from the January 2001 PAEA Newsletter

Jeanne Schmedlen is the director for Special Projects for Speaker of the House of Representatives, Matt Ryan. In this capacity, she has worked with Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Alliance for Arts Education to create and maintain the annual celebration of Pennsylvania Arts in Education Month and Pennsylvania Arts in Education Day. For the past six years, she has provided leadership, coordination and support for this important event. Her efforts in this initiative have brought Arts Education to a position of both recognition and significance in the legislative organization in the Commonwealth. Her ideas and organization for the Month and Day bring forward spoken and written testimony of the importance of the Arts in Pennsylvania schools. The celebration of Arts in Education Month and Day bring media attention, proclamations from the governor, and citations read from the floor of the senate. It is through Jeanne’s leadership that Arts in Education Day have continued to make the event better and brighter each year.

Mrs. Schmedlen was Press Officer for the PA Council on the Arts and increased the press coverage of programs statewide, and wrote many articles on art education. She now sits on the PA Council on the Arts-Art in Education Committee. She was appointed by Governor Tom Ridge to the PA Humanities Council in 1999. She has served on many committees for the PA Department of Education in support of art education. She has supported the PA Governor’s Institute for Art Educators and the PA Governor’s School for the Arts. She is knowledgeable on the subject and demonstrates excellent leadership by her speeches at both events. She maintains very high standards on any project done for the state or PAEA.

Through her work in support of the Arts, Jeanne Scmedlen has repeatedly and consistently proven that she is a true Friend to Art Education.