and earned a BS in music education from Concord College. Adkins began teaching in Lewisburg in 1976 at both the elementary school and at the Bolling School. She then taught music at Williamsburg Elementary School, Eastern Greenbrier Junior High School, and Greenbrier East High School where she also served as the choir director. During this tenure, she additionally earned an MA in speech communications from West Virginia University.
In 2005, Adkins became the Executive Director of Carnegie Hall, Inc. providing strong leadership and stability after a transitional period. She enjoys all aspects of her work from the daily fiscal challenges to the stewardship of the historic building to the creativity and nurturing required of her as director of the Carnegie Hall Children’s Choir. Adkins is especially proud of the work done at Carnegie to integrate the arts into the public schools and the opportunity it provides for thousands of children to participate in arts programs. She stated “I look forward to expanding the Hall’s offerings with the addition of a string music program and am excited by the possibilities of what we will be able to bring to the community.”
The Susan L. Adkins Fund for String Music Education will be administered by the Greenbrier Valley Community Foundation (GVCF). GVCF was established in 1999 to ensure that the region remains an enriching environment where individuals and organizations have the resources needed to continue their vital work. It currently has over $7.3 million in assets. Over the past 15 years, the foundation has distributed over $2.1 million to the community. For more information about the Susan L. Adkins Fund, GVCF, or to learn how to establish a fund to benefit a cause you are passionate about, contact Courtney Smith, executive director, at 304-645-5620 or info @gvfoundation.org.