Westinghouse Arts Academy Appoints New CEO, Principal and Board Member

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Media Contact:

Richard Fosbrink
rfosbrink@westinghousearts.org
412-646-1718

Image 1: GWAA CEO, Richard Fosbrink, and WAA President, William Pricener;
Image 2: WAA Principal, Dr. Dana Moreno, and WAA President, William Pricener; [Click images for larger view]

WESTINGHOUSE ARTS ACADEMY APPOINTS NEW CEO, PRINCIPAL AND BOARD MEMBER

WILMERDING, PA (PittsburghNewsWire.com) — At its Board Meeting November 8th, Westinghouse Arts Academy Charter School approved its new CEO and Principal for the performing and creative arts high school.

Richard Fosbrink is the new CEO. Mr. Fosbrink, who had been serving as Director of Operations, began his performing arts and teaching career nearly twenty years ago in Pittsburgh upon graduating from Seton Hill University with a Bachelor of Music in Education degree. He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre and Arts Administration from Wayne State University in Detroit and he has served as both a high school music and theatre teacher and Chair of the Performing Arts Department at Central Catholic High School. In a teaching and arts administration career spanning a decade, Mr. Fosbrink has produced and directed nearly twenty musical theatre productions garnering a dozen esteemed Gene Kelly Award nominations from the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. Most recently, Mr. Fosbrink was President and CEO of Theatre Historical Society of America, a national non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and celebration of America’s historic theatres. He has toured the country in support of communities and organizations promoting economic development of neighborhoods through the restoration and reuse of historic theatres. He is regarded as an expert in theatre history, restoration, and operation, having presented at the National Trust for Historic Preservation conference and is currently featured in Going Attractions: “The Definitive Story of the Movie Palace”, a new documentary on historic theatres. Bill Pricener, the recently elected President of the Board of Trustees of Westinghouse Arts Academy, stated “We are thrilled that Rick accepted the position as our CEO.”

Mr. Pricener went on to say “We are also extremely proud to announce that Dr. Dana Moreno has been named as the new Principal for the School. We are entering a season of change at Westinghouse Arts Academy with great confidence that we have assembled a strong team to bring even greater success in the future.” Dr. Moreno, who had been previously serving as the Ninth Grade Principal for Westinghouse Arts Academy, holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University and a Master of Arts in Teaching in Elementary and Special Education from Chatham University. She is also certified in Middle Level Science, Biology, Earth & Space Science, and General Science at the middle and high school levels. An advocate for school choice, she has spent her entire career working as a teacher or leadership team member at Pennsylvania charter schools. In addition to her full-time work, she has taught adjunct online classes for the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.

At its previous board meeting, Westinghouse Arts Academy appointed Dr. Don Marinelli to the Board of Trustees. “We are beyond excited and honored to have Dr. Marinelli join our Board of Trustees” said Mr. Pricener. Dr. Marinelli brings an amazing wealth of talent, experience and knowledge to the School. Dr. Marinelli is a co-founder and former executive director of the Entertainment Technology Center at Carnegie Mellon University (“ETC”), an adjunct professor at Duquesne University, visiting professor at the University of Arizona, the former assistant head of Drama at Carnegie Mellon University. He is also the Academic Director for Columbia University’s Entertainment Technology Management program. A native of Brooklyn, New York, Dr. Marinelli completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Tampa. He received a M.A. in Clinical Psychology, specializing in Existential-Phenomenological Psychology from Duquesne University. Dr. Marinelli subsequently attended the University of Pittsburgh where he earned his Ph.D. in theatre history, literature and criticism in 1987. Dr. Marinelli was integral in creation of the Carnegie Mellon University’s Master of Arts Management program, the Master of Fine Arts in Acting degree program with the Moscow Art Theatre School in Russia, and the Master of Entertainment Technology degree program within the ETC. “I am honored to join the board of a school boasting the Westinghouse name. Westinghouse’s creations joined together art and technology. Our mission is to maintain that vision,” said Marinelli.

Westinghouse Arts Academy is a public charter school for grades 9 through 12 dedicated to providing a comprehensive arts program for high school students to further develop their artistic skills and achieve higher academic goals through the arts. Westinghouse Arts Academy offers classes in dance, digital arts, literary arts, music, studio arts, and theatre in addition to a rigorous academic program.

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